[GTOcop]

I got the shifter plate in and preped to make the tooling mold. I got the "modifications" laid out with the clay...just waiting on the console base. I'll get some pictures up when I get a chance to get on the computer and not my iPhone. It's looking pretty good so far though. Still haven't decided if I want to make a gauge cluster on the console or get a dash pad like Eric Animal.

 

[Instg8ter]

i should have made a master mold when i did my dash pad, made it to fit over the whole right side and blended it with seam filler at the eyebrow. if you have a vacuum table would be a snap to stretch the vinyl, i did mine by hand and it came out nice. Eric supplied the inspiration and the extra dash panel for me to play with.

1966 Tempest pictures by instg8ter - Photobucket

Brian

 

[Eric Animal]

Put the gauges in the dash....you don't wanna be looking down to check a reading....you might get a surprise when you look back up!:lol: E

 

[GTOcop]

Haha...if funny you said that Eric...there is a very specific reason I am redoing my Goat...the elements are 1) My GTO 2) a 70 year old woman in her Kia 3) a clearly and properly displayed red light she felt wasn't meant for her 4) a unusually high temperature gauge mounted where the 8-track use to mount I was peaking down at...probably right Eric...don't want that to happen again

 

[crustysack]

nothing better than cf in old muscle - heres the center console I made for my 65

 

[Eric Animal]

Looks great Crusty!

 

[GTOcop]

Got the shifter plate all "clayed" in and covered with the PVA. Going to be laying the glass for the rough mold probably tomorrow morning (its a little cold today for it). After I get the rough mold pulled I will smooth everything out with body filler and sand everything smooth to make the finish mold (don't want to put body filler on original parts.) Got the console done too, I/'' put the pics up when i get them off my phone.

 

[Eric Animal]

Very interested! I gotta take the time to learn body/interior parts fabbing...cool stuff.

 

[GTOcop]

Got the mold for the top plate done and pulled.

 

[Rukee]

Cool stuff! :cheers

 

[crustysack]

I would be more inclined to make the shift gate out of a piece of carbon plate if you are using the old center console, easier to machine/rout out than dealing with the tight radii `

 

[GTOcop]

I'm keeping the outside part of the bezel (the crome lip) everything inside the fist ridge will be carbon fiber. I made a mold of the whole thing though so I can shape it down to fit just right. This was just the mold to make the rough pull. I'm gunna make a second mold after I finish in the rough mold to where I want it and the final pull will be carbon fiber.

 

[crustysack]

So, you are keeping the original bezel and making a carbon insert for the gates? That will just be a cosmetic cover plate?Is that correct? If so it would seem that, from a builders standpoint, the quickest way to make that piece would be to just cut it out of a piece of flat premade carbon, and not worry about molding it..Unless I'm missing something.
If you mold and laminate it you will still have to trim out the gates and the edges.

 

[GTOcop]

The inside crome trim is going to disappear. It will be carbon fiber all the way down to the top of the dual gate shifter. It will be flats across the top but then curve down. To make it look right I have to make the plug for the mold and shape then make the mold, then vacuum bag it. Because the area that will be filled by the carbon fiber is so shallow I have to vacuum bag it so I can compress the two pieces of carbon fiber. Without the vacuum back the two lives would be too thick and if it was only one piece it would be to brittle. I hope I'm explaining this right, it a little hard to put in words what I see in my head. The outside lip will be the crome lip from the bezel, but everything inside that lip will be carbon fiber.

 

[crustysack]

Got it, hard to see the curve you just explained. Post pics when its done