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Old 11-18-2009, 11:10 PM
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Default "How to" carbon fiber dash panel for a 2nd gen bird. Anvil, Autometer, Vintage Air...

I recently built a custom carbon fiber dash panel assembly to fit in the stock 2nd gen dashboard of my friend Tys car, "Freedom Bird" which is being built at Fletchers Customs. The panel was made using Anvil Auto carbon fiber. Installed in the panel are, Autometer Cobalt gauges, Vintage Air controller, American Autowire headlight/lights switch, NOS arming switch, Pypes exhaust cutout switch, aftermarket delay wiper switch, and topping off everything is a set of Twist Machine billet gauge bezels.

This thread will detail the "How To" so that anyone who wants to create a custom panel for their own car can see how it was done. The same procedures to fabricate and mount the panel could be performed using other types of materials for the panel. Below are a few pics of the panel as it was installed at the SEMA show. A few things are not quite finished in the pics due to a show deadline and pieces which had not arrived in time for the show. A shift light will be installed in the space under the gas gauge between the Tach and Speedo, a billet bezel for the wiper switch, different toggle switches and a small "bird" emblem in the space next to the VA controller. The last post containing instructions in this thread will list the companies websites as well as tools and other things needed to complete the operations.







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Old 11-18-2009, 11:12 PM
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The first thing you need to know is that this is not a quick project. If you don't have a lot of patience for detailed time consuming work stop reading now, just enjoy the pictures.

For the purpose of these instructions the gauge panel assembly and pieces will be refered to as follows

Bezel: The aluminum trim ring that surrounds the part with the gauge openings.
Facia: The flat part with the gauge holes in it.
Hood: The stamped sheetmetal section that has 3 screws holes where the upper part of the assembly is screwed to the upper dash.
Panel: The Bezel, Facia, and hood attached to each other as an assembly

The first step is to remove the hood from the panel. This is accomplished by filing or grinding off the heads of the rivets holding it to the panel. Don't try drilling them out, it doesn't work well.




Once the hood is detached, remove the 2 screw clips on the bottom of the panel where the screws that come up from the bottom hold the panel in place when installed in the dash. Be very carefull not to bend or twist the bezel which might deform it enough to see from the front after reassembly. I find the clips are most easily removed using a dental pic and small pair of needlenose pliers. PUT THE TWO CLIPS SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOOSE THEM!

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Old 11-18-2009, 11:14 PM
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The Bezel has several folded over tabs which hold it to the facia. These tabs need to be VERY GENTLY straightened out. This allows the bezel to be separated from the facia. Remove the bezel and put it in a safe place where it cannot get bent.






Wiggling the individual gauge rings will allow them to be removed from the facia. Also remove the Radial Tuned emblem. Once this is done get a piece of posterboard and lay the facia on it face down. Then put a heavy weight on it to keep it still and hold it flat to the bench.




Use a pencil to draw an outline of the facia and all of the stock openings on the posterboard. It is important to mark all of the openings of the stock controls for reference when aligning things later. The panel does not have any straight lines on the circumference and even openings like the heater control section are not a perfect rectangle. all of the elements of the dash were figured out to make everything seem straight and level from the drivers position. Whoever designed the original dash did a fantastic job and must have put a tremendous amount of thought into the layout and design.

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Old 11-19-2009, 10:44 AM
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Great post John!


Now you've got to finish it!
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Old 11-19-2009, 11:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GregWeld View Post
Great post John!


Now you've got to finish it!
Got it covered already! When I started the project I wasn't sure it could be done they way I wanted and had never worked with carbon fiber before, so few people knew I was attempting it. I took notes and pics instead of posting then in case the project turned into a failure. I wrote the whole thread in my "spare" time the past week and there's about 80 pics incorporated so I'm going to post it up a bit at a time.

.................................................. ..............

Very carefully cut the shape of the facia out of the posterboard along the inner edge of the circumference line you made. Do Not cut out any of the openings for gauges etc. Sand the posterboard until you have an exact fit within the bezel. If you are off more than 1/16" you will have gaps where the posterboard does not fit perfectly into the bezel.



Now lay the posterboard cut out onto a thin sheet of ABS you'll be using for mock up. (If you're really confident in your skills and plan you could skip to the carbon fiber or final material you are going to use but I recommend fitting everything with cheap plastic first.)

Tape the posterboard in place so it cannot move and trace the outline onto the plastic with a grease pencil. Then remove the posterboard and cut out the facia shape using a Dremel with a cutting bit. Do not try to cut it exactly to the correct size. After you've cut the shape out, sand down to its final size using 80 grit paper to fit perfectly into the bezel. The plastic shown in the pics is fake carbon fiber. It's very realistic looking but does not reflect light with the same prism effect of the real stuff.





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Old 11-19-2009, 06:53 PM
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Now its time to plan where the new gauges will be placed. Use a ruler to line up the original gauge openings and locate the centers of the original openings. Next use a caliper to measure the outside dimension of the gauge trim ring on your new gauges and use a compass to mark the posterboard with the outline of the outside of the new gauge trim ring. If you are using 5" Tach and Speedometer units this will allow you to see if the tach needs to be moved toward the column a liittle to gain clearance because of the taper of the facia. The Autometer 5" gauges aren't really 5" anywhere you measure them. I guess they call them 5" because they're about 5". Once you've determined where you'd like the Tach and Speedo positioned measure the gauge body right behind the trim ring and use a compass to mark the posterboard where the hole the gauge will need to fit into will be cut.

Next do the same thing for the slmaller gauges. If you're using the 5" - 2 3/16" combo then the gauge between the tach and speedo looks better if you raise it and the 4 side gauges look better spread out a bit.

Once you're sure where you'd like the gauges, cut out the holes from the posterboard.



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Old 11-19-2009, 07:01 PM
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Use some 80 grit paper to sand the posterboard till each gauge fits into the hole. Keep in mind that the housing of each Autometer gauge is tapered a little from front to back so just because you can fit the back of the gauge into the hole you'll still have to widen the hole till you can slide the gauge housing all the way in to the hole until the gauge trim ring contacts the posterboard. Cut out the holes for the AC vent and lighter opening. The lighter opening needs to be oversized a little to allow variances when the final panel is installed. The trim ring for the lighter will cover gaps.

Once you've got the openings finished lay the posterboard onto the plastic panel and tape into place. Mark all openings with a grease pencil and cut openings with a Dremel tool keeping in mind not to open the holes up to much. You will sand the plastic to fit after cutting with the tool. I use something round to be sure I don't end up with egg shaped holes.













[img width=800 height=600]http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Firebird%20TA%20custom%20dash%20build/FirebirdTAdashbuild060.jpg[/img]
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Old 11-20-2009, 10:40 AM
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This dash panel will be using a Vintage Air (refered to as "VA" from now on) controller to operate the VA AC and Heat/defrost system. If you are using a stock heater control panel, mark the opening on the posterboard, cut, and then transfer to plastic and cut. If you are using a VA controller you will need to find the centerline of the original heater control panel by measuring on the posterboard and drawing a line. The line is used as a guide to keep the VA controller straight when deciding where you would like the VA controller positioned. Keep in mind that the circuit board assembly on the back is larger than the face plate and you have to keep the whole assembly high enough on the facia to provide clearance for the circuit board.

Once you've decided where to mount the VA controller place the face plate on the posterboard and mark the opening. Cut the opening on the small side and then sand the cardboard to an interference fit. It is important to the finished product that the hole for the face plate be exact. If the hole is too big the face plate may be able to slide around in the hole because of the way the face VA assembly sandwiches the facia to hold it in place. Once you have the VA controller opening where you'd like it, place the posterboard on the plastic panel and then repeat the process on the plastic.

Vintage Air provides a template in their instructions for people installing their controllers in places where the template would make it easier to locate the face plate. For this installation I would recommend not to use the template but rather just trace the actual face plate where it fits in the facia..





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Old 11-20-2009, 01:10 PM
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John,

Thanks for going to the trouble of posting this build thread. I know for sure it will help me when it comes time to build my dash.
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Old 11-20-2009, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 70rs View Post
John,

Thanks for going to the trouble of posting this build thread. I know for sure it will help me when it comes time to build my dash.
Hope it does help! Just remember to take some pics when its finished and post them up for our entertainment. I've done a couple 2nd gen Camaro dashes, I'd like to see yours.
.................................................. .................................................. ....

If you are mounting switches to the dash. The space to the right of the lighter is an excellent place, and is where the factory installed switches in some models. There's clearance behind the panel in that area for wiring. Now is the time to locate them on the posterboard and follow the steps to transfer their position till you have the holes drilled in the plastic to mount them. Turn signals also need to be located and holes made for them at this time. If you are using LED turn signal indicators be sure not to place them where they cannot be seen while driving. You don't want one or both blocked by the steering wheel etc.

I get an assortment of switches and return most of the switches quickly. I hold them up to the facia, gauges, and other items to see what will look the best. In this case none of them were "perfect" so the black with blue LED "on" indicator switches will be replaced with some billet ones to match everything else later. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't! LOL The round blue NOS switch in the pic below is a momentary switch that will be mounted in the console to operate the line lock. The two "on/off" switches placed into the panel on this dash are going to operate the NOS arming mechanisms and the PYPES electronicly controlled exhaust cutouts.





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