lets see pics of custom dashes

[custom442]

2000malibuls - I'm thinkin you could do something like JESSE's but bolt it in behind the clear plastic cover that's in the dash already. It'll make it look more original

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

2000malibuls - I'm thinkin you could do something like JESSE's but bolt it in behind the clear plastic cover that's in the dash already. It'll make it look more original

yeah, its just I cant find any materials or anything, I went to lowes and home depot, i couldnt find diamond plate, alluminum, frosted glass, or anything cool to use. Mine will probably look pretty close to jesses.

 

[vladj]

buy some plexiglass and use a scuff pad on the back. put the uages in there and some kind of neon behind it.

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

buy some plexiglass and use a scuff pad on the back. put the uages in there and some kind of neon behind it.

thats what i was thinking... ever done this before?

 

[vladj]

nope but my friend did on his ford ranger and it turned out pretty good. if i were you id do it and put white leds behind it to go with your white smoke theme

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

nope but my friend did on his ford ranger and it turned out pretty good. if i were you id do it and put white leds behind it to go with your white smoke theme

that was the plan or white neon, im thinking it might light up evenly that way. I will do it to the radio too, should look pretty tight when I finish lol.

 

[vladj]

you could also make a "white smoke" outline with tape and send the rest. so it would be all scratched up except for the "white smoke". that would look amazing when it would light up

 

[custom442]

Here's an idea that might be easier. First build your dash like Jesse's. mount your gauges and have everything working the simple way

Then if you want to throw some light on it, you could buy a sheet of thicker plexi, maybe 1/4" or thicker, and cut it to fit the aluminum/steel panel you already made. Space some LED's around it like this:

The edges would need to be buffed with fine sandpaper and compound. Or if you have access to a lathe for buffing...

Then use a drill press and some large hole saw bits to outline where your gauges are (with the holes you drill). After you cut the plexi to outline your gauges (and sand/buff them smooth), then float the whole plexi panel up by 'washering' it up off your aluminum/steel base, something like this, but holes around your gauges:

Then keep the switch off during the day and it looks like just plexi over your gauge panel with some holes drilled out where the gauges are. And at night you can flip the LED's on and it'll outline all of them.

This whole deal should run you about 30$-50 is my guess for plexi/lights/switches/step downs

LED's only give light in one direction, unless the medium it's shining on is optically active, like a tube or the edges of the plexi. Space a few LED's around shining on the backside of the plexi (or downward... or inward toward the edges...or just put a little black sticker or somethin on the plexi above where the LED shines directly in your eyes might be easier)

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

you could also make a "white smoke" outline with tape and send the rest. so it would be all scratched up except for the "white smoke". that would look amazing when it would light up

What I was thinking about doing, was on the top, masking and painting some flames in black and on the back, the scuffed up side, put the neons, so when it lights up, the flames show through at night.

the thick plexi looks hard lol, I think this idea should be easier this way.

 

[Phoenix]

Most of the custom stuff with my dash isn't really noticeable unless you know really well what stock looks like. Same is true for most of the interior.

Some things here should be pretty obvious to just about anyone who owns a G-body though.