Thank you!!! Glad you're enjoying!!

I totally appreciate this looks messy and archaic. It is! While I'm building these molds so they would be stout enough for reuse, they are still done with less attention to detail than normal as the final parts will be covered with leather so hyper clean molds is trumped here by get'n it done. Parts will be stout and clean.

More pics of the molding process. More flanges and gelcoat below. For sure brushing gelcoat, instead of spraying, is less than ideal. Again, still good just not the exact proper process.

All three of these will be 3-4 piece molds.

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Fiberglass mat doesn't like to fold 90 degrees without leaving air pockets. You can use fiberglass cloth in those cases but another path that I like is using "chop strand". Basically just chopped up glass in various lengths, in this case I'm using 1/8". When I make the actual parts, these 90's will also be a problem and I will use an even finer version which is basically fiberglass powder.
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You just mix it with catalyzed resin, ending up with a wet paste and then brush it into the corners. Quickly and rough, no science.
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Then lay mat on top of that and squeegee out the air bubbles with a brush and a roller. This will force the paste into the corners and small areas. You can see it here, sorta darker. But note how the mat is very flowing and there aren't hard bends. This will be very solid with no air pockets.
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Began cutting the dash insert for the gauges and switches.
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Molds done. On the second pic, you can see where I got the gelcoat to thin on the flange of the center piece. No big deal, won't even fix it as it's on the flange of these one time use molds! The rest is good enough for these parts.
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I know it seems like a lot of work for molds that will only be used once and for sure these molds are a long way from being perfect but they are straight, flat and stiff. They will make great parts. More to come in the next few days.
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Gelcoat sprayed in molds.
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Parts laminated and fresh out of the molds. A bit of clean up needed but the parts came out as planned.
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Nice work as always, John!

Thanks Trey!!

Parts mostly cleaned up and ready for the interior shop to cover with leather. Still not sure what I will cover the metal center with, time will tell.

Mounted the AC controls, other switches coming soon.
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Great job as usual.

GPS/Track mounted.
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Switches mounted, 3D printer ordered, cover for switches coming soon. These are from Iron Works in Bakersfield CA. I did modify them a bit to prepare for the cover I will print, trying to keep it tight so the maximum amount of the handle portion of the switch is exposed. Just the handle will poke through, not the entire switch, so I had to machine the switch down a bit. Started with a mill but it was risky to clamp so built a jig and went old fashion with a bandsaw.
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Hope everyone is doing well!
Final sand on the dash before prep'n for the mold.
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Embracing the chaos and messiness of making the flanges for the mold. Looking like this mold will be somewhere around 20 sections. Rattle can black appliance epoxy to seal up the bondo and primer.
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Rough and quick is the only way to describe this process right now. Hot glue, scrap wood are your friends to hold down the sign makers plastic!
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I so dig this thread.

Release agent, Partall, brushed on (no pic), let dry...couple hours, 2 coats. Then white gelcoat, also brushed on. Lots of differing thoughts on how long to let it dry before glassing. Most will only let it dry a couple hours so it's still tacky for the best bond, I subscribe here as well. However, if the gelcoat isn't thick enough, the resin will eat it and you end up with alligators that need to be repaired later. I've done multiple funny car bodies with the gelcoat curing overnight and never had a delamination. Controlling thickness with this shortcut of brushing on the gelcoat is near impossible so letting it cure for 8 hours solves that risk, probably doesn't bond as well but since these molds aren't for commercial use, all good.
Why brush instead of spray? Less cleanup, faster but for sure will introduce small air bubbles. If this was a mold for a body panel or something that we wanted perfect gelcoat, spraying is the only way to go. I will spray the gelcoat for the actual parts, like in previous pics.
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Those little bumps are just sticky back cabinet bumpers, they create alignment pins so the mold sections go back perfectly. Yep, brushing gelcoat upside down is a mess and isn't perfectly flat but for a mold that will likely make one part or even 20 parts, absolutely fine.
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Done in multiple sections so it will come apart later, if it was done in one or even 2 sections, given the angles of the part, the mold could get trapped and it wouldn't release. This is the first 2 sections.
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The dash is looking fantastic. I can’t wait to see it complete and possibly steal some of your ideas.


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It is looking Amazing! The amount of time and effort going into just the dash and center console is mind blowing! It will be a rolling work of art when you’re done!

If you get bored working on your car you're more then welcome to come help me with my interior.

Appreciate any advice here.
The original plan was to drive the dry-sump pump from a pulley behind the crankshaft pulley. However, a 4 stage pump will not fit here with a DSE subframe...without significant modification to the crossmember, engine mounts and the exhaust. Significant is an understatement.

Aviaid has suggested this drive pulley which would mount on the front of the crankshaft pulley which would pull the pump forward. It doesn't completely solve the problem but makes the modification manageable. It will require that I build a custom mount for the pump but it seems doable.

The fear with some I've spoken to is the torque on the crank, bearings and the pulley with this hanging off the front.

Though some think it's no problem.

DSE doesn't know of anyone running an LS7 with an external dry sump pump with their subframe.

Appreciate opinions and any advice.

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While it does stick out a good bit, remember there is no tension on a dry sump belt. The drive mandrel and spacers are aluminum, so don't weigh much, and small in diameter, so not much centrifugal force. Unless your spinning it 10,000 RPM, I wouldn't be too concerned. I'd probably be more concerned with belt protection on a street driver. Not sure if you have a belly pan under the nose/engine? if so, I'd still want some protection from top in case the serpentine belt cam off, or broke, so that it wouldn't knock the dry sump belt off. Maybe that's overkill, but I put a shroud on mine. Very least, set up an oil pressure safety that kills the engine, in the ecu.

I'll send you the address lol

Mold is done, giving it a full week to cure before busting it out. Finally! 19 section mold. That was tedious.
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The hours of labor in this project is unbelievable. Are you keeping track of them or is it something you really don’t want to know? Lol
You truly have an impressive one of a kind car. Keep up the great work because we are all dying to see this one completed.

That will not be a problem at all. Think about the guys running the 6-71 and 8-71 blowers with the pulley mounted to the balancer. I’m sure the tension on that belt is nowhere near what’s needed for the blowers.

Everything looks amazing! You have mad skills! 🤙🏼

Mold done, demo'd the plug. Some cleanup on the mold before making the actual part.
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See you at Sema


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Gelcoat on the mold.
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Demolding the dash, pretty fun actually.
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Demolded and washed off most of the PVA mold release. Ready for cleaning up the flanges and then fitting in the car.
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Watching the process on this drove my OCD crazy. It's just such a mess, but out pops this badass piece and I'm amazed. :lol:

That is actually what I was thinking.


What is worse is I am building a 2nd gen and now I kind of want one these dashboards.

Here's some more of the ugly'. Pulling the kick panels off the reverse mold. Lots of clean up and making the flanges/mounting brackets to come.
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Hand grabs anchored. Mounting brackets welded to the cage, will modify the A pillar cover to give a bit more room for your knuckles, after the dash and kick panels are completely anchored. These make it easier for these old bones to climb over the mini door bars.
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Making progress on the brackets for the dry sump pump. Plastic prototype for now, more to come once I have the actual pump not a mockup. Will definitely need to modify the K-member for oil fitting/line clearance but just a small amount.

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Well, I didn’t want grab handles till I saw this post.


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Fit, cut, test, fit, cut, test.....
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Nice! Definitely will be worth it.