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Another Nova from across the pond saying Hi!

islandman

Member
Well I bit the bullet and started the dash surgery to shift the centre section to the left a bit to offset it to give more room on the drivers side.



After lots of filling and shaping it finally looks like this, I’m not sure its enough but we will have to see nearer to the time I’m in the UK





Next stage is to do the final sanding, plug the holes for the mold and paint
 

Brett Proctor

Well-known member
Your getting there*thumbs up*

I’m not sure its enough but we will have to see nearer to the time I’m in the UK

Need a dimension from the edge of the dash to the center of the tunnel?? Not sure if you referenced that out.

That would give you an idea of where the center console will be and get that section to line up with it.
 

ratrog64

Well-known member
You are doing a fine job David. I like where this is going. I do like this choice over the other new dash you found. Keep going you are getting there! *thumbs up*
 

Peter

Active member
You are welcome. It is looking good so far, what finish are you going to do on it?
How does the 2DIN part line up with the gearshift? You're not going to put your knuckles into the radio are you? Are you going to need to shift or dog leg the gear lever?*hmmm*
 

islandman

Member
what finish are you going to do on it?

The new part out of the mold will be covered in Alcantara cloth so it non-reflective it it fits, I want to also incorporate some contrasting double stitching for style

Y
How does the 2DIN part line up with the gearshift? You're not going to put your knuckles into the radio are you? Are you going to need to shift or dog leg the gear lever?*hmmm*

Your guess is as good as mine at this point in time as my car is 6000 miles away
 

Peter

Active member
Your guess is as good as mine at this point in time as my car is 6000 miles away

Using the 415 from rear torsion tube to axle as a scale the distance from front bulkhead to centre of gearshift hole would be about 480 +- a couple of mm. If that helps.

VW cahssis measurements.jpg
 

islandman

Member
My current thinking is that if I am preparing this dash, including getting rear section tidied up and smoothed out for the new mold then once I have the new mold it will be a simple task to pop out another rear section to blend in the new dash if I want to saving a fair amount of work. I will may do this but only after I have tried to fit the current dash and worked out how things are lining up etc.. I would hate to make two dashes that don't fit!

I also took a look at the two sets of gauges, they have the same perspex front molding and the main bodies are the same apart from the locations of the mounting points. So in theory ( and tested a quick test fit in the new binnacle) the old mechanical gauges could even go in the new dash.






I ordered off amazon a cheap and cheerful pulse generator and power step down module to try and see if I could emulate the VSS and get the speedo on the new gauge working along with the other gauge functions. I realise that without the ECU I can't get the Odometer and trip working.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BHAOQO/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LHBZCCC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is more for fun and out of curiosity more than anything else. There is also the possibility of swapping over the chrome rimmed gauge bezel also.
 

ratrog64

Well-known member
My current thinking is that if I am preparing this dash, including getting rear section tidied up and smoothed out for the new mold then once I have the new mold it will be a simple task to pop out another rear section to blend in the new dash if I want to saving a fair amount of work. I will may do this but only after I have tried to fit the current dash and worked out how things are lining up etc.. I would hate to make two dashes that don't fit!

I also took a look at the two sets of gauges, they have the same perspex front molding and the main bodies are the same apart from the locations of the mounting points. So in theory ( and tested a quick test fit in the new binnacle) the old mechanical gauges could even go in the new dash.






I ordered off amazon a cheap and cheerful pulse generator and power step down module to try and see if I could emulate the VSS and get the speedo on the new gauge working along with the other gauge functions. I realise that without the ECU I can't get the Odometer and trip working.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BHAOQO/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LHBZCCC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is more for fun and out of curiosity more than anything else. There is also the possibility of swapping over the chrome rimmed gauge bezel also.

I wish I was smart enough to know what you are doing with these!
 

islandman

Member
Another day of sanding trying to make sure all edges are not undercut so a mold can be pulled. That and plugging the gaps in the dash to make the mold making process easier. I am so fed up with sanding its not funny!

 

islandman

Member
I wish I was smart enough to know what you are doing with these!

Lol...I'm not sure I do either :D

I found the info on another forum site. Basically the electronic speedo's take a pulse signal (sine wave) from the VSS (Variable Speed Controller) in modern cars. This typically comes from the gearbox or ABS ring.

All I'm doing with these is trying to emulate that variable sine wave to see if I can get the speedo gauge to go up and down. If I can get that working then I can theoretically just put a gizmo on the end of my VW Beetle speedo cable that converts to a pulsed electronic signal that would allow me to use the gauge.

The other one is to reduce the voltage as most gauges expect around 5volts
 
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ratrog64

Well-known member
Thanks for the explanation!

Dash is looking good. Body work - filling and sanding, has got to be the worst! I like the look of the dash. I think you will have a winner there.
 

islandman

Member
Got the dash back from the painters, I’m really pleased with it. Slight communication problem as I wanted it all smooth and he left the back area near the wiper motor recess with the original bed liner type of finish. Its no big deal for this section though.

I hadn’t specified a colour as it didn’t matter as this was a buck for a mold, but I really like the colour……hmmm….maybe the next Nova in that colour!

My next challenge is to decide on where to put the mold partitions so it will separate easily.











 

ratrog64

Well-known member
Now you can really see what its going to look like. I think it turned out great. How long will you wait till you make your mold?
 

islandman

Member
Now you can really see what its going to look like. I think it turned out great. How long will you wait till you make your mold?


Lol...wait you must be kidding I can't wait to start. I went and got some new flange material today straight after I picked the dash up. I also got some more chopped mat and resin along with a different colour pigment. So I ready to go :D

But........thinking about your comment maybe I ought to give it a day or two for the paint to harden :(
 

Brett Proctor

Well-known member
Before I read the post I looked at the pictures and thought Dang! this guy can paint. Then I read the post and saw you took it to a shop*laugh*

Depending on the paint and if hardener was added that would influence how soon you can start glassing.
With me I give the paint one day to cure then wax and spray the PVA on, then I give it a day to cure and after that I start glassing

I see one thing that maybe a problem, and that is the finish for the cut-out for the climate controls and the dash. Even though these will be cut out the finish should be about the same as the rest of the dash. Along the edges are the most critical because on a rough surface it will be harder to get the air bubbles out and a rough surface will be harder to pull the mould away from
 

ratrog64

Well-known member
I agree with Brett. I would also be cautious of heat. I'd spray my gelcoat and only skin the new mold (1 layer of mat) and allow that a day before I started building up too much material to make the mold. That will help keep it from getting too hot. The thicker it is the hotter it gets. I've had fresh paint stick to the mold before and it sucks.

I would also be very generous with the PVA, building up plenty of material.
 

islandman

Member
I see one thing that maybe a problem, and that is the finish for the cut-out for the climate controls and the dash. Even though these will be cut out the finish should be about the same as the rest of the dash. Along the edges are the most critical because on a rough surface it will be harder to get the air bubbles out and a rough surface will be harder to pull the mold away from

Yeah I had thought about that before taking it to the paint shop, but I also wanted to minimize the prep time (and cost). Not an elegant solution but my thoughts were that I would apply the aluminum tape over these areas to effectively give a smooth surface so that it would release easily. Kind of like the approach I took initially to cover areas of the previous plug where Gel coat had pulled away due to air behind it. Do you think this should work?

Also for the edge between the top of the binnacle and the backing plate I was also planning to use tape as the transition between these two so there are no 90 degree bends to fill.

I agree with Brett. I would also be cautious of heat. I'd spray my gelcoat and only skin the new mold (1 layer of mat) and allow that a day before I started building up too much material to make the mold. That will help keep it from getting too hot. The thicker it is the hotter it gets. I've had fresh paint stick to the mold before and it sucks.

I would also be very generous with the PVA, building up plenty of material.

Yes I think that makes sense, I will only lay one layer of matt on the gelcoat on the first day.

Thanks for all the tips guys, really appreciate the advice from those that have been there, seen it and done it ;)
 
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