kevin12973

How would one go about obtaining an aluminum dash that totally replaces the original one. My car is for DE only and would like to remove most of the unnecessary and failed electrics.
Are there kits or does one need to send their car to a race prep shop to custom fab one?

MB968

I've seen at least one 944 used for racing that had the complete dash removed. The gauges in the OEM mounting plate was mounted via brackets to the metal that the old dash was mounted to.

f1rocks

My dash was removed and all gauges replaced with aftermarket. I did a cardboard mock up of what I wanted, bought the sheet aluminum, cut it and had an aluminum guy weld it up. Crinkle coated and it turned out pretty good.

Another option is a fibreglass Broadfoot racing unit. They look very finished.

SamGrant951

yeah most metal dashes are going to be custom made. You can get a carbon or fiberglass version that resembles the stock dash. We took a carbon dash and cut the bottom off and made an aluminum plate that the gauges sit on with a few brackets. With 4 screws the carbon top comes out allowing access to wiring.

kevin12973

Thanks for the inspiration Sam. I would like to keep it simple and reasonably inexpensive for my modest budget. I dont know if I'm up for a scratch build dash unless I had more info and pics to copy from. While I'm in there I want to remove heater/ defrost components and lots of wiring ect..
I'm hoping someone has a pre-made dash board for racing use to chime in. Otherwise a call to Fairfield County Motorsports will be in order.

Dubai944

A very cheap solution is to buy 1/32 inch flat carbon fibre sheet, cut it to shape and mount it to your roll cage cross bar. Not as pretty as a form fitted solution but practical, very light, easy to wire and remove from the car. That's how I did mine.

kevin12973

Nice idea, haven't even given that a thought. Thanks Dubai

TheBlau

Broadfoot racing and GT-Racing both offer fiberglass/carbon replacements for the original dash if you want to maintain the look like Sam posted.

https://www.gt-racing.com/products-p...-parts/page/4/

http://www.broadfootracing.com/performance_parts.htm

Dubai944

I bought the sheets from Pegasus. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...?Product=CF001

I also mounted all my electrics on a panel to have easy access. The cross bar unbolts and the whole dash comes out in a few minutes with just a few connectors at the rear. I kept the top of the dash pad from the original dash which weighs nothing to meet the rules for the class I was racing in.

I like the moulded dashes but this was cheap and easy.

harveyf

I don't know what your wiring skills are but I found there are some serious weight savings to be had by ditching the fuse/relay central electrical panel and the harness. This of course puts you into building a custom harness to go with your custom dash. Both of these are discussed on my website for the orange track car.

Van

+22 (pounds)

Cyril

Kevin, here is my light, simple and inexpressive dash.
Original dash, gutted and painted black.

Cyril

Sorry, I just found those 2 pictures.

sm

Cyril - I like your lower dash delete. Did removing the lower part negatively affect the structural rigidity of the dash?

Does anyone know if the huge size of the lower dash is for crash safety? If yes I want to keep that in mind as mine is a street car.

Thanks

FrenchToast

I would guess yes. That portion is sometimes referred to as a "knee bar." There is foam between the vinyl and the metal dashframe.

Some modern cars have airbags in there.