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Re: interesting solution! +my experiences (long) Posted by Landjet [Email]  (#16)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Landjet) on Sat, 3 Dec 2016 17:07:27
In Reply to: Re: interesting solution! +my experiences (long), kenS  [Profile/Gallery]
, Sat, 3 Dec 2016 13:42:35
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I know this isn't relevant to those that want to achieve a stock look, but I had something else in mind when I covered over the grand canyons in my 1981 dash panel. Being in the aviation business, I had a meeting with a friend who ended a life long career flying for TWA, a 747 captain. We had a long talk about reduction of glare, and making sure that reflections were minimized.
The point of this was that the C900 we were building was designed to run on the Bonneville salt flats -- very high radiation in terms of glare, and the necessity to just see gauges inside the cockpit during record runs in the very early AM pointing basically right into the sunrise.....I even had special clipons made that had a polarized gradient so I could still see gauges, but the upper portion of the lens would filter the penetrating morning radiation blast. You had to hold your head just right to see the gauges, purposely put down low under the line of site of the polarization coating. So, you wouldn't have to move your head, just move eyes up and down. It worked.
OK, so the rest of the story is burlap. Covered the dash with burlap, and used an adhesive to get it to stay, then spray painted it flat black all over the top. So the grand canyon is now a Rolling Stones gunney sack look.......( ie "Paint It Black" ) and the small craters of the burlap will swallow up light and drown it. No glare. I mean it is a dream to not be distracted / disabled by not seeing the light that can burn a hole in the back of your brain.
Other than looking like a complete rumpled mess, it served its purpose, we survived a week on the salt flats, and got a land speed record in the process, able to see and react to engine conditions as they changed.
So, my crack is now burlap.
I'm having a tough time getting my head around the $2K number -- I called that outfit in Van Nuys as well about 5 years ago, and they quoted me some wacky number like that thinking it was a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Broughham dash......which would be $2K in my mind.
I think I'll get a roller and try some of that stuff on TV that is called Flexseal where the guy takes a screen, paints it with the stuff, part of the bottom of a boat. ahahhaah......even thought about using that on the convertible top to get it through the winter.
The OEM open cell foam was a really dumb idea. Too bad we'll all be plagued with this as long as we don't have $2K to dump on the top of the dash......
So, the dash cap is looking pretty good from here at this point for my other street cars. I have one, and it is marginal. The corner transitions need some help, not sure what to do about that.
, Fri, 2 Dec 2016 06:41:16, Sat, 3 Dec 2016 13:42:35, Sat, 3 Dec 2016 17:07:27 <-- Viewing This Message
, Sat, 3 Dec 2016 17:57:06, Sat, 3 Dec 2016 18:34:04
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