I'm swapping out my heater/radio control panel for one with the nice fake wood (it's an '83). I need to make the radio hole bigger, and also the heater control set up is different, so I need to cut that part out so that I can use my heater controls. I basically just want to cut out a couple rectangular holes from the cover and I want it to look nice & clean. What would you use? Just a real fine-tooth saw or is there maybe something better?

 

Maybe a dremel?

 

If you know someone who has access to one of these machines it would do a great job.
http://www.ulsinc.com/versalaser/english/

 

I think Island yota has the cleanest stereo install i've seen yet. I used a utility knife and a welder for mine but it is not that clean of an install. Get island to post up his

 

why not use a utility knife, or a scalpel?

 

Something that "rotates" or "moves" will burn the plastic dash coating instead of cutting it. Use a very sharp utility knife and go slow.

 

Alright, thanks everyone. I'll see if Islandyota posts, but I'm sure the utility knife or a little saw could do the trick if I'm real careful.

 

i would put on a bridgeport milling machine i run a machine shop in mass if you need help let me know

 

Ok, thanks. I think if I knew someone with access to that equipment I'd go that way, but I'm not going to go through too much trouble. I'm doing it myself at home, just want it to look fairly nice, not like someone took a chisel to it like my original dash.

While we're on it......the donor truck was an '82 (I was told), but I really don't think this dash could be an '82. It's got the smaller tachometer right in the middle, gas & temp guage with the idiot lights on the left, and speedometer on the right with an odometer than doesn't go up to 100,000. Sound familiar? What year range didn't have the full 6-digit odometer and had the smaller tach?

 

Cutting plastic cleanly can be harder than cutting steel sometimes. Some things I've used for fine work are hand files of various coarseness, box knife, dremel tools with the cutoff wheels meant for metal, sharp chisel, carbide rotory bits meant for steel. Some of these will leave a feathery edge but you can clean that up with a box knife or file. Like anything the slower you go the better it will look. Sometimes I use drill bits to do the corners, if I want a clean radius. If so you need to do them first.









For big cuts and real course work I've used a skill saw but you risk breaking the piece if you go too fast or get crooked.

 

Ok, great. I'm starting to think a drill with a small bit all around the area I'm going to cut, then a utility knife (kind of like connect the dots), then filing to clean it up. Eh?

 

Where in MA?

 

Used a dremel with a cut off disc. At first I drilled a bunch of holes and then cut it out, but then I didn't really get why, so I just cut the rest with the dremel & no drilling. It worked pretty good. It does melt the plastic, but as long as I was carefully it wasn't bad, and it doesn't bubble up or anything, just melts what it's cutting out. I think after I get it filed down a bit, it'll look pretty good. Not professional...but pretty good.

 

If you drill the corners (what Mt.Goat was referring to) it makes the corners nice & straight, when you cut with a dremmel & a cut off wheel you have to sort of "over cut" to get all the way into the corner. Oh & as many people said; the dremmel will melt the plastic every time.

 

Yeah, unfortunately I've got some of that over cut. I should have practiced on my old dash, I definitely know how I'd do it better now, but it really doesn't look bad after some filing & cleanup.