skinny z

I've searched through almost all of the threads regarding this and haven't come up with a consensus opinion on what works the best.
So I'll ask the question: When making a custom gauge cluster for a Camaro, what is the material of choice?
Aluminum?
ABS plastic?
Plywood?
Something else?
What thickness?
Thanks in advance.

8t2 z-chev

I'd say aluminum of around 1/8" thick:easy to work with,thick enough for decent rigidity and a variety of finishes can be applied-painted,black crackle,grained vinyl,"engine turned" ETC...

skinny z

I like the idea of aluminum as a back plane material for all of the reasons you've mentioned. The only reason I'd go for ABS is the that it's available in black and is even easier to work with than aluminum. The problem is that it's not UV stabilized and after a number of years will become very brittle.

kmcn47

nothing wrong with plastic, i mean its what the factory made them from

skinny z

I'm pretty sure the factory makes their plastics out of a material that would stand up to sunlight and heat. Otherwise their dash panels and whatever would be in pieces after a number of years. I've worked on injection molding machines for many years and the raw product they start with has a strict specification. Same for the loom tubing we put under the hoods. Not all products are created equeal. The cheap stuff isn't heat stabilized and tends to fall apart after a couple of seasons.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

6six6 did his gauge panel from ABS textured plastic.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/271096102311?...84.m1423.l2649

T/Aperformance

Why not use real carbon fiber. Just lay up 3 to 4 sheets on a piece of glass, saturate with epoxy resin , don't use a lot of resin just enough to wet it out, Once is sets up peal it off the class, You should have a nice smooth surface and you can cut out the holes the size you want for gauges and signal lights and mounting screws. I think it would look real nice.

skinny z

That's an interesting thought. I've never worked with carbon fiber although from what I've seen it's seems reasonable to work with.

Ruckusz28

iTrader: (3)

I'd just use abs. Aluminum may stand out too much unless you paint it black (unless you're going for that look). Rather than go for all that extra work, I'd just use ABS plastic. Plus it's cheap. You can afford to mess up a few times lol

Carbon fiber would be neat. This inspires me to fire up the youtube machine to see how the process goes. It's probably similar to fiberglass..