Cutting old plastic

[Fred Garfield 22310]

Sounds good, denise!

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=24&PHPSESSID=20060330145800139593909 TARGET=_blank>http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=24&PHPSESSID=20060330145800139593909

Tap has mirrored clear and mirrored pattern acrylic sheets. I kinda like the carbonized look, myself.

[Fred Garfield 22310]

Just noticed that they have sample sheets they will send you, very inexpensively.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=378& TARGET=_blank>http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=378&

[Rhino 21150]

Ive thought of putting a Nixie clock in the La Salle. The technology to do it existed in 1938 but would have been too "far out" for GM. Plus the all tube version would cost a fortune and get quite hot. I would update the design and lie about its feasibility in 1938. The clock face would go dark with the engine off, like new cars. That would save about a three amp draw!
I put an all digital dash in a 66 Popstang back in 73. Leds were still ghastly costly. I included a metric/english switch. I wonder if the car and owner still like each other. It was all quite simple and today would be a breeze. I would have to hunt around for the simplest components.
If I were to do an all electronic dash today it would be a flat screen touch panel. Modify a laptop and write too darn much code. I would want a button that switched from digital output to simulated analog. Change colors, fonts, positions and use the cars CD player to provide memory backup. Zowie!
For the ultimate digital clock I built one with seven segment readouts. Each segment was a 40W fluorescent tube. Thats an eight foot tall display. Visible at one mile. I have no idea if the buyer ever installed it.

[denise 20352]

  That would have been simpler, because putting on window tint is a pain, when you have a dog and live in Arizona.  By the time I could put the film on, there would already be a dog hair or piece of dust in it.  After four tries, though, I was reasonably happy with it.

  Here are some pictures, with the first two gauges installed.  You can see that its going to look MUCH better than my last attempt.  It looks like a smoke tint panel in this picture, but when I am done sealing it so that light cant get behind it, it will be a mirror.

http://www.americansoapbox.org/chrysler/display2.jpg TARGET=_blank>http://www.americansoapbox.org/chrysler/display2.jpg

http://www.americansoapbox.org/chrysler/display1.jpg TARGET=_blank>http://www.americansoapbox.org/chrysler/display1.jpg

-denise

[denise]

  I wish I had that kind of electronics knowledge.  I was proud of myself for just designing a little transistor circuit.

  I have an old laptop with a small screen that I have thought about making into an automotive display, with a GPS, performance data and some warning lights, but Ill never get around to it.

  Are there laptops that have touch screens already, or would that be a custom job?

-d

[Fred Garfield 22310]

Yep. Google will cough up loads of them.