Sterling Doc Posted March 23, 2008 Posted March 23, 2008 It's good to have a retired German engineer on hand (my father). The dash face is pretty easy - just have a sheet metal place put two 90 bends in some 14 to 16 gauge aluminum, trace & cut out the cluster shape, and use a hole saw for the gauge(s) and switches. The brackets are trickier, as the header/bulkhead behind the dash is curved and not level. We took some measurements, mocked things up with tagboard, and then bent up some practice brackets. Because he's a German engineer, dad the took all the measurements & angles, and cut some wood blocks to form the final brackets over. The cluster screws to the brackets, and stand-offs (threaded rod) are used both as bolts to hold the cluster in place, and on the other side, to receive the screws that hold the dash face on. Lot's of labor, but it's clean, light and functional. Since the pictures, I put a starter button in the left upper dash. I've left room for another gauge to the left of the oil temp gauge that's in there. If more room is needed, the dash could easily be extended in width or depth for the next dash face. While dad went a bit overkill for this, as usual (it's exactly level, everythings perfectly ligned up, and very stiff), this could be be done by most, with a little help from a sheetmetal shop (we used a heating and cooling local business). This pic was before final dash leveling You can see the stand-offs here You can see the keyholes used in the dash top to make removal easier here. We used the tinerman nuts (clips you screw into) off of the stock dash to screw the top of the dash into the top of the face of the gauge panel The blocks used to form the brackets. We screwed the metal to the blocks to hold it in place while we were forming it. The plans: Quote
loftygoals Posted March 23, 2008 Posted March 23, 2008 Very nice! I can't wait to see it in person at Gateway! -bj Quote
comatb Posted March 23, 2008 Posted March 23, 2008 Eric that dash is awesome and your Dad is too! I've been thinking but not acting on this very project. Maybe this Summer. Quote
Litespeeds Posted March 24, 2008 Posted March 24, 2008 That dash looks nice but you'd better paint the top section so it doesn't glare off the windshield. Quote
Sterling Doc Posted March 25, 2008 Author Posted March 25, 2008 That dash looks nice but you'd better paint the top section so it doesn't glare off the windshield. Yup, a little flat black crinkle finish would be in order. Quote
rcarpen22 Posted March 27, 2008 Posted March 27, 2008 Eric, That's awesome. I just did the aluminum dash thing myself. Mine is the low rent version. Quote
Bradicus Posted March 27, 2008 Posted March 27, 2008 I am under the impression that rule 16.2.2 limits the dash mod's to allow for cage installation only. Maybe I mis-interpreted it, but removal and or heavy modification is not listed; and therefore banned. You are also removing weight from up high, which helps a lot. To do this modification cost money, not really in the spec spirit. IMO. I think it looks great, but I don't want to HAVE to do it. I only bring it up as everyone seemed to freak over a 6"long piece of hortizontal roll cage it the footwell as a possible preformance increase, this is a real preformance help. Brad Quote
944-Spec#94 Posted March 27, 2008 Posted March 27, 2008 I am under the impression that rule 16.2.2 limits the dash mod's to allow for cage installation only.Maybe I mis-interpreted it, but removal and or heavy modification is not listed; and therefore banned. You are also removing weight from up high, which helps a lot. Brad The requirement is for the original instruments to remain complete. I would prefer to see most dashboards remain intact or at least largely intact, but we do not require it. Some dashes get beat up and look like crap or have to be heavily modded to clear the cage anyway. I have never been concerned that saving this weight up high will creat performance a enhancement. This is certainly not a "must do modification". If you must remove all or part of the dash I suggest installing some form of cover to ensure a neat an tidy appearance. The key guys is a neat and tidy appearance. We want to put a good foot forward with our cars and despite them being cheap lets not present them as poorly built and poorly maintained. Quote
Sterling Doc Posted March 27, 2008 Author Posted March 27, 2008 [edit - covered above] The "Spec" Spirit is all about inexpensive, neat & DIY. It's is not about $$$$$ carbon dashes. This whole set-up cost me less than $40. Weight saving over an early dash are negligable. I will work on fully encosing the dash, as instruments hanging out does look less neat. Quote
bnewport Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Remember if you do this then the car is illegal for SCCA ITS which is a useful class to be able to run. Quote
Sterling Doc Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Remember if you do this then the car is illegal for SCCA ITS which is a useful class to be able to run. The SCCA does have a regional 944 Spec class. If you get enough guys to run, you could might be able bring it local. With 10 race weekends & 3 enduros on the schedule already between NASA & PCA, I'm full up anyway. Also I like that we can weld the A & B pillars to the cage, which would also be illegal in SCCA, so I'm going to burn that bridge to make my car safer by doing that mod soon anyways. ITS does give you one more place to run, but not competitively in a 944 Spec car. Quote
Chuck T. Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 Remember if you do this then the car is illegal for SCCA ITS which is a useful class to be able to run. The SCCA does have a regional 944 Spec class. If you get enough guys to run, you could might be able bring it local. With 10 race weekends & 3 enduros on the schedule already between NASA & PCA, I'm full up anyway. Also I like that we can weld the A & B pillars to the cage, which would also be illegal in SCCA, so I'm going to burn that bridge to make my car safer by doing that mod soon anyways. ITS does give you one more place to run, but not competitively in a 944 Spec car. The 944-spec class (not by that name) is a class in the Rocky Mountain Region of SCCA. They race under rules that are real close to ours and in 2009 will be the same as our rules. So no need to race in ITS when you can race in 944-spec or spec-944. If The Rocky Mountain Region gets enough cars I'm sure the region near you would adopt the rules for a regional class. Quote
dweymer Posted April 3, 2008 Posted April 3, 2008 Nice job on the dashes guys! I see RCAR still has the stalks, I could not tell if Eric's car had wipers at all, but my stalks are long gone, and I need to wire wipers to a 3 way switch, off+low+high. Any ideas on what wires? Quote
Sterling Doc Posted April 3, 2008 Author Posted April 3, 2008 Nice job on the dashes guys! I see RCAR still has the stalks, I could not tell if Eric's car had wipers at all, but my stalks are long gone, and I need to wire wipers to a 3 way switch, off+low+high. Any ideas on what wires? I just removed the stalks, and wired switches. I just put wires together until I found low and high speed. Start with the larger gauge wires - the smaller ones are intermittent functions. I hooked up the low speed, and put a quick conector on the high speed wire, so if I need that, I could hook it up quickly. Quote
rfreundt Posted April 4, 2008 Posted April 4, 2008 I just run my wipers on high. I dont believe that it makes any difference at what speed they are running just that they can run. Or there is always the option of getting a three pole switch so that you can have low off and high. Quote
Bradicus Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 The requirement is for the original instruments to remain complete. I would prefer to see most dashboards remain intact or at least largely intact, but we do not require it. Some dashes get beat up and look like crap or have to be heavily modded to clear the cage anyway. I have never been concerned that saving this weight up high will creat performance a enhancement. This is certainly not a "must do modification". If you must remove all or part of the dash I suggest installing some form of cover to ensure a neat an tidy appearance. The key guys is a neat and tidy appearance. We want to put a good foot forward with our cars and despite them being cheap lets not present them as poorly built and poorly maintained. 16.2.2 Factory dashboard instrument panels must remain intact. Additional gauges may be added. In cars with early dashboards, replacing of the tachometer and speedometer with aftermarket components, in the factory location is allowed. Modifications to the dash as necessary to accommodate the roll cage tubing are permitted. Joe, I dont see how removing/cutting dash in half is supported by the rules as listed. To allow someone whom did it and as a 'special' case I understand. But I like the rules as listed where-in if it doesn't say you can, you can't. As listed, it say you can't cut your dash off except to clear your roll bar. Seems pretty clear cut to me. If you start to let people explore minor modifications, whats going to happen? Can I lighten my hood? Slightly? My two cents, Cheers, Quote
Sterling Doc Posted April 8, 2008 Author Posted April 8, 2008 Brad, Joe can give you a definative opinion, but here's mine. There is no provision in the rules stating what you can and can't remove from the interior, except that you can remove the AC/vent system, and the stock cluster must remain intact. The carpet, stock steering wheel, rear seats, etc. are also not mentioned, and by your reading of the rules, would have to stay. There is a clear line here. If it is bolted in, and it's not necessary to the operation of the car as a racecar, then it can come out. You can take any thing off the hood (washer assembly, sound insulation, etc.), but you cannot cut on it to lighten it - that's the line. The dash, however, is bolted in, so it may be removed. The reason there is wording about allowing modding the dash for the rollbar is that that does involve cutting, which would be forbidden if not expressly allowed. If the whole dash must remain intact, there would be no need to make the clarification on the cluster, as it is part of the dash. I did not ask for special "dispensation" I see this as squarely in the rules and spirit of the class. I hope this helps this make sense. Quote
Bradicus Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 That makes perfect sense, thanks. I hate grey areas in a spec class. Cheers, Quote
Sterling Doc Posted April 8, 2008 Author Posted April 8, 2008 That makes perfect sense, thanks.I hate grey areas in a spec class. Cheers, Agreed, and you raise a valid point that this area could be clarified with some reference to gutting the interior with the next revision of the rules. I'm just jealous you guys are already racing . Quote
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