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 Fiberglass Console Construction Begins - Nissan navara console construct  

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ratdawg
  • ratdawg
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  • Member No.: 61,933
  • Joined: 13-February 07
  • Posts: 61
Post #1 post 8th August 2007 - 08:23 PM
Hi, just started construction of a fiberglass console for my nissan navara.

Design - basic smooth console flows from an armrest down to shifter where it curves up and clips into dash facia, this dash facia will house the head unit, screen and other bits and pieces, switches i.e. air con etc will be re-routed to hidden compartment.

Ill keep u updated as i progress.
TOP
16OTH
Post #2

looks good, GL with it

EK1.6LCIV
Post #3

Thats going to look awesome post pics when finished

THE RIG
Post #4

looks nice mate,what are you finishing it with,paint,vinyl,carpet?

ratdawg
Post #5

paint is the choice at the moment so lots of body filler sanding ahead for me lol.
THE RIG
Post #6

are you using bog all over it? f*ck that shit. but your choice man,

ratdawg
Post #7

thats the proper way of doing it if u want a good finish, check out any fiberglassing forum. i will get a pretty smooth finish just with the fiberglass cloth, but if u wan t a finish thats gunna come up good after painting, u wanna do it right and bog it
THE RIG
Post #8

ohh i know all this dude,its just a prick of a job sanding the shit
EATU4T
Post #9

why not just put some nice vinyl over it. would look heaps better than fiberglass..

87kid
Post #10

QUOTE
why not just put some nice vinyl over it. would look heaps better than fiberglass..



..................if it was a gemini......

Fibreglass FTW

ratdawg
Post #11

yeah tru.
yeah, vinyl is nice, but im after that shiny smooth look that can only be achieved through fiberglassing basically.
BND63
Post #12

Looks like MDF to me, but yeah looks nice.

i take it your going to coat fglass over everything?

ratdawg
Post #13

basically u start of with an mdg substructure, so that u can form the fiberglass to the required shape, it also helps you to reduce the amount of fiberglass needed.

The fiberglass will be used to form the top of the console, to achieve this, a fleece is stretched taunt over the top of the structure and resin is applied till the cloth is saturated - leave to dry, when it is dry, chop strand will be applied to the inside in order to reinforce the cloth, the outside will be layered in filler and sanded back in order to fill any imperfections etc, once this is done, primer is added and sanded back etc untill happy and ready for paint

BND63
Post #14

Yeah kool, thought thats what you were going to do. Your not going to make an actual console compartment inside, that'd be a lot trickier!!

i made myself a boost gauge pod couple months ago outta fglass, and a subbox for my old wagon. pics of it are in my gallery

ratdawg
Post #15

Nice work mate, ill be doing the same kinda thing in order to make console sit nicely on floor, by fiberglassing the transmission tunnel and then fiberglassing that to the bottom of the console - this bottom piece will be tucked under flooring.
NISMOgemini
Post #16

*subscribes to thread

ratdawg
Post #17

Today i did some more work on my console, which involved, measurements of the shifter and its movement, and making a template for the shifter.

In accordance with the template, i added some more to the console, so when i start fleecing the fiberglass will fit nicely around gearstick - hopefully.

ill be adding some more photos in a few hours (after food lol) of the console wrapped ready for resin.

The shifter template will be used teporarily, and when i am finished, i will be making a new gearstick out of resin so that i get a cleaner look in the cabin, and will also be making a new shifter surround - but thats all in the future after this project.

ratdawg
Post #18

Here is the console now covered in the material which will be saturated in resin prop tomorrow.

Some more work still has to be done around the shifter hole - in order to clean it up.

Hopefully, it fives everyone out there, a bit better idea of the console.

Once the resin has dried, i will also add other bits and pieces like drink holders, etc.

70YODA
Post #19

looks very good top job thumbsup.gif thumbsup.gif

lancer_aj
Post #20

hey mate, that looks like its gonna come up sweet, i wouldnt mind doing something like that and making a nice cutout for my switchbox to sit into.....custom all the way. GL with it.

THE RIG
Post #21

getting there now ratdawg,really starting to take shape,good work

57QLN
Post #22

hey mate I have never done this type of stuff before but do want to build a console for my lux. What is the go with the material is it just normal material and what exactly do you do with it

ratdawg
Post #23

Hey guys, thanx for the support.

The material that im uisng was just bought from spotlight, it wasnt on a roll, so i cant give u an exact name sorry, but it has alot of elasticity which was wat i was after.

it was one of the thick materials i found too.

This is my first time using this material, so its bit of an experiment but should work.

Once it has been pulled taunt to the required shape like in the above pics, it wil now be saturated in a fiberglassing resin, which will cause it to stiffen. Once this is dry, chop stand fiberglass will be layered on from underneath the box, this is to give the cloth reinforcemnt and is done from underneath to preserve the smooth finish.

Although the cloth is quite smooth, in order to get it to a paintable finish, body filler will be to the surface of the console and sanded until i am happy with the appearence.

I hope that answers some questions, but the best way to learn would be to keep watching this thread and then maybe have a go urself
ratdawg
Post #24

Some more work was done on the console today, which involved removing the fabric which was applied yesterday because i wasnt happy with it, i removed the fabric and attached it to the underside of the console so that i wouldnt have to use so much filler and do as much sanding in the future.

FromDeeEast
Post #25

hurry up and finish doin ur car so u can start mine tongue.gif

THE RIG
Post #26

so that last pic ratdawg is with the fabric still on?

ratdawg
Post #27

The last pic is it after i have re applied the fabric so that it covers the whole outside - i did this so i didnt have to body fill the seam halfway down the outside of the box - as would have been the case in the previous pics.

Seems pretty obvious now lol.

|2oo
Post #28

looks good, i found if you apply the fg to the inside of the fabric it saves you alot of sanding smile.gif also use some spray on glue on the fabric before resin to stop it sagging

should look tops when its finished how is it going to be finished?

ratdawg
Post #29

cheers man, yeah, once i have applied the resin to the cloth, and it becomes hard, chop strand fiberglass will be applied from underneath for both reinforcement, an in the case that i sand through the cloth it will provide a backiing for the filler.

Filler will be applied to the finished fiberglass console (thin layer all over) and then it will be primed and sprayed. cheers for the interest and tips.

ratdawg
Post #30

sorry for the delay in the console construct - blame it on uni assignments lol.

but yeah, i got the polyester resin and the MEKP and gloves, and respirator etc.

These pics are of the console with the reisn applied. I have not soaked the front of the console in resin, seeing as im am making a dash facia which will be attached to the end of the console, this will house the scrren and head unit etc.

ratdawg
Post #31

all dry and ready for filler and the dash facia construct.

87kid
Post #32

looking dope man. well done!

ratdawg
Post #33

cheers for the interest.

soon (like today or tomorrow) ill pickup some csm and filler so that i can reinforce underneath, smooth surface and make a mould for recasting.

NISMOgemini
Post #34

you should go find a console lid from another car thats similare in size, and cut it into the top section for some storage space

ratdawg
Post #35

Im not gunna have storage space - maybe - but because i am going to make a dash facia that houses a screen and head unit, i will probably have to remove the swirches i.e. air con. if i end up relocating them to the console, ill just modify the current console and re-fiberglass - shouldnt be too hard, and just make a fiberglass lid that is countersunk in the console - so as to keep the smooth finish that i am after.

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