Keith why did you only put one pod on it?
and what gauge are you putting up there?
and what gauge are you putting up there?
thoughts on 'glassing my dash
- Thread starter corax
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Check out the autozone selection on paint for plastics and such, its not bad stuff
- Thread starter
- #23
I was thinking of doing a double or triple gauge pod like the one below, but I don't really have any need for it and they're like $50.
I already have the SR5 gauges plus the idiot lights for low oil pressure and high coolant temp. I'm putting my HF vacuum gauge there - great for quick diagnostics and as an indicator of total engine load
I already have the SR5 gauges plus the idiot lights for low oil pressure and high coolant temp. I'm putting my HF vacuum gauge there - great for quick diagnostics and as an indicator of total engine load
We sell the cheaper set for like 30 bucks , as the picture you showed, the 3 pod I think is like 50
I was thinking of doing a double or triple gauge pod like the one below, but I don't really have any need for it and they're like $50.
I already have the SR5 gauges plus the idiot lights for low oil pressure and high coolant temp. I'm putting my HF vacuum gauge there - great for quick diagnostics and as an indicator of total engine load
i was just wondering, that is all!
- Thread starter
- #26
I test fit the dash and found that certain areas had to be trimmed for it to fit properly - all of the trim work was done with a sharp utility knife which made things easier.
The screw holes and edges here . . .
. . . sit on here. See the plastic slot under the screw tab that the dash slides into? I had to sand the fiberglass just a hair thinner than it was to get it to slide in properly
the fiberglass that I originally had wrapped around was cut along this line so the dash will sit on the forward shelf properly
I also had to cut small notches for these clips . . .
. . . . which slide into the dash here
so now that I know the dash fits with the fiberglass on it, it gets one very thin coat of bondo to fill any pin holes or irregularities before final sanding and paint
The screw holes and edges here . . .
. . . sit on here. See the plastic slot under the screw tab that the dash slides into? I had to sand the fiberglass just a hair thinner than it was to get it to slide in properly
the fiberglass that I originally had wrapped around was cut along this line so the dash will sit on the forward shelf properly
I also had to cut small notches for these clips . . .
. . . . which slide into the dash here
so now that I know the dash fits with the fiberglass on it, it gets one very thin coat of bondo to fill any pin holes or irregularities before final sanding and paint
great job! now git'er done so we can see it in there!
that's way cool, I like the idea since it's hard to find uncracked dashpads for older stuff like these. I think I may do this but I am thinking of maybe putting a coat of bedliner on top of the glass or something so you get texture and a non-slip surface so stuff that you sit on it doesn't slide all over the place.
the bedliner would also be non-reflective so you don't get glare in the windows and stuff while you're driving around. it can also be colored I think. At least Rhinolining comes in different color options so you could match your interior. I'd do black or gray though.
the bedliner would also be non-reflective so you don't get glare in the windows and stuff while you're driving around. it can also be colored I think. At least Rhinolining comes in different color options so you could match your interior. I'd do black or gray though.
- Thread starter
- #31
On the 1st gen 4runner, the hardest thing about yanking the dash is taking out the far side passenger vent to get to one of the mounting bolts. One of the quick things I did to make dash removal later easier is break off the locking tab on the dash vents, spring tension from the clip will keep it in place anyway.
3 coats of Rustoleum Hammered and I slid it back into place. It's a bit glossier than I wanted, so I'm gonna live with it for now and I might respray it with dark grey interior paint later - otherwise, the color match came out pretty good
View from the driver's seat
Passenger's side
Since the vents sit recessed in the dash a bit I want to wait 2-3 days for the paint to completely cure before I put them in to avoid scratching the paint.
3 coats of Rustoleum Hammered and I slid it back into place. It's a bit glossier than I wanted, so I'm gonna live with it for now and I might respray it with dark grey interior paint later - otherwise, the color match came out pretty good
View from the driver's seat
Passenger's side
Since the vents sit recessed in the dash a bit I want to wait 2-3 days for the paint to completely cure before I put them in to avoid scratching the paint.
It takes a couple weeks for most paints to mostly harden up. Baked on ones are the usual exceptions.
nice job keith!
that thing is glossy, you might end up hitting it with that other paint sooner than later, it might put a hell of a glare on your windshield.
that thing is glossy, you might end up hitting it with that other paint sooner than later, it might put a hell of a glare on your windshield.
Well done!
How does the texture match up with the stock dash. Never thought of this, but if it is pretty good, might be worth hitting it with the Hammered and then while still wet hit it with some interior trim paint to try and match the color and knock down the glare.
- Thread starter
- #36
The texture doesn't match up that great, but it's still much better than having a dash with huge cracks in it. One of my thoughts on adding texture thing was to try mixing up some regular bondo and dabbing it on top of the fiberglass with a terry cloth - just a very thin coat, not enough to add thickness. But I'm happy with the way it turned out and it's time to move on to the next thing
btw - pulled it back out yesterday to hit it with some Duplicolor interior vinyl, perfect color match
btw - pulled it back out yesterday to hit it with some Duplicolor interior vinyl, perfect color match
Good show , Corax. Only thing I will do diffrent is after the fiberglass is done cover the whole visable part in spot puddy for a smooth finish. Only reason why I thought about itwas a found a new tube when I was searching for painting materials.
The texture doesn't match up that great, but it's still much better than having a dash with huge cracks in it. One of my thoughts on adding texture thing was to try mixing up some regular bondo and dabbing it on top of the fiberglass with a terry cloth - just a very thin coat, not enough to add thickness. But I'm happy with the way it turned out and it's time to move on to the next thing
btw - pulled it back out yesterday to hit it with some Duplicolor interior vinyl, perfect color match
- Thread starter
- #38
Finished pics and I'm done messin' with it. I used some generic dark grey vinyl interior spray paint to knock the glare off. It's a near perfect color match and fits in well even though there's no texture to it.
just gotta touch up the corner of the vent openings where the paint got scraped off pushing the vents in
just gotta touch up the corner of the vent openings where the paint got scraped off pushing the vents in
holy s***, that looks good!
looks good man. fiberglass is a good short term fix. it'll last a little while, but def not a long term thing.