Dash Console for Gauge Panel
On the Miura, the center dash console housing the small gauges flows downward to seamlessly connect with the center console. As such, I need to make sure I keep this in mind and design in a way to interconnect the two while fabricating the dash console. My idea is to used rounded edges on the dash console that can be matched up with aluminum tubing to carry the rounded edge shape through a decently tight curve to the center console (see pictures in
Post #240 for shape I’m trying to replicate).
To get the rounded edges on the dash console sides and top, I hammer formed .050 3003 Al over a ½” round tube using a rubber hammer. Once the sheet formed 180 degrees over the tube, I then clamped the works under a metal bar and bent a flange out 90 degrees to serve as dash panel mount.
View attachment 133621
Using cardboard to make a template, I was able to determine a good panel outline and mounting flanges for the side panels.
View attachment 133619
The top panel has curved edges on the sides to then mate up with side panels. A 1 ½” round tube was used to hammer form these edges.
View attachment 133620
All is good so far, but now for the hard part. There are 3 radiused edges now converging at each top corner that need to blend together. Given this is all happening in a very small area, this makes for a real metal shaping challenge. I could make a couple of wooden hammer forms and whack some aluminum into the desired shape but that feels more time consuming than I’d like. I decided that making these pieces without a hammer form was easier tackled in multiple pieces but welding on too small pieces usually turns into melted aluminum on the floor. So I did it in 2 pieces and still ended up melting a couple of them into waste while attempting tack welds. Here’s one of the pieces successfully welded to the top.
View attachment 133622
The second piece was formed and welded to side panel and then carefully hammered and trimmed to blend with the other while the side and top panels were clekoed together. Once a good fit and shape was achieved, the corners were welded up and then welds filed for final shape.
View attachment 133623
I decided to use counter sunk rivets to join the top and side panels to avoid panel warpage that is hard to avoid when welding flat thin aluminum surfaces together. Rivnuts were added to the mounting flanges to complete the console.
View attachment 133624
View attachment 133625
I plan to finish the gauge panel in wrinkle powder coat and the dash console will get upholstered in leather but those finishes will wait till much later in the project.