|
|
Cyclops Rears Its Fresh Head -- Technical Article -- Custom Classic TrucksNo Limit Makes an F-100 Custom Dash From the April, 2006 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By D. Brian Smith
|
|
Fabricators of the first order, the technicians at No Limit Engineering are able to work with any sort of material--be it sheetmetal, aluminum, stainless steel or fiberglass. Fiberglass, that moldable substance that can be used to make almost anything, actually comprises the BeBop's F-100 cab. Come to think of it, the F-100 giveaway truck that No Limit is building for the 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals this May in Knoxville, Tennessee, has a BeBop's fiberglass cab. In recent issues, we've witnessed those masters of metalwork, those creators of cool customs, transform stock F-100 parts into radical one-off components worthy of any Ford Racing high-speed land flyer. They've whacked away at brand-new stainless steel bumpers, cut up and welded pristine rear sheetmetal fenders, crafted custom running boards from raw sheetmetal and aluminum, designed and welded tubular headers from available pipe stock, and installed the first-of-its-kind dual power aluminum tonneau covers. Until this very day, they hadn't demonstrated their skill with fiberglass. No Limit's fearless founder and leader, Rob MacGregor, sought to rectify such an oversight. He studied the top-notch construction of the BeBop's fiberglass F-100 cab, dashboard, kickboards, floorboards, and doors. Rob knew he'd need to modify the kickboards and floorboards to accommodate the long Tremec manual transmission, but he wanted to make the trans tunnel out of metal. The fiberglass floor would simply be cut to accept the trans hump. After much contemplation of the Effie's interior, Rob had the answer. He'd transform the oft-seen F-100 dashboard, which BeBop's molded out of fiberglass, into a one-off custom dash. His big idea: cut out the driver-side dash hump, which houses the speedometer and several other gauges in a stock F-100, and move it to the center of the dash. Is this man warped or what? At first we thought we might need to intercede. Then we came to our senses. We recalled all the artistry we'd seen in past visits to the No Limit Engineering shop in San Berdoo, CA (as the locals call San Bernardino). So we readied our digital camera, pen, and paper, and watched the man work. As with any good story, there were several problematic moments when we thought Rob's fabrication went awry. These construction challenges all concluded successfully, as you might have guessed. See for yourself how to take a perfectly fine fiberglass factory-appearance F-100 dash and turn it into a full-on Ford Racing-themed custom instrument panel. For obvious reasons, CCT prefers to call the No Limit Effie dash Cyclops.  Before firing up the reciprocating...  Before firing up the reciprocating saw, No Limit took a Sharpie to masking tape to map out what the dashboard might look like.  The driver side of the dash...  The driver side of the dash will contain the instruments shown.  Cyclops will house the speedometer...  Cyclops will house the speedometer and the tachometer.  Rob measured to find the center...  Rob measured to find the center of the dash and marked same.  He marked the center point...  He marked the center point on both the dash and the dash hump. The dash hump is 15 inches wide, while the center section of the dash is 13 5/8 inches wide.  Since a piece of cardboard...  Since a piece of cardboard can easily wrap around the curved surfaces of the dash, Rob utilized a straight section of the material and a Sharpie to trace the vertical cutting lines.  Keeping in mind that there's...  Keeping in mind that there's a metal brace underneath the dash that he wanted to avoid cutting, he drew the horizontal line.  His center section of the...  His center section of the cutting template looked so.  Confident he had a viable...  Confident he had a viable map of where to cut...  ...Rob fired up the Milwaukee...  ...Rob fired up the Milwaukee Sawzall...  ...and cut into the BeBop's...  ...and cut into the BeBop's fiberglass dashboard.  Within minutes, the dash was...  Within minutes, the dash was but a memory. Evidence of precise planning--notice not one metal bracket was mistakenly cut.  No Limit will be doing the...  No Limit will be doing the old switcheroo and placing the dash hump in the center as shown. We couldn't help but put a little plug in for the magazine.  Before installing Cyclops,...  Before installing Cyclops, Rob took a few moments to scrutinize how well the dash hump would fit in the center of the dash.  You can probably see in the...  You can probably see in the photo what Rob learned in person. The shape of each dash section was different enough that some careful fabrication would need to take place. It's a good thing No Limit was equal to the task at hand!  Rob realized he could have...  Rob realized he could have left the bottom portions of the dash pieces in place, as they were the correct shape. He decided to cut them off and put them back where they belong...  ...Utilizing the table jigsaw,...  ...Utilizing the table jigsaw, he made it so with both the driver side and center pieces.  In order for Cyclops and the...  In order for Cyclops and the new driver side to have the correct shape in the custom dash, Rob needed to trim away at either side of the curved section of the hump and trim the edges of the driver side at an angle...  ...He'll need to re-create...  ...He'll need to re-create the portions he's cutting away in new fiberglass so that they conform to the desired shape.  As a foundation to work from,...  As a foundation to work from, No Limit clamped an angle iron into place for the dash mockup.  Remember, the pieces atop...  Remember, the pieces atop the angle iron were originally located right where they were in this photo. They'll be permanently in their new/old home soon.  Rob drilled holes into the...  Rob drilled holes into the fiberglass and an aluminum plate behind the glass. The plate served as a flat base for No Limit to 'glass in the pieces.  Using Phillips-head sheetmetal...  Using Phillips-head sheetmetal screws, he affixed the fiberglass panels to the aluminum plate.  From carefully inspecting...  From carefully inspecting the driver-side portion, Rob realized the section's contour was out of sync.  So he could more easily alter...  So he could more easily alter the shape of the driver-side section, Rob made a series of parallel relief cuts.  After making the cuts, Rob...  After making the cuts, Rob confirmed the piece was much more malleable by checking the fitment. He also realized he should have sanded off the black gelcoat before making the relief cuts.  Using the air die grinder,...  Using the air die grinder, he removed the gelcoat on the driver-side piece.  He did the same with the bottom...  He did the same with the bottom portions of the dash that would receive resin and fiberglass mat.  So he could mount the 'glass...  So he could mount the 'glass panels, Rob drilled holes in the 'glass for locating some metal tabs.  He installed a metal tab on...  He installed a metal tab on the left opening...  ...and in the center at the...  ...and in the center at the top of the dash.  In anticipation of laying...  In anticipation of laying down some resin and 'glass mat, Rob attached the new driver-side piece.  As you're about to learn,...  As you're about to learn, with some fiberglass resin and matting materials one can do wonders.  Here's where the first layer...  Here's where the first layer of driver-side fiberglass mat will go.  Rob liberally applied the...  Rob liberally applied the fiberglass resin.  He placed the fiberglass mat...  He placed the fiberglass mat on the resin and applied more resin on the top of the mat.  He let the driver side set...  He let the driver side set up for a bit.  Rob next tackled the front...  Rob next tackled the front section of the driver side.  No Limit attached three metal...  No Limit attached three metal tabs to hold Cyclops in its proper position.  Since some of the top portion...  Since some of the top portion of Cyclops would be all-new, Rob used masking tape to serve as a platform for holding the fiberglass mat and resin.  He attached Cyclops to the...  He attached Cyclops to the three mounting metal fixtures...  ...and cut a long section...  ...and cut a long section of fiberglass and several smaller sections of fiberglass mat.  Rob affixed the small Cyclops...  Rob affixed the small Cyclops surrounding matting material with fiberglass resin.  Once the fiberglass resin...  Once the fiberglass resin had time to set up and dry, Rob sanded away some of the excess material with the air die grinder.  He cut several small fill...  He cut several small fill pieces for the inevitable low spots and positioned them.  Cutting the fiberglass mat...  Cutting the fiberglass mat the correct size that would blanket the top of the dash came next.  No Limit adhered the fill...  No Limit adhered the fill fiberglass mat pieces.  Resin applied to the top of...  Resin applied to the top of the dash meant one thing: It would be blanketed soon with fiberglass mat.  Like molasses, that fiberglass...  Like molasses, that fiberglass resin sure is sticky.  Resin coated the top of the...  Resin coated the top of the dash's fiberglass mat blanket.  After allowing the resin ample...  After allowing the resin ample time to dry, Rob made several sanding passes with the air die grinder.  Underneath the dash, Rob covered...  Underneath the dash, Rob covered the seams with fiberglass resin to ensure a one-piece seal.  In preparation for spraying...  In preparation for spraying on primer, No Limit started the finish-sanding process by wielding the air die grinder.  On the flatter sections of...  On the flatter sections of the dashboard, the flat air sander was used.  In the little nooks and crannies,...  In the little nooks and crannies, a small sanding wheel on an air tool worked best. Look at all the 'glass dust on Rob's face. If you work with fiberglass a great deal, you need to at least wear a mask, if not use a respirator.  To keep overspray at a minimum,...  To keep overspray at a minimum, No Limit masked off the windshield opening.  Rob sprayed on the primer...  Rob sprayed on the primer.  With the masking sheets still...  With the masking sheets still in place, we can appreciate how cool the primered Cyclops looks. Do you think other builders will go to the trouble of creating their own Cyclops? We do...  ...There were approximately...  ...There were approximately eight to 10 hours of work in creating Cyclops, not accounting for letting the fiberglass resin set-up and dry after each application of mat and resin. Doing this same job with a stock sheetmetal dash would take considerably longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Thinker??? - Haul Monitor
Ryan talks about the friendly badgering that goes on around the shop and overcoming obstacles that seemly pop up out of nowhere during a project....
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|