LUVTruck.com

This is going to make some folks mad. I appologize. I just bought an NOS dash, in the box, off of Craigslist for $20. The owner had purchased it from Chevy in the 80's and sold the Luv before he ever had a chance to install it. He found it up in the attic, posted it and the rest is history. Who the hell wouldn't have jumped on it? But, I'm not going to gloat over this good fortune or keep keep it to myself.

Some time ago I read a post where a member was looking for a new dash or an uncracked old one to possibly create a mold and produce new ones. Well, I have this nice dash and woudl like to give it a try. My own plan involves expansion foam and some unknowns. If anyone wants to join the discussion on the ways this should be tried, let's talk. I'll entertain and try anything that doesn't hurt the dash. I'd like every Luv truck to have one. Let's give it a shop. My dash, though, is not for sale. Sorry.

Khy in Austin, TX

congratulations on a great find

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I'm one more LUV away from divorce! at least i don't have to worry about her taking them

i called just after you bought it. you beat me to it i was going to make molds of it but i still have mine here i could use, just figured for $20 why not

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My old but now gone Luv...

Mad? Nahhhh.... Green with envy? He11 yes. I check CL everyday and never find deals like this. I don't have any advice about making a mold, but I'm watching this thread closely.

Congratz on a great find!

if you just make a fiberglass mold, I'll take one. Be nice to keep the stock look of a dash but custom gages. Mine is too craked up to try and make one from it.

damn why wasnt i checkin craigslist. im in austin. good find.

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1980 Chevy LUV

The dash was made by Isuzu, no surprise there. I have a friend who teaches Japanese. I'm going to have him read the side of the box for me and see if there is a part number in the writing. To me it looks like the upsidedown hut minus square root of squirell's face might be the part number but I'm not sure. If I come up with one and a way to contact Isuzu in Japan, there might be an avenue to the new dashes. Also, the more I look at this dash, the thinner it looks than the original.

I bought my NOS dash on eBay for over $800 so you got a steal on it. The picture of it looked a little different, I don't know why, but it must be an original if it has the original box. I have been pondering the idea of getting brand new ones manufactured as exact as the original as possible, but I need to do more research. I did contact one company about the vacuum injection foam molding. They can make them, but the molds will cost anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 and that is a little more than I can afford right now. I want to check some other places and see if they can do it and what kind of price. I haven't abandoned the idea, I just need to get the funds together to do it and I still have some tied up in a few manifolds. I am sure some people would be interested in a fiberglass dash, but I know I am interested in exact originals and I am sure others would be as well. If I can get this done and the price would come out that they would be reasonable, then I will make it happen.

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

My idea involves wrapping the dash in plastic kitchen wrap and putting it into a wooden box. I would inject expansion foam, let it dry and then unscrew the box - take it apart. Working slowly with an exacto knife I would split the foam in half, back and front, and remove the dash. I'd then have a foam dash mold. Here's where it gets tricky. I'd have to grease up the mold or oil it and inject expansion foam into that foam mold. If all works right, the mold would come off and I'd have a foam dash I could cover with vinyl or leather. I'm not sure, though, that expansion foam as a dash would be very strong. Got any ideas for a strong foam for the dash?

I am sure that a lot of the guys/gals on here need a new dash? Lets entertain the idea of trying to get a small donation from each member who needs a dash to put towards the mold idea? OR Maybe sell Luv t-shirts, decals, or whatever we can come up with to make a profit and put toward this mold idea.

Just some thoughts

For the release use Polyvinyl alcohol

I want to make this happen, but I am not interested in screwing around trying to get donations and multi partners, that is just too much headache and hassle. Instead of keeping track of hundreds and hundreds of donations, etc... people who want a dash could just be saving towards one. I want to check with a couple other places and hopefully within the next couple months or so I might have enough funds to get these done. I want a couple dashes just as bad as everyone else, but I want to make sure it is done right and for a reasonable price. The Aussie dashes were way too expensive and I think I read here that they were not quite like the originals or they were a little bigger. I also want to deal with an American company to keep the jobs and business right here if possible. When I find out more you can be assured I will post on it.

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

They were a bit bigger but that was the best I could do.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

I'm leaning toward making a fiberglass mold now. All in all it seems easier. It's the foam I need to figure out. I'd be happy to make a mold and send it to you, Mokadeth, and would even pay the shipping since it's goi9ng to help the cause.

With newer materials and manufacturing equipment available today, maybe we should be approaching this from a different perspective. I think there are two primary components to trying to reproduce the original dash.

#1 - It has to fit properly
#2 - I has to look original

That being said, why does it have to be made using the methodology of 1960? Most vehicles today have essentially no foam in the dash. Why, when there are airbags? However, foam has moved in our vehicles. What is being done today is that polyfoam is being used for seating. Tear apart a 1997 Hyundai Accent seat, and you'll see what I'm talking about. There are no springs, wires, or burlap. As a matter of fact, the cloth itself has become the 'container' for the foam, and is usually formed/glued right to the seat cushion. The density is variable, and it seems from a bit of research that the covering can be applied as a liquid, either by injection, or sprayed on; or cloth or fabric that is glued/heat formed on. Anyone who's sat on an airline seat for a 5 hour flight in the last ten years knows how hard/dense this polyfoam can be...

Just my take on this, I guess. We all know that JustDashes is making serious bank on the dashes they sell. How can that be? It must be in the processes they are using, combined with volume of sales.

The difficulty in personally investing in this, is in resale. Again, I think there are only a handful of people on the planet who NEED an NOS exact reproduction. I think sales would be much better if the cost was attainable for the average Joe, authenticity not withstanding. I'm not advocating a cheapy, made in China piece of garbage, but it seems most of us would be happy with just a dash that was in one piece. It needs to fit right, and look right. As long as it meets that criteria, it could be made from recycled packing peanuts and bat guano for all I care.

Personally, I'm all for a 'fake' reproduction made from today's materials and under $200. I think it's doable. I could be way off base on this. Perhaps the 'traditional' method of blown plastic filled with foam is still the cheapest available for runs of 100 - 1000.

Here's a little info on the polyfoam stuff...

http://www.pfa.org/intouch/new_pdf/lr_IntouchV.6.1.pdf
http://www.pfa.org/

If ctmandu can make quality fiberglass components from a home shop, I'm wondering if there is some little ma' & pa' operation in NJ that could make 200 dashes...

Anyone else out there in the manufacturing industry? Chemistry? Textiles? Am I just blabbering here?

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison

i totally agree. and with today's techno it could probably even last a little longer the only problem is finding a good mold in order to "stuff" it with whatever we want whether be guano and packing peanuts or poly,expand a foam or whatever i am hoping to recieve a dash in the next week or so and build a fiber mold of the inside and outside and use different things to fill the area with. will take some time for i have to learn how to glass via trial and error and youtube and if such a mold is made and i can produce there will be new dashes in every needing household. i'm nluv and i support this message lol

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I'm one more LUV away from divorce! at least i don't have to worry about her taking them

If you check out a posting from May or June called 'The right AT for my 1.8L' you'll see that I was in a horrible accident in May. I broke ten bones including my neck. That said, I'm walking with a cane now and have my plate full playing catchup on my life. I'm an anatomy teacher and a myotherapist by trade and have ample backlogs of work to keep me busy. My bank account is also at a twenty year low. My best guess is that I can start the fiberglassing next Sunday. I'll wrap the dash in Saran wrap and go for it. I'll make a front mold and a back mold and trim them to fit using a cutting wheel on my dremel tool. This should make a decent mold. You could just tape them together with masking tape and inject through some holes drilled in the glass. I also wondered about the vinyl covering myself. Mine looks heat-fitted. I figure there is probably an upholstery shop somewhere that can do that kind of work. I used to subscribe to Lowrider Magazine and I've seen some custom speaker mounts that were homemade and vinyled with heat. Lowrider is an amazing magazine for custom how-to's. When I get started with the glassing project I'll shoot some photos and post them here. No guarentees but I'm hoping for next Sunday.

Khy in Austin

Here's the link to the accident: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17165&p=131142#p131142

the vinyl is vacuum formed heat shrinked , my overhead consol on my truck i was going to have done till the 2 places i found that would do it told me just to vacuum form the vinyl over my good console would be $300....my idea was to make the inside mold , out side mold, ill build a vacuum forming machine and then cover the fiberglass dash in vinyl and have foam filled underneath like the original for vibration purposes... the original is only foam and vinyl, the ausi is foam fiberglass and vinyl but the fiberglass is in the middle of the foam so it still gives a some what of an original feel... they had the mold for sale at one time but pulled them and they are no longer for sale …any way sounds like there may be about 3 or 4 different dashes made soon , i know i am about a month or two at least till i can get to mine to work on it… if this sounds jumbled sorry very tired but cant sleep been up over 72 hrs

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My old but now gone Luv...

Khyvich, looks like I forgot a couple of very important statements....

From following your accident, first and foremost, I'm thankful you are even around to share this dash and this idea. It somehow seems 'cosmically correct' to me, that you are the one to have picked it up. Secondly, even with life 'in the way', you've remained in the hobby and are making an effort to help make dashes available. Personally, I think that says a lot about the guy on the other end of the keyboard.

In life, there are things that are a lot more important than a dash for a Luv. I hope I didn't offend you in any way, or sound presumptious.

Glad you're still with us, hobbywise and otherwise....

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison