Here are a few pics from my iPad of the dash, (no lusting after my hi tec gauges), the floor, and firewall. You can get an idea what it will look like. I have a ton of time in that stupid dash. I wouldn't do that again. I just couldn't find a premolded one that I liked that would accommodate the gauges I bought and I needed to make a custom piece to help me correct the 3/8" dip that is in the cowl on my body from the original mold, and they hacked holes in the flat dash too. This will correct all issues. I initially made it without considering that the windshield posts wrapped around, so I had to cut the roll off and do it over....
I plan on installing the oak and glassing around the doors and cutting out the old dash and installing the new one this week. I finally got my hinges and latches, I went everywhere looking for a 3-3/8" hole saw, ended up ordering one, so I will likely wait until I get it so I can pre fit and cut the holes before installing the dash. I am having a difficult time laying out the dash, I like things balanced, OCD, but between not being able to see them due to the column and the supports behind the dash, OCD be damned! Lol. Also installed a door for the master access, glassed in a ledge under when I layered the bottom of the floor with biaxial. I recessed the hinge and lock so the floor is totally flat. I think I will add a steel support to prevent damaging it, it seems very strong, but it would be a drag to fix if it didn't hold. I wanted to add a glove compartment, but there isn't enough room to work it in the dash. I have room to make one under the drivers side of the seat, and that will be a more secure and stealthy location anyways. Hard to find room to stow anything in these little cars, but I always need a place to secure small stuff. Notice the steel that is laminated into the kick up to securely mount the rear mount, seat, and seat belts as well as some rigidity in th event of a collision...not sure it will do much good, but better than nothing. The glass is much better than the pic illustrates. The ugly bondo I used to fill various voids makes it look bad. Feather fill soon to come, right after the doors and dash get glassed in... I have several rolls of various grit sand paper as well as drawers full of left over assorted abrasives from projects gone by, I just need to muster the energy to get after it. Lol. Kidding aside, I am looking forwards to it, the work will start to pay off soon. I built a jig to hold the pre cut floor plywood flat and applied one layer of biaxial to each side, then fit it into the body and attached it via two layers of chopped mat on each side, with the void being filled with fibered bondo between coats, the second layer being two inches wider while the whole thing was bolted in place to the frame, then removed it and applied a second layer of biaxial to each side after filling voids, etc... So everything including the steel frame mounts, kick up reinforcement, and attachment points are laminated together. It's very strong and really firmed up the body. Once the front seat mount/ rear door post supports are installed, the only place that flexes is right behind the seat. I will likely add a support around the top of the tub too. I just don't want to take up too much room, it was a real chore trying to fit all of the controls and seat in there to where I can drive it in a resonably comfortable fashion. Everything is a trade off....
