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Coming back from the door mounts to the cockpit

The basic shape for the glare shield has already been determined. How it is to be fixed in the car will become clear once all the cockpit elements are together. That's why I started working on the two boxes next. One is for the glove box, the other will be the new home for the instruments. The challenge here was not to simply fold the edges over, but to form soft radii, as in the original. I built a template from a steel tube. The sheet metal should then fit smoothly around the template. In practice, this worked well. However, it is important that the radii are taken into account when cutting the sheet. The spherical corners where the radii had to run in two directions were tricky. After welding the edges, the sheets were smoothed a bit, the corners were planished and the boxes had their desired shape.

A central frame will carry the additional instruments in the middle and the radio, but is also the primary part for mounting the glare shield and the two boxes. For the glare shield I built some rounded end pieces and welded them on. I fiddled around with the arrangement of the instruments and switches for quite a while, but the first impression is very close to what I had in mind.

Incredible stuff as usual Doc! What will you do with the dashboard? Will it be vinyl, black crackle, or even body colour?

Great work again Doc, is there any reason for using steel as opposed to alloy for the dash panel?

InnoCooperExport wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:48 pm Incredible stuff as usual Doc! What will you do with the dashboard? Will it be vinyl, black crackle, or even body colour?

Thanks for your feedback.
The original dashboard has some kind of vinyl structur. But I'm not sure if it is covered with vinyl or just the structure is transfered to the GRP top coat. My dashboard will be covered with black leather.
Body colour is not an option at all, because at least the glare shield has to be black according to the german MOT.

Ronnie wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:08 pm Great work again Doc, is there any reason for using steel as opposed to alloy for the dash panel?

Oh yes, the reason is quite simpel. I only learnd how to work with sheet metal. I don't know how to weld alloy, that's why I don't have any alloy panels on hand. And I feel most comfortable while working with steel since I did all the bodywork.
But you are right, for a dashboard alloy would probably be the better option.

Fantastic work all over, loving the dash.
I have however found a flaw, after all the expert and precise work you have only gone and put the steering on the wrong side
You really should be very proud of your skills, just exquisite.
Cheers

S**t, now as you mention that, I do realise the wheel position myself.

But I think I can solve the problem easily I squeeze an iPad for all important engine readings into the glove box and use the holes on the other side as pencil or bottle storage

I think that will work

In my previous projects, I have only ever used vinyl or wood for the dashboard and interior trim. I haven't had any experience with leather yet. Now I've dared to use leather for the first time and I'm really excited about what this material can do. Anyone who has ever covered the lower crossmember of the dashboard of a MK1 Mini with vinyl, as in the Cooper and Cooper S, will certainly have cursed a lot . The negative curves on the left and right of the switch panel cut-out are really a pain in the a**s . I haven't yet managed to stretch the vinyl enaugh so that it follows the contour. Either there were massive wrinkles or I had to cut it in.

This time I decided to use leather because I wanted the structure and the naturally soft surface. Besides, the original dashboard has no seams or wrinkles on the edges. And in my experience, that's just not possible with vinyl.

Real leather, on the other hand, is super flexible. You can pull it around very complex corners and edges without wrinkles forming. I'm really thrilled and annoyed that I didn't do this earlier .
But to get the leather into shape, you have to wet it well beforehand. I put the cut pieces in a bucket of water for a few minutes so that they could soak up. Then I stretched the leather over the various parts of the dashboard and fixed it with numerous staples. I then let the leather pieces dry for one or two days. Of course, this doesn't work for all components in the vehicle, so vinyl has still its specific uses.

Coming along brilliantly,

"A tension" to detail! Outstanding.

You never cease to amaze me with this fantastic project!

mk1 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 11:20 am You never cease to amaze me with this fantastic project!

Oh I love to read that

Now that the soaked leather pieces have all been able to dry sufficiently in an exactly fixed position, they have basically retained their new shape. This makes gluing much easier.


With a good textile glue from the shoemaker, all parts can be covered and glued without any problems.


This does not always have to be done in one go. In some cases, it makes sense to glue it in stages. Especially with the long glare shield, it was of course important to position the leather piece precisely so that it would later fit equally well on all edges and corners.


I'm quite pleased with the result

hi doc
that is an impressive dash layout should look great with all the gauges and switches etc in place
that is an impressive air con vent under the dash could present a bit of a water problem on rainy days
cheers roger mcnab

Yet another well executed piece of your masterful skills, congratulations Doc.

Bravo
That’s a beautiful bit of craftsmanship!

Thanks again for your feedback.

@roger
Yes, I'm also looking forward until all the gauges and switches are finally installed. The under dash vent is necessary for cooling the sweaty drivers pants while racing on German motorways

But first I took care about the drivers gloves

A glove box without a box is not nice for the gloves either. And since I've built everything myself so far, I didn't have much hope of finding a ready-made box. Well, as I mentioned, GRP work is not one of my favourite activities, but sometimes it just has to be done.
First, I glued together a matching block with a few pieces of styrofoam and then shaped the whole thing.


Then I taped the shape with packing tape so that I could laminate around it and the two could easily be separated afterwards.


After curing and trimming the edges, I was able to fit it in behind the dashboard. I had already welded in matching studs before covering it with leather.


After everything fitted, I painted the inside with black textured paint. Now the gloves are happy too .

Herr Doktor Mabo, you are a genius...........

Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:49 pm Herr Doktor Mabo, you are a genius...........

Danke sehr

Einfach unglaublich, dieser Build ist Super.

hi doc
good thinking there a good cooling breeze is always welcome on a hot day also i am not a happy grp user and not looking forward to getting the unipower to that stage as a lot of messy laying up will be required keep up the good work it is a marathon job but something to be proud of when driving it
cheers roger