I have already fabricated and mounted the upper & lower dash panels and centre-mounted the instrument cluster so it was time to make the main dash panel that fits between the upper and lower pieces.
To start I screwed on a strip of wood on the lower dash panel for the main dash panel to mount against. The gap in the middle of this lip is to clear the instrument cluster.
To form the shape of the main panel, I cut and glued together some strips of MDF to make a basic frame. This shape was copied to a piece of plywood and cut out.
With this MDF frame clamped in place, the upper dash panel was scribed to mark the position of a new lip for mounting the main dash panel.
A section was then cut away and a new lip was fibreglassed on to match the position of the main dash panel.
At this point I also realised that the opening for the clock was off centre so I had to cut it out and fibreglass it back in the correct position.
I have previously decided to forgo the use of a glovebox on the left hand side of the dash and use that space to mount the main fusebox, however an access panel was needed to be able to check fuses and relays. The fuse box access panel is all fibreglass with cutouts for some magnets, and the access panel is held in place onto some 1.5mm steel sheet tabs screwed to back of the main panel.
For removing the access panel I fitted a small flush/recessed pull handle.
Directly in front of the driver I fitted a multi-gauge display from Just Race Parts (a copy of the Defi ZD gauge) and a boost pressure gauge. The Just Race Parts gauge displays multiple operating values such as exhaust gas/oil/water/inlet air temperature, fuel/oil pressure, air fuel ratio and also has an inbuilt sequential LED shift lights and alarms.
Like the access panel for the main fuse box, I made a removable panel for mounting the digital display and boost gauge as I will be mounting the digital display control box behind the dash and will likely need to access it after the dash is assembled. The hole for the boost gauge was made with a 52mm hole saw and the hole for digital display was hand cut/sanded, with a custom bracket to hold it in place.
This panel is held in place by some screws in each corner
Because the instrument cluster is recessed into the dash slightly, I had to make a new surround for it. Using the offcut from the bottom of the original Starlet instrument cluster surround (black piece in photo below) and a section cut from a cheap plastic bucket, I superglued it all together to make a mockup of the surround.
This worked really well to form the shape I wanted so made a mould of the mockup and then a copy of it in fibreglass.
Finally, next to the cluster surround I mounted the Starlet hazard switch. I made a fibreglass copy of the hazard switch opening in the Starlet dash and inset it into the main dash panel. The hazard switch is angled in the Starlet dash so I had to make a complex wedge-shaped mount with plastic locating pins to make the switch flush with the front of the Mini dash panel.
The switch button is then flush with the dash panel. The fascia piece with the red hazard symbol has fallen off at some point so I'll have to find a way to make a replacement.
After a quick coat of primer, the main dash panel is ready for prep and paint.
To start I screwed on a strip of wood on the lower dash panel for the main dash panel to mount against. The gap in the middle of this lip is to clear the instrument cluster.
To form the shape of the main panel, I cut and glued together some strips of MDF to make a basic frame. This shape was copied to a piece of plywood and cut out.
With this MDF frame clamped in place, the upper dash panel was scribed to mark the position of a new lip for mounting the main dash panel.
A section was then cut away and a new lip was fibreglassed on to match the position of the main dash panel.
At this point I also realised that the opening for the clock was off centre so I had to cut it out and fibreglass it back in the correct position.
I have previously decided to forgo the use of a glovebox on the left hand side of the dash and use that space to mount the main fusebox, however an access panel was needed to be able to check fuses and relays. The fuse box access panel is all fibreglass with cutouts for some magnets, and the access panel is held in place onto some 1.5mm steel sheet tabs screwed to back of the main panel.
For removing the access panel I fitted a small flush/recessed pull handle.
Like the access panel for the main fuse box, I made a removable panel for mounting the digital display and boost gauge as I will be mounting the digital display control box behind the dash and will likely need to access it after the dash is assembled. The hole for the boost gauge was made with a 52mm hole saw and the hole for digital display was hand cut/sanded, with a custom bracket to hold it in place.
This panel is held in place by some screws in each corner
Because the instrument cluster is recessed into the dash slightly, I had to make a new surround for it. Using the offcut from the bottom of the original Starlet instrument cluster surround (black piece in photo below) and a section cut from a cheap plastic bucket, I superglued it all together to make a mockup of the surround.
This worked really well to form the shape I wanted so made a mould of the mockup and then a copy of it in fibreglass.
The centre section of the plywood panel was cut out to fit the shape of the instrument cluster surround and then the surround piece depth was trimmed to size and fibreglassed onto the plywood.
To hold the main dash panel in place, it's a common practice in classic Minis to have a few threaded rods set into the back of the main panel and C-shaped brackets used to clamp the main panel to the upper/lower dash pieces. I followed the same methodology to make some mounts.
Finally, next to the cluster surround I mounted the Starlet hazard switch. I made a fibreglass copy of the hazard switch opening in the Starlet dash and inset it into the main dash panel. The hazard switch is angled in the Starlet dash so I had to make a complex wedge-shaped mount with plastic locating pins to make the switch flush with the front of the Mini dash panel.
The switch button is then flush with the dash panel. The fascia piece with the red hazard symbol has fallen off at some point so I'll have to find a way to make a replacement.
After a quick coat of primer, the main dash panel is ready for prep and paint.
Very nice work!
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