Wanted Carbon core dash panel

Chanchan168 · 02 December 2018, 00:02

Hi everyone,

I’m after somewhere where I can hold of a piece of carbon (preferably core) that I can use as a dash panel to mount my gauges and gps on.

Have refurbed by dash and all the old bits I took out have left big holes that I can’t fill and Aldo don’t line up for new electrics. Kind of needs to close to 5mm core so it can take the weight.

I need a piece about 1000 x 500mm if anyone has any left over or knows where I can hold of some that would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Crwig

boristhebold · 02 December 2018, 08:23

I think consoles look great with some carbon panels, I had mine done a few years back will post some pics.
Try ebay, or Amazon I know when I was looking there seemed to be plenty on there you could buy.
Also try a company called 'Carbon Wheezel' based in southampton, they may be able to send you a panel, or if you sent the specs they could make one up, worth having a look at the work they do on their web site. Carbon Weezel - 100% carbon fibre parts for automotive and marine applications

xpertski · 02 December 2018, 10:23

I may need to do the same, you think 3mm would be enough? As Boris said Amazon seems good if panels of the right size can be found

butty · 02 December 2018, 17:30

I get some of the stuff we use from here.

http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/#!/c...bre-Panel.html

If not I make myself as the sizes sometimes don’t match what we need.

Phil and Jane · 02 December 2018, 17:52

We used our local steel fabricator recently.
We have a deck hatch on our rib which is about 600mm x 350mm. It had been cracked twice by people jumping down onto it accidentally so I needed a metal plate hatch fitting onto the replacement. Pricing the cheapest metal deck hatch, an Italian manufacturer wanted over £600, so I took the new plastic hatch to our local Steel Fabricator, a small industrial company near the docks in Birkenhead. They cut a custom sized aluminium tread plate to fit over the main hatch area with cut outs and indents to accommodate the latches, hinges and locks. It was all chamfered beautifully.
All I had to do was glue it on. The guy who did it said it took him a few minutes to do and that they did lots of marine work. The hatch is now really strong and looks as though it came with the Rib. The cost was amazingly low. While I was there I mentioned that I needed an instrument panel making as I was changing my chart plotter and moving several things around on the dash. The guy showed me brushed aluminium, which I hadn't seen before. He said they could cut any shape with any cut outs. All they needed was a proper plan to work from.
I haven't got around to doing it yet but it may be an option for you rather than carbon fibre.

Chanchan168 · 02 December 2018, 23:48

Hard to tell. I was told 5mm core at the least, so it could take the weight of the gps and stuff. As it’s not just a stick on for show, but weight bearin for the electronics, the guy from easy composites said the above

Chanchan168 · 02 December 2018, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil and Jane

The guy showed me brushed aluminium, which I hadn't seen before. He said they could cut any shape with any cut outs. All they needed was a proper plan to work from.
I haven't got around to doing it yet but it may be an option for you rather than carbon fibre.

Thanks I’ll take a look.

butty · 03 December 2018, 06:53

5mm core will be perfectly adequate, the area of attention is the layers of carbon and type of cloth. 2 layers of a bias cloth of about 400 grams with a top layer of twill will be fine.

jeffstevens763@g · 03 December 2018, 11:25

i used acrylic sheet in black looks good easy to work

Fender · 03 December 2018, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil and Jane

We used our local steel fabricator recently.
We have a deck hatch on our rib which is about 600mm x 350mm. It had been cracked twice by people jumping down onto it accidentally so I needed a metal plate hatch fitting onto the replacement. Pricing the cheapest metal deck hatch, an Italian manufacturer wanted over £600, so I took the new plastic hatch to our local Steel Fabricator, a small industrial company near the docks in Birkenhead. They cut a custom sized aluminium tread plate to fit over the main hatch area with cut outs and indents to accommodate the latches, hinges and locks. It was all chamfered beautifully.
All I had to do was glue it on. The guy who did it said it took him a few minutes to do and that they did lots of marine work. The hatch is now really strong and looks as though it came with the Rib. The cost was amazingly low. While I was there I mentioned that I needed an instrument panel making as I was changing my chart plotter and moving several things around on the dash. The guy showed me brushed aluminium, which I hadn't seen before. He said they could cut any shape with any cut outs. All they needed was a proper plan to work from.
I haven't got around to doing it yet but it may be an option for you rather than carbon fibre.

Not sure aluminium would be my first choice for a dash panel, I appreciate you can apply a appropriate coating to protect it from a salt water environment but you do run the risk of corrosion. Not forgetting its conductive so there's also a small risk of a electrical short with all those gauges, dials, chart plotters etc etc - which with a carbon or fibre glass panel less so

Chanchan168 · 03 December 2018, 17:43

Thanks Jeff, I hadn’t thought of black acrylic. Matt or Gloss?

jeffstevens763@g · 03 December 2018, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chanchan168

Thanks Jeff, I hadn’t thought of black acrylic. Matt or Gloss?

I got gloss looks well never thought of Matt might look cool you can also glue bits on if required I got mine from Trent plastics they do a cutting service too

Chanchan168 · 03 December 2018, 22:46

beamishken · 04 December 2018, 00:44

I bought carbon fibre sheet from easy composites but their web site doesnt seem to be working tonight. I just bought 1mm thick and laid it up to the required thickness with fibreglass and resin. Its quite expensive to buy in thicker layup but seing as you realy only want the carbon fiber look on the surface building up the thickness with glass mat & or a core of your own choice with relatively cheap glass and black resin seemed the way to go

beerbelly · 04 December 2018, 06:56

I have just ordered a sheet of abs fake carbon 2mm thick to cover my dash as I'm relocating a dial and fitting a different switch panel and there's a couple of small holes that I want covering. I will just bond it on with silicon , my thoughts were abs will be easy to cut to shape and polish the edges where as carbon might go a bit furry around the cuts and need resin applying to tidy up

xpertski · 04 December 2018, 11:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by boristhebold

I think consoles look great with some carbon panels, I had mine done a few years back will post some pics.
Try ebay, or Amazon I know when I was looking there seemed to be plenty on there you could buy.
Also try a company called 'Carbon Wheezel' based in southampton, they may be able to send you a panel, or if you sent the specs they could make one up, worth having a look at the work they do on their web site. Carbon Weezel - 100% carbon fibre parts for automotive and marine applications

Seems the first picture with the carbon panel has edging? Presumably you can cut with a fine blade to fit then cover any roughness (following sanding) with that edging?

jeffstevens763@g · 04 December 2018, 16:06

for info if you buy matt it has gloss on the other side

https://www.trentplastics.co.uk/acry...perspex-sheets

beamishken · 04 December 2018, 17:33

https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/#!/...bre-Sheet.html
This is the stuff l used to do my delta dashboard but they also do cored sheet too

butty · 04 December 2018, 18:44

You don’t get roughness with carbon. It does not fluff either. It’s like wood. You cut it, sand it working through grits and then seal it with a lacquer type finish. Beamishken has the right idea using cheaper glass to bulk out the thickness of the plate. Most of the easy composites stuff has a glass layer between the carbon and foam anyway.

GuyC · 05 December 2018, 20:24

You can get some quite realistic carbon fibre wrap if you want to finish off a cheaper substrate.

To cover a hole in the top of the console I made a 5mm thk aluminium panel that I had anodised in matt black. I fastened it with machine screws and made a feature of the fastenings. I trimmed the GRP console back so there was just a flange round the edge. It's an ex RN Pacific 22 so it suited the utilitarian lots of screws look.

5mm aluminium plate is about 13kg per square metre so for the areas you will be talking about, it's not that heavy. I was fortunate to be able to get some offcuts.

I'll be doing the same with the new console. It also means you can remove the whole panel to access the electrickery behind.

If you Google "Atlantic 85 Console", you'll get the idea although my panels are going to be a bit bigger.