More interior work done

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Not much new to report here. I did get some more carbon fiber work done on the console, and the "spears" for the side panels. I had the console lid plate Cerakoted gray to match the leather and have the cover behind the lid made and the sliding door done except for the CF on it. I've been working on the cargo area panels and after hours of staring at it trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and how to do it, I think I have a plan. Unfortunately, I have to re-make the plywood panels on top of the "package tray" area so that's another thing in the "did iyt twice" list.

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[WagonCrazy]

Your interior is really coming together well. Question for you: How is the leather fastened to the backside of the aluminum pieces? Specifically, the under dash valences you made. Is it just wrapped around and glued? Or is there a piece of ? added to staple to on the backside? I'm going to be dealing with the same thing with mine, and with the hot weather we have here in SoCal, that upholstery glue doesn't last the test of time. Curious how to avoid that with mine. Considering ways to attach a rubber strip on the backsides to staple to (similar to what is used to staple the edges of headliner).

[chevynut]

Question for you: How is the leather fastened to the backside of the aluminum pieces? Specifically, the under dash valences you made. Is it just wrapped around and glued? Or is there a piece of ? added to staple to on the backside?

Good glue should work fine even in high temps. Larry used some kind of superduper contact cement from 3M that I can hardly get off. He told me it was $200 a gallon and he hasn't found anything better. Javier says he uses the same stuff, but I'm not sure it's exactly the same. Yes, the valences are wrapped and glued. The leather on the top of the valences is actually pinched between the valence and the dash. The bottom is glued and wrapped. I didn't want any padding on the valences, and Larry balked at that but Javier did a great job on it.

[chevynut]

Months slip by and progress is slow. I did finish making the cargo area panels and Javier has covered the top ones. We have installed the carpet in the cargo area and he has the side panels now. I'm working on the dash trim that my machinist friend has been trying to make for over a year. I have two of the pieces now but he had to cut the center piece 4 times because he couldn't hold it in his milling center and cut through. He's still struggling trying to make the left side. They will be polished and I'll put carbon fiber in the large areas to match the console.

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Here's where we are with the cargo area. I had a helluva time trying to design something to work with the tubs and look good. Then making the top panels was a challenge because they have to be curved to fit under the beltline molding. I'll be making pressed speaker grilles for the speaker area. I'm happy with it.

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I've also acquired a new project, a numbers-matching '69 Z/28 Camaro. It's a Colorado car that's spent it's entire life within 70 miles of me. I plan to have a local shop do all the body and paint work on it, as I don't want to spend another 20 years building this one. I will do the assembly and I have been buying and acquiring new and missing parts. You can see part of it in the pic above.

[Custer55]

All looking good. Those dash pieces must be very challenging to machine being so thin!

[567chevys]

Laszlo

Where have you been are you to good for us ?? How is you new shop at you other Home , your parts look very Nice if you would not be so picky you would had your baby done years ago

Thanks Sid

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Laszlo

Where have you been are you to good for us ?? How is you new shop at you other Home , your parts look very Nice if you would not be so picky you would had your baby done years ago

Thanks Sid

I watch what's going on here but haven't had a lot to add lately. I have been busy with the Nomad and the Camaro. Javier has been working on other projects and my Nomad has been back in my shop so he comes up when he gets things done. He currently has the 3 side covers at his place working on them when he has time. It's not urgent for me right now because Doug is still trying to make my dash pieces that I need to finish dash assembly. I have been trying to get him to just machine them in a "frame" so I can cut them out myself and he wouldn't have to hold the thin pieces down.

I was trying not to get another project but the Camaro kinda fell into my lap and I just had to buy it. It's s totally different project than the Nomad because I won't be building any parts for it, just restoring it.

The shop in Montana has been sitting all winter still not finished. The builder was supposed to have all the framing inside done by the end of December, and he still has some siding to install outside. We're going to add a small porch at the entrance so he can't finish the siding until that's done. He plans to start on it in May. We have had almost no snow so far up there but this week we're trying to get there (in Salt Lake currently) and it snowed 2 feet the past 3 days.

Yes, I'm too picky but also I hate depending on others to do work. Doug has been working on getting me those dash pieces for over a year since he made the prototypes. The stock pieces don't fit now that I have leather on the dash. And Javier was doing great until I took the car from his shop, then he was waiting on me to design and build the cargo area panels. I had to re-do the upper panels from scratch to clear the tubs. I'm wishing I hadn't made the tubs so big but I didn't know it would cause this much of a problem back there. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do and how to build it. I'm hoping to be done with the car in a few weeks.

[chevynut]

All looking good. Those dash pieces must be very challenging to machine being so thin!

Yes it's been more challenging than I thought it would be. The thin area is .035" and he can't clamp it tightly. I have been trying to get him to machine the part with a "frame" and a "web" holding it into the frame to support it. For some reason he won't try that. I even offered to re-do the design to include that frame on Fusion to make it easy for him. He cut through both of the left side pieces he made when he tried to cut the backside. I need a 1/16" deep relief to accommodate the leather on the dash so he has to cut that, but that's not the problem. It's the thin area that is giving him grief. I really think the frame would help a lot.

Then I have to curve the end pieces. I asked him to make two of each end in case I messed one up but I only have one of the right side and he's still trying to make the left side. I have done the final fitting and polishing of the center piece, and it's ready to install the carbon fiber.

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Doug finally figured out how to successfully machine the dash pieces for me and he has finished the left end. I need to go pick it up and get it ready to form. In the meantime, I bought some real carbon fiber veneer that I'm going to use in the recessed areas. I was going to make the veneer myself but it's a lot of work and I found a company that sells it in sheets. Basically it's real carbon fiber cloth with epoxy impregnated in it. It's going to save me a lot of time. I had to special order the material so the lines go from lower left to upper right as most of what they had went the other way and I wanted this to match my console.

I fitted and polished the center trim piece and partially polished it. today I cut and trimmed the carbon fiber so I can attach it. The end pieces will need to be formed to fit the dash but I cut the carbon fiber to fit before I form it. I formed the prototype piece below months ago and learned some things that I hope will help when I form these. Since both ends are straight, I have to put the part in the slip roll and tighten the roll as I move the part back and forth, then back off the roll completely to remove the part. It's a tricky process.

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I'm using new bezels from Backroads Fabrication

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This is the right end piece before forming. I have polished it pretty good but I know I'll have to polish it again after forming. The carbon fiber isn't' glued in yet.

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the center section looks kind of bare so I have a plan for addressing that. Once I finish the polishing to my satisfaction I will glue the carbon fiber on and cut the hole for the lighter. I've already fitted it to the speedometer and speaker bezels. Forming the end pieces seems to work using my 12" slip roll, which is how I did it before. Hope I can do it again without messing them up. It's hard to tell but the thin section deformed when I rolled this piece so I need to add fillers when rolling to keep that area flat. I took this picture March 1 2025 so we've been trying to get these pieces made for over a year.

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Once I get these pieces made I can finally assemble the rest of the dash. Then all I have left is the speaker grilles, and a few odds and ends. I still need to remove the side panels one last time to install the carbon fiber spears and speakers in the doors. I haven't heard from Javier yet as to how he's doing on the cargo area panels. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bright.

[Belair-o]

Those dash trim pieces look very, very good! That interior is really going to pop!
Thanks for the posts and pics, Doug