side panels & dash

[mouaclan]

have anyone custom made these out of wood, foam and vinyl to cover? i haven't the slightest clue on how to do this, tho i'm pretty shabby on wood working, i can cut to fit. it's just laying the foam and then the vinyl that gets me. and then making somewhat water resistant at the seams. anyone sell something like this? perhaps i'll buy pre-made side panels, but the dash (cuz of curves and demensions) i'd have to custom make myself. any help would be great.

[Techno]

I have a book on custom auto upholstery and most of their work is done with contact adhesive. Admittadly its sprayed on with a gun but did one of my seat covers with a 3M spray can.

You need closed cell foam and it doesn't need to be the upholstery type. The upholstery stuff is nicer though.The stuff I bought from mcmaster carr seems more like shredded plastic than what we think of as foam, but foam it is.
Cut the foam to the shape you want. This can include grooving but would need a 2nd sheet as a backer.
The vinyl is cut to the shape and also needs to be sewn. The edge part.
Spray both parts with glue and beginning in the center work to the sides. Press lightly so you can readjust if needed. I did half the seat at a time and then sprayed the unsprayed side to continue.
If you have grooves like tuck and roll you do each indivually pressing it into the groove and keep working along.

You don't need a backer board but could do one. take thin cardboard like poster board and laminate it in place. The resin will ultimately make it water proof. Several layers will make it the required shape like anything laminated to a curve, this can be a compound curve too.
Same could be done with fiberglass mat. Cover the dash with waxed paper in either case.

An alternative is outdoor fabric, thats what my seats are and by chance the red cloth and black piping look like my racing jacket:p

I would think the gauge holes need to bottom out with the vinyl, no foam thickness where the bezel would lie. This is where the backer would be usefull. Also the gauges mounted would hold most of it in place. The vinyl would be cut like a pie in the hole and folded back onto the back.

The finished pad is installed after its finished.
Its water proof since you used closed cell foam. The seams won't matter.
Thats the general idea and can be figured from there.

On the cardboard thing- made a mistake. You would use contact adhesive to stick the layers together. Then coat it with resin to seal it. The contact adhesive sticks instantly using resin means clamping it. No reason to use resin and cardboard.