Fiberglass Console Molding
From Nissan 350Z & 370Z Wiki
I decided that every dash kit out there for the 350Z is ugly. I guess if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Here I will show you how to mold in a DVD screen (Kenwood DDX-7015), but this technique will work for anything really: radios, DVD players, screens or whatever you can imagine putting on the dash. Here, we will take the center console and molded it with fiberglass and body filler to give it a smooth shape around the screen. You will need to remove the console from the car and take the radio out to prevent any damage to surrounding parts. I completely disassembled my console to do this (removing the radio, gauges, and nav door). The entire console was sanded down to remove the honeycomb texture and primer was applied in preparation for painting. This process can be finished in one day, but it took me two as I was taking pictures amongst other things.
Please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. Toykilla
- NOTE: This entire process is VERY messy. Take proper precautions to keep you and your surroundings clean and protected. Eye protection and proper ventilation are a a must. See our Fiberglassing FAQ for pointers.
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Materials and Tools
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Framing
Using ¼in to 3/8in square dowel rods, frame the screen. I used a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to cut the dowels to the proper length. In my case, I am using a double-din size head unit with an integrated screen. The screen needs to open for access to the DVD slot, so I left a small gap all the way around. (~1/8in) To measure this I used some carboard to shim the dowels away from the head unit. Using a hot glue gun, glue the trimmed dowel rods into place on the console from the back side. Since the dash console has a gradual curve to it, I sanded the corners of the wooden dowel rod frame to blend into the console's curvature. This will eventually give us the “molded in look†as we build up the fiberglass, bondo, primer and finally paint.
Glassing
Cut up some small strips of fiberglass cloth (~2"X4"). Mix fiberglass resin into a cheap disposable container. (plastic or paper mixing cups) You do not need much resin for this job. 1/2 cup is about all you will need to mix. (1% mixture of hardener to resin) Apply a coat of mixed resin onto the console and dowel rods where you need to bond them together and across any gaps using a paint brush or sponge brush. Lay a few strips of the woven fiberglass strips that you previously cut onto the resin. Reapply the resin and cloth for a second layer (while the previous layer is still wet!) Paint on more resin making sure to soak the fiberglass cloth completely. Since this is not a speaker box or anything that needs a lot of strength, two layers of cloth with suffice. Allow the resin to harden. (Dry time depends on amount of hardener used. Two much hardener will make the resin harden instantly. Not enough and the resin may never dry.)
Trimming
Use a Dremel to cut down and sand away any fiberglass cloth left hanging over the edges. Some low grit sandpaper will help here to smooth things out and even the edges. The fiberglass is pretty tough to get through but just a general roughening will be ok here. We will smooth it out in the following steps) The fiberglass creates the strength of the mold. Your design should be taking some shape now!
Shaping
Mix up some Bondo body filler in a disposable mixing cup. Again, about 1/2-3/4 cups is all you will need (follow directions on filler for hardener percentage). This stuff is really thick and pasty. Apply very generously and spread evenly over area to be worked and shaped. Depending on your design, you will want to build this up thick enough to be even with your screen and smoot it into the console surrounding the opening. Put it on very thick because any excess will be easy to remove with some sanding. (Dry time ~1/2 to 1 hour)
Sanding
After the body filler has set, get some rough grit sandpaper (60 -100 grit) and start shaping. Try to blend in all the creases and swirls left by the filler. Try to get rid of any sharp angles and to get a natural curved look. The most difficult part here is getting the shape even and symmetric. Fill in any pits or holes with more bondo. It may take a few tried to get it right but if you mess up just add more bondo and try again. Once the general shape is created, use some medium grit paper to smooth it out even more. (600 – 800 grit). Wet sanding will help achieve maximum smoothness.
Smoothing
After the sanding is finished, wash and dry the console. thoroughly. Now you can spray some sandable primer on and wet sand everything smooth again(800-1000 grit). This will show any blemishes that you may have missed in the sanding process. Depending on how bad these are you may need to go back over with body filler and or primer. The console shaping is done at this point. Now time to send to the body shop for paint! (you may decide to paint this yourself, but I am getting a spoiler painted, so I will just through this in as well and match the car.) You can also choose other finishing methods such as vinyl or leather. Just be creative!
Finished
Here is the finished console back from the body shop and installed: