by Marshall
Spiegel
Reprinted with permission from Dealer's Sport Trucks
To order your
carbon fiber dash kit contact: Dealer's Sport Truck, Dept. ST, 3938
Cerritos Blvd., Los Alamitos, California, 90720. (562)936-1230.
Follow
along as we present the step-by-step installation of carbon-fiber
dash kit.
Installing
a peel-and-stick dash kit is essentially a matter of
cleaning the surfaces to which the dash components will be
mounted, peeling off the protective cover from the adhesive,
and very carefully mounting the trim pieces. It sounds easy,
but it requires a good eye to do the job right.
If you're
involved in the professional restyling trade, however, you
probably already have the patience and skills necessary to
install aftermarket dash kits. They make a great addition
to any customizer's product line.
To show
you what's involved in a typical installation, we visited
Dealer's Sport Truck & Automotive, Los Alamitos, Calif.,
a do-every-thing kind of stylizing/customizing shop. We watched
as Simon Purvis, an absolute master at the task, dressed the
gray dash of a black '96 GMC pickup with a carbon fiber dash
kit from Trim Master, Inc., Ontario, Calif.
Two things
impressed us: how well the components of the 12 piece kit
fit the GMC and how much patience Purvis displayed during
the install. The whole job was completed in an hour or so.
Here's how it went.
1.
Our installer, Simon Purvis, begins by checking the kit components
to make sure they are all there and that they shipped without
damage.
2.
The dash of the '96 GMC pickup is thoroughly cleaned with solvent.
3.
Here are the dash kit pieces to be mounted.
4.
Purvis removes the housing on the main instrument panel of the
dash.
5.
Next he removes the gauge cluster.
6.
Making certain that he didn't leave any fingerprints on the
surface, Purvis removes the glass cover from the instrument
panel.
7.
The protective cover is carefully peeled off the dash kit section
designed to surround the gauges.
8.
Purvis displays incredible patience and steady hand as he lines
up the gauge cluster and carbon-fiber kit section.
9.
A section of carbon fiber is applied to the surround that fits
over the instrument cluster
10.
Purvis uses a heat gun to bond the kit component to the dash.
11.
Next he positions a very narrow section on the cluster surround.
12.
The backing is carefully removed and the carbon-fiber strips
are pressed into place.
13.
The gauge cluster and surround are reinstalled into the dash.
14.
The cup holder pieces and accent strip are applied.
15.
Here's the finished installation, which gives the whole interior
a real dash of class.
