ZR8ED

Try a proper upholstery shop that works on marine applications. No I'm not talking about the astro turf type of marine carpets. They make some nice stuff for boats that can stand up to mould/moisture etc. Very short pile that makes the carpet quite thin and flexible to shape to the body of the car. Depending on the type, you can use mild glues to help hold it in place to keep its shape. I did this in my cab with great success, minimal cost ($150 total) and the total carpet weighs less than my floor mats! Use some strategic sound deadener, and you are good to go. There were lots of colours and textures available at my favorite local upholtery shop so you can get creative.

ditch68

Thanks for the tip!

...now, I wonder if there is a marine shop in Tucson. To the interweb!

Jeff

V2Rocket

If anybody wants some manual window winders for the early 944 (will work on late with some modification), you can have the pair for $100 shipped...

Nashio

Is that a first gen toyota celica under your 944?

ditch68

Well, I ended up just doing it myself with black Olefin carpet. If I learned anything, it is that I am no upholsterer. It is just a temporary solution until I can budget the proper job.

BUT, it does look good from 5 feet, and is light and fire resistant.

Today I am going to continue working on the switch panel, and fab a ring to tidy up the shift boot arrangement.



Getting more outlaw? The door cars/speaker setup is coming up. Something has to be done about that.

Jeff

ditch68

And, yes, with that thin carpet and NO insulation, it IS stupid loud. And now I have indeed installed a billet transaxle mount, so I have full blown gear whine as well. It is loud...I mean, really loud...like a sequential straight cut gear box...

But I LOVE IT.

Shifting is much improved, though. But it has drawn attention to a wearing 2-3 gear synchro that was less apparent before the solid mount. Oh, well. Better find a turbo LSD to stick in there!

Jeff

User 52121

I like the extinguisher mount. Doubles as an armrest

Curious to see what you come up with for the front console there. I was thinking about talking to a buddy of mine who is big into car stereos - he might be able to make me something out of MDF and some vinyl/leather to give me a spot to mount the head unit and a couple switches.

ditch68

My plan is a simple aluminum box, the sides of which will follow the curve of the dash bottom. All the switches will be replaced by metal toggle switches, and there will be the boost gauge you see there, and a manual wind aircraft clock. The whole panel will be krinkle painted black. I am thinking of maybe making it a little more complex, and have the right side of the panel extend more and have the face angled toward the driver, or something like that.

And, yes! the extinguisher actually does work as an armrest, but it is not in the way at all with both hands on the wheel, in any steering position!

Jeff

Cole

A friend simply put an aluminum plate over the dash spot where the console matches up to the dash. Looks darn near factory.

Then he just runs music off his phone through an amp hidden in the car.

ditch68

That's my plan, Cole, a small amp or a head unit in the glovebox with a wire for MP3.

You're right, that area where the dash meets the tunnel under the console is already boxed in as the dash support, closing it out will be easy. I want to make it look very purposeful and "race car" without being too cheesy.

I have been taking this Outlaw concept you posed to heart in my build of this car, it has been a great inspiration.

Also, have you guys been over to the 911 board and seen what Magnus Walker is all about? He's my hero, really great 911 builds that are really slick, but outside the box.

I highly recommend watching his video - it was a straight up "light bulb" inspiration moment for me, I even went so far as to shoot him an email thanking him for the vid and his awesome inspiration. Cool website. Looks like his artwork in the Porsche medium is enough to make a living on! What a dream! I wish I could meet him in person.

http://magnuswalker911.blogspot.com/p/urban-outlaw.html

Jeff

Here is how the exterior is progressing:

Cole

Looks good! Like the hood vents.

ditch68

Threw this together today until I get something better built. I may commission my buddy in the sheet metal shop to fab a "real" panel.

This one is 3 pieces of .025" aluminum with corner angle brackets to hold it together with pop rivets. Hard to do real metalwork without a proper brake and shear, so I had to use incredibly light gage material and used the old "clamp and mallet" bending method for the joining pieces.

No prom queen, but it holds the gauges and will hold the toggle switches for now. Cole, this did line up remarkably well with the factory dash brace. 2 of the bolts that assemble that brace neatly became the mounting bolts for this box. Hardware store had no krinkle paint, but I have to disassemble it to install the switches anyway.

I was really getting tired of looking at that gaggle of wires and plumbing.

Next stop, shift boot. Anyone see a decent source for a fabric fireproof universal boot?

Jeff

Cole

The panel my buddy built was just a single sheet that covers the hole in the dash left by the removal of the console and console mount. It makes for a VERY clean look. Wish I had a picture. Doesn't extend to the floor at all, no gauges. Just a clean smooth dash as if it never had the gap for the console.

ditch68

Oh, I see. Well, I needed this type of setup anyway. I'll do better on iteration #2. Looks better than it did, anyway. Like I said, this was really a $12 throwaway temp solution.

Jeff

Cole

.....opps.....don't get me wrong. I wasn't knocking what you did. Just adding additional comments to my earlier one.

I like the direction you are going. I bought a second console to cut up for mine. I was thinking of just cutting it off right in front of the shifter. Cleaning up the edges and filling some holes. Then it would still hold the stereo and have the factory switches, etc. But the shift boot would hook to the floor.