Carbon fibre/fibre glass

Err why fibreglass???

You don't buy ready made sheets of GRP....

Why not?

Nvm demon-tweeks sell sheet carbon fibre.

Lol.

Have you seen the price of the stuff? Roughly 20cm square and 0.3mm thick is 80 quid plus VAT.

I can only assume you're looking at some fake stick-on s**te.

No? I've just spunked a wad on new gauges i'm not going to mount them in painted GRP or chipboard with stick on fake carbon fibre.

Jesus.

You're going to blow in the region of 200 quid (0.3mm won't be thick enough) to mount gauges in the car?

What's wrong with aluminium sheet? - that's what most amatuer racers / rally drivers use.

That's a smashing idea actually Steve because i'm using sheet aluminium on the doors where the door cards would be. I just quite liked the idea of all my gauges mounted in carbon fibre.

Because it looks crap, is messy to cut out, etc. Just buy some perspex sheet in 3 or 4mm thick

Yes you can. My local signwriter buys the stuff in sheets for some part of his neon signs...

But its not suitable or practical for making instrument facias...

Go with ali plate, or for industrial "bling" Chequer plate ali.

I think I know what you are talking about, any ideas where I can buy the chequered stuff? I think it could look pretty nice and shouldn't be hard to cut.

I'm going with a pretty radical idea here. It's so radical, you just wouldn't believe how long it took me to work it out.

Here it is.....

Are you sitting comfortably, as this is so radical it may shock you.

How about using the original instrument panel?

Becuase I want to get rid of the dash?

Why, though?

You'll notice that most amateurs in motorsport stick with the original dash. That's for a good reason - it keeps things nice and simple and keeps costs down.

Do you have any idea of the headaches you're causing yourself buy trying to replace the original instruments and idiot lights?

Having spent more time than is healthy behind the dash of a MkI Golf, I can tell you that you'll spend possibly weeks trying to trace all the wires and get everything working again. It really isn't worth the hassle.

Well you could cut it off something else that is already fibreglass, I suppose, but the usual thing is to have a mould and then create the fibreglass with resin and glass mats and that type of thing. It's a tad pointless for a flat sheet, but could work, I suppose.

There are, however, many alternatives to doing that and one that I would recommend is to cut the piece out of the side cover on a PC with an aluminium case, put a clear plastic sheet to cover that with something like "RAD!" painted in so that everyone believed it was deliberate, and then pop yer holes fer the dials into the bit you cut out.

Then there is varnished wood, sheet steel isn't bad, thick plastic, and so on.

What a RAD! idea... :)

Its a bastard to cut and I use it for everything...

Just buy plastic / perspex??? Its east to cut. Looks tidy, etc.

Well if it isn't expensive then i'll have a stab with the ali plaiting first. But it shouldn't be that hard! Just a rectangular bit of metal with 6 holes cut out!