How to Make Your Own Custom Dash
by Sheharyar Khan
For many, their car is their most prized possession. While you can customize everything to suit your needs, you can make your own car dash to include all the features and gadgets that you wish to install in your car. You can give your car a highly customized unique look by making your own dash and drive around with style sporting your favorite features like DVD players and stereo systems.
Step 1
Use a tape measure to calculate the height and width of the inside of your vehicle. Extract the existing dash from the car and use it as a benchmark for measurements of the new one to ensure that you accurately measure the size for the new one. Incise a sheet of Styrofoam to the dimensions of the dash to make the upper part.
Step 2
Shape and mould your Styrofoam to the shape that you have set for your dashboard. Make openings in the Styrofoam sheets for the various features you want to install such as DVD players, stereos and anything else. Make openings according to the size of each of the systems and leave about an area of 1/8th of an inch surrounding each gadget as this is where the fiberglass will go. Arc the top and bottom of the Styrofoam according to your preference. Place the final sheet into the area for the dashboard to check whether the dimensions are correct.
Step 3
Add mold release compound onto the final sheet and set the sheets of fiber glass above this compound. Level and even out the layers of sheets and ensure that they are perfectly aligned. Outline the openings you made in your Styrofoam to install your gadgets with fiberglass.
Step 4
Apply a thick coating of resin to the pieces of fiberglass with an applicator brush. Let the pieces of fiberglass dry. Take off the mold from the Styrofoam sheet and repeat the procedure for the inside gadget holding openings by applying resin and allowing it to dry before removing the mold.
Step 5
Use fine sandpaper to sand and polish your board. Preferably, start with a lower quality and then move onto higher qualities as you continue with the process.
Step 6
Paint the dashboard a color of your choice or use sheets of velvet or other material to cover and decorate it. Add the gadgets to their openings and other necessary components like glove compartments.
References
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Styrofoam sheets
- Fiberglass
- Resin
- Sanding blocks
- Dashboard parts
Writer Bio
Sheharyar Khan has been writing professionally since 2004 with articles appearing in various print and online sources, including Empowered Doctor and Disney's "Family Fun." Khan holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering with a major in textiles from Philadelphia University.
