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Dashboard Covering


ibrooks

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Anybody got any clever suggestions or contacts around covering a dashboard?

 

I've made some changes to the dash in my GTM and as a result have some holes to fill. I'll laminate new GRP over the holes but the problem is that the original has a grained surface to he gel-coat to make it lok like it's covered in leather. I won't be able to match this so need to find a method of covering the whole thing in a consistent finish once I've done the repairs.

 

I've sort of got a contact for flocking but haven't had a chance to speak to him yet and I'd like any real life experience people have of what it's like to live with in a road car.

 

It's a quite complex shape so covering myself in leathercloth or similar isn't an option - I've done a few things but wouldn't even attempt this. Anyone know a trimmer that might at reasonable cost?

 

Anyone know of any other methods or finishes that might do the trick? I am wondering if there's a textured paint that would look OK.

 

Iain

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I didn't really fancy trying to make it look like it's all Carbon fibre and I suspect I'd still have trouble covering it due to the combination of convex and concave curves. It would have to be done in sections and I don't know what I'd do at the edges.

 

The fallback position is to just smooth the whole thing off and paint it - body colour might be a bit too much as the car is going white. Reflections might be a problem.

 

I've been bouncing ideas off some of the guys here at work and I'm wondering about giving it a coat of stonechip and then matt/satin black paint. I'm going to stonechip the sills anyway so I'll see what sort of texture I get from the gun to give me an idea of the effect. Might have a test lump of something ready to stonechip at the same time as the sills that I can then paint for an even better idea.

 

Any other suggestions/ideas still welcome.

 

Iain

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I used black stonechip on the fibreglass mouldings I made for my instrument pack and heater control surrounds. I used cheap aerosol stuff from Autopaints and no top coat and it looks ok. It goes on quite fine as it's more solvent and less solid than some of the other stuff I've used and if I was doing a whole dash I'd probably want a coarser texture.

 

In the past I used Plastic Padding Stone Chip on a Schutz gun - real good quality stuff, went on quite rough but once it was dry you could wet flat it to take it down to a more orange peel finish and then cover it with a few coats of satin black to finish it off.

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