Here's the last thread:
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums//showthread.php?t=17451

I have two pods now that I'm going to fiberglass, probably start one later today. The first one:






And, something for all of you who liked the first idea, the second one:






As always, please remember, they are ugly blobs of styrofoam at the moment. They will be glassed and painted to match the dash.
The criteria for making the molds was;
1- Hold the largest number of gauges possible, because they can always be made smaller to hold less.
2- Minumum to no line-of-sight loss
3- No cutting to the factory dash. Install or remove with no damage.

Thinking about rule number one, the second pod which molds to the factory cluster is actually got 6 gauges in there, 2 rows of 3. There is even space in between for a switch or two if you wanted. It is quite large, but it can easily be made smaller. A single row for instance will lower the height, and you can still fit 4 gauges in it, maybe even 5. Either pod can be shortened to just 2 gauges if thats all you wanted. The idea is, it can't be any bigger then these. It makes for a great starting point.

 

We need a how-to fiberglass. Take pics along the way, would be VERY interested in watching this take place ^ ^

 

they look good. One question is there any way to shorten them or do they need to be that tall for the guages to clear the dash?

 

nice to see its coming along cant wait to get my hands on one.

 

I second that. I have fiber glassed my front bumper on my probe before when i hit a tire but ne ways, i have never done anything interior wise. We want a how to...... please... also i like booth ideas. But i really like the idea where the pod connects to "the hump". How do you plan on attaching these to your dash?

later

 

I think the 2nd design, with a single row of 4 would flow the best

but the 1st design looks like it'd be the easiest to make

 

I agree, ^^^ the second one with only 4 gauges

 

I personally like the one mounted on the floor. I'll take three of those please...

No really on a serious note I like the four gauge pod idea personally but hey for those that would need more go with the other option.

-Erik-

 

Good job NightmareSS. I like the green one on the floor. Will you be making these for the public? If so I would like one and you can pm me if you are selling them. I WILL BUY ONE!

 

i like the second one better. I think if i was going to get one, id only want it for 2 or 3 gauges at most...i dont have the need for an assload of gauges.

 

I agree, the second one flows much nicer, and you can cut out for the amount of gauges you like.

 

I'm likeing the second one still, and would be very much interested in following a long with the build....What would you do with 6 gauges? is there that many things to put in?

 

You could start making and selling these pods, I'd buy one

It would also be pretty cool if we could some how make a LED ladder tach like those in the redlines and install it on one of those pods!

 

i like the second one!

 

To keep everyone up to date, I have so far put two layers of fiberglass on the second pod design (the one that flows into the factory cluster). I cut it down to a single row instead of two, so it got a little thinner, and I can still just barely fit 5 gauges in it. I have taken pictures along the way, haven't got them posted yet. I have to work over the weekend, leaving tomorrow morning, so I won't get to work on it anymore until next week. If it works out, I'll talk to an plastic injection molding shop and see what would be involved in mass production. To make a bunch of these things out of fiberglass would be very expensive and time consuming.

 

I've looked into what it would take to mass produce an item like this. It's not cheap, and beyond my resources. I would need an engineer to CAD a blueprint of the item that an injection molder could then make a mold from. The engineer costs several hundred, and the molder costs over a thousand. I don't know how I could make these any other way. Producing them one at a time via the method I'm doing now (just fiberglass from scratch) is not feasible. Anybody out there work for Autometer and want to do this for all of us?

 

i know a few of us "happen" to be going to an engineering school and "happen" to have access to some modeling programs...

 

I could make a CAD of an injection mold, I have industrial CAD Programs

 

Tell me whatcha need from me.

 

you should make the second one with a blank face, that way people could mount damn near anything in there like ladder tachs, small LCD screens, maybe even a head unit and put a screen in the stock head unit location, switches, radar, who knows...

 

I bet you thought I gave up on this thing, didn't ya?

Well didn't ya?

*cough*, sorry, um, anyway, here ya go...

These are after the first coat of prime, then a coat of fiberglass fill, and a sanding...




These are after a second coat of prime, which is where I'll stop. I plan to have the pod leather wrapped to match the steering wheel. It goes to the upholstry shop tomorrow. The metal trim ring will be painted to match the silver interior trim. It also acts as structural help to the face of the pod. The gauges themselves will hold it in place when they are installed.

 

I was curious as to what you decided to do. That looks good. Can't wait to see it all wrapped and filled with gauges.

 

How many gauges could you possibly put on a non sc? lol

 

Just as many in a turbo.

 

Actually, I'm one short! I'm going to get a SS A-pillar too for the extra spot.

You may not know, I'm going turbo with this car. I already have a fully custom built powertrain.