heat forming lexan/plexiglass to make a dash cap?

[themadness]

any of you guys have experience with heat forming lexan? i was brainstorming about using a sheet to make a dash cap. basically just laying it up there and heating it with a heat gun until melts to shape. then finishing to match interior color with paint or vinyl or whatever would work. probably a bit retarded but i was bored today.....

[DTMAce]

Not a bad idea. Use as thin a material as possible. And lots of heat, best to do this on a really hot summer day to, so you can take advantage of that.

[Koots]

If you wait until summer and you live in a warm place, You could probably just lay it on top of the dash and let it settle in LOL My leg practically melted to my Grandparents Caddy when I went to visit them down in Texas.

A gentler way to do it would be with a hair dryer, but it's best used when the material is thinner. I don't think it would do much to a thick piece.

[themadness]

i think the hard parts would be:

cutting it to be an exact fit the same way the caps are for the squared dash. if the lexan shrinks(and i think it will) you will need a slightly longer piece to compensate for it.

figuring out what to cut it with. dremel or very sharp utility blade?

keeping it from cracking. which will most likely be an issue of even heating and cooling times. as well as what its being cut with

all suggestions welcome

[themadness]

If you wait until summer and you live in a warm place, You could probably just lay it on top of the dash and let it settle in LOL My leg practically melted to my Grandparents Caddy when I went to visit them down in Texas.

A gentler way to do it would be with a hair dryer, but it's best used when the material is thinner. I don't think it would do much to a thick piece.

leather seats suck for sure. you are probably right about summer. from what i have been reading doing it in a colder environment will cause warping. the temp difference between a heat gun and the colder air around the plexi that isnt being heated results in uneven heating and possibly cracking. i am going to grab some test pieces in the mean time just to see if it can be done. i have a thicker square left from a pc case to experiment with. looking at this morning a painted surface might mimic the custom fiberglass look you see in some hot rods and kit cars. or it could be covered with something relative to the original dash pad material. who knows at this point. but it does look good on paper.


sort of what i was thinking it would come out like if done right.....

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2981483/2 ... gular-cab/

[diedemus]

the "best" way to do it would be to remove the dash and form it outside of the car, a vacuum form table ideally, but a heat gun used in slow passes about 8 inches from the lexan would work. If it gets too hot it discolors and gets brittle when it cools. If you do it in the car do it on a hot day, if you do it in the winter and don't have a heated garage you will crack your windshield.

[themadness]

yea looks like a summer project....

on a side note, for any of you guys that are into custom modding in your car(or out too i presume). my father in law suggested some core material called airex foam and a heatform pvc polymer. its used in boat making to construct the hulls and other various parts like consoles etc. he said it can be shaped to pretty much anything and can be covered in fiberglass. its a bit pricey but i might check into it out of curiosity.

[diedemus]

you can also use the pink foam insulation panels and a rasp for this, glue pieces together for bulkier pieces. 8 foot panels were fairly cheap at home depot/lowes last i looked