Replacement Dash??

[Sheppsan]

I have been reading the posts in the forum about the problems we all have with cracked dash's and I wonder if it would be feasible to use the stock dash as a base for molding a CF replacement. I have a Rt hand drive '75 Super and as with most the dash is trashed. My body shop is going to attempt a fix, but as I have been looking at the dash--with little insight into the technical problems that might be faced--it seems as if it would not take much to modify/streamline the face of the dash and then make a mold from which replacements could be manufacured. Thinking of the price some companies charge for restoration and of poor quality of dash caps, I think there might be a market both in the states and in Europe/Japan for both Rt and Lt hand versions. Come to think of it an existing dash could be reshaped to fit multiple guages and then molded. What do you guys think?

[Vincent]

That is what we have been talking about ... I would like to see a early 911 dash out of carbon fiber.

[Sheppsan]

Yes I understand that, but what I'm getting at is that you could do a similar to stock replacement or anything else you wanted within limits. attempting to replicate a posche dash as some companies already have is only one of many options for a person with the right skills to pursue.

[DaveM]

Hi There:

I would have been very interested in a replacement dash for my '73 Super. My dash had multiple cracks, and the glove box door was a disaster.

I ended up using one of those fiberglass covers on the top and then made plastic pieces and aluminum panels to hold additional gauges. I retained the original speedo so I was limited to using a tach. that bolted onto the top of the dash, I would have prefered an intergrated tach.

Fitting the fiberglass cover was a real pain. It did not "Snap over" the old dash, I had to cut large pieces of the original dash and the foam to get the cover to fit, then I had to hold it in place with screws as there was no place left to just glue the thing in place. I also had to repaint the entire dash as the cover was a nice new shiny black and the remaining pieces of the old dash were sort of dirty brown!

All that could have been avoided with a replacement and I would have happily paid for even quite an expensive piece.

But it's all done now so I'm going to stick with it. For anyone else considering dash repair I would agree that a whole replacement is the way to go. You're right I think, there must be a market for a good quality, reasonably priced dash replacement.

One more thing, new dash vents for the 1973+ Super do not seem to be available anywhere. Mine had suffered abuse and were broken. A replacement dash could be designed to use a style of dash vent that is still available.

DaveM

[Vincent]

I wonder if carbon Joe could do one.

[Racelook]

I have a porschelook dashboard for my 1303S of 1974.... It's not yet in the car but it wil be in a copple of months.... It has the same mountplaces end the same back form as the original dashboard...
I hope that i can afford a couple (6) of Autometer gauges (with white plates and blue lights) so a can get rid of mine original

Greetz Wiebrand:silly:

[Derrick from NC]

Creatice Car Craft is in the process of making me a CF dash overlay similar to their fiberglass unit. Hope to have it in a week.