Hi guys,

What would be a good material for a dash kit other than the existing carbon fiber, wood, and OEM factory plastic ones?

 

It's really up to your creativity and resourcefulness.

The stock dash is plastic. You can take the stock parts and use them as templates for any medium but you need durability that stands up to heat, moisture, ultraviolet light, and wear and tear. Also the airbag is on the passenger's side of the dash so that piece is a little more complicated to work with.

I had my stock parts airbrush painted which is one solution. It's good because you can choose any design and the paint sticks well EXCEPT for alloy patina which I have been told doesn't do well with the stock OEM paints. The surface is treated somehow and the paint doesn't stick well.

I also had a woodcraft person look into vacuforming me a laminate real wood dash using my stock pieces but at $40 an hour for labor it was going to add up. I don't know how durable the laminated would be or how it would stand up to discoloration.

The stock pieces can also be covered with any material whether fabric, leather, or composite material. You can make it 3D with a texture as long as you can get it to stick to the dash pieces.

If you know a machinist or metal worker you can form pieces out of metal and you can plate it.

How about see through clear? Or even tinted on clear pieces.

How about mounting little lights behind the dash pieces for a sparkling effect?

How about taking the 5 pieces to a sculptor artist and making one long animal or theme spread out and in parts made of some light material that can be done in relief with some depth to it then painted. Dash art so to speak.

 

moss carries a full dash kit that's chrome! wnat some bling.. they'd have it

 

I always thought an "engine turned" metal dash would look awesome in a MINI.