[CuJoTim]

I maybe "new" to you guys but I'm not new to the boards. (I been on and off reading stuff for a while now)

But, hi... I am Tim. I own a 02' Black, I4, MTX cougar. Owned it for 2 years now, 12000 miles.

I just want to know about these dash kit's offered at customcougars.com. They are the only ones that I know of that offer the C/F dash kit. This is something I am interested in buying. However I want to know about the following.

1. How well built is the kit. Fit's? Does it stick out far?

2. Adhesive's. I'm not worried about it staying stuck ( I'm an Aircraft Mech. So I got some things that will keep it stuck for life) but I read the some people had problems with it peeling in a 1-2 year period of time. How true is this?

3. Availability of other "better" quality kit's. Or maybe some links to places that will custom make actual pieces. With use of the part you want made.

4. Any links to how-too's and better kit's or even places that will make you a custom kit etc would be appreciated.
Now this brings up another issue in terms of dash kit's. Painting your dash.

1. Any how-too's? that have been followed and worked out good?

2. Types of paints etc. Is it thick paint, too thick that it won't atomize through a paint gun?

3. Durability. My cat is also my daily driver. Will I constantly have to retouch the paint?

4. Any links to how-too's and paint brand etc would be appreciated.

I am pretty much 50/50 on the subject. I know paint is the better path to take, but with me fixing to buy a c/f hood it seems only right to buy the accent dash kit in c/f form.

I know this subject has been discussed many times over. And I apologize for bringing it up again. But it's something I need to know in the above format. To help me get started. I don't have one mod done except for my air freshner. I really wanted to give up the cougar and buy a sti or maybe something from Japan like a silvia or gtr. But I won't be going there until july. So my venture into cougar customizing has began. Thanks for all your help.

 

[coyotefreek]

you've had a cougar for 2 years and never had a question till now? I had questions day one of owning my cougar.

Dash kits are available everywhere, Custom cougars is just one maker, there are dozens that make Cougar kits in Carbon Fiber. Do an Google search and you can find a lot.

Exotic Wood Dash makes a kit for the cougar which I have seen on a few cars. Notably MrFrooge's Cougar with the carbon fiber interior. see pics below

I haven't heard many problems with kits pealing off over time, if you use good adhesive it wont peal. Worst case you clean it and stick it back on.

All Kits stick out the same, it looks like something you stick on. I have never seen a kit that looks better than another. Main differences between kits is the shapes of pieces and how many they give you. Some kits have rounded edges others are more square, look at their diagrams to see how they compare. Many kits for the cougar are around 16 pieces, some more some less. With any kit they will give you pieces you will find you wont use, it is not uncommon for people to only use half a kit. Some kits also come with accent panels which are the large pieces that stick onto the door, usually its an option at an additional cost.

Painting: This is probably the perfered method for that custom look. It doesn't look like a stick on, and its cheaper. There are how to's for these, do a search. Many people who have painted their dash pieces will give you advice. I have not painted mine yet but from what many people have said to do this is a good process: 1. sand down pieces and clean thoroughly 2. Primer 3. Sand primer with a fine grit 4. Paint color 5. Clear Coat. There are many ways to do this, the longer you take and the more time you put into it, the less likely anything will strip or discolor. Make sure to use a premium paint, nothing at wall mart. With paint, the more u spend the higher quality of product, most often. If you do a good job and do tons of research before you do the painting, you shouldn't have problems with durability.

With paint you can do some things you cant with kits, such as matching a color or doing something glitery like the blue/purple pic at the bottom. One other option you have with painting is like with the red kit undernieth the purple one, notice all the detail painting on the stering wheel buttons and in the pic below that the upper consle. In the red pic you can also see how the dash is painted to match the rest. Basicly with paint you can do a whole scheem and paint eveything as you wish, the carbon fiber kit just is to dress up the insides.

I hope this was of help to you, as I haven't done either and have looked into both possibilities these were my findings.

MrFroge's Carbon Fiber Dash kit

Blue/Purple Glitter, u can find different colors. btw this is JennaJ's Cougar

ND4SPD's Red Painted Interior

prowlnkitty's Red interior, notice how the dash is painted

 

[PeDL2DaMeDL]

You could call up james at custom cougars and ask him directly, he'd have a better answer than more everyone on here. He's the one who sells them. I just painted my dash, it came out good but sometimes it's hard to match the outside of your car obviously due to fading and its just HARD sometimes to find an exact match especially if you live in a remote area of Maine (me)

 

[Keliente]

Painting looks a lot slicker. There are lots of how to's floating around on the board, just search. If you do it right the first time you won't have to retouch

 

[ND4SPD]

indeed

Infact the paint on my dash is now almost 2 years old, its only since i started really abusing it this year (lots of trips, loading / unloading stuff) that its starting to chip in a few places. but everything is going to be repainted in a few months anyway.

Yes - go for paint if you have the time, the finished product is well worth it

 

[CougarSVT]

I found a real c/f dash kit on e-bay it was easy to install. Plus if I decide to paint all i have to do is rip it out, sand it down and start painting. But thats what I'd do.

 

[GrandMasterKhan]

ebay kits are much less expensive than the cc.com ones.

Yeah all you have to do is remove te stickers, strip the stickyness. (make sure its 100% clean or the solvents in the glue may make the paint bubble or fisheye...Especially true with dash cleaners such as ArmorAll

 

[cougarbass99]

the only problem i have with my painted dash after 2 years is that it got faded because of my car being out in the sun all day and i didnt have a sun visor in my windshield to block the sun. im going to re-do it here pretty soon and i will definitly be investing in a sun shield.

 

[CuJoTim]

I think I will just buy a C/F kit either from customcougars or Ebay. My peeve is the "real" c/f factor. I want it to be real c/f not look alikes. It's just something about me. If I mod something it has to be the real deal and not fake stuff. (no offense to those who have fake dash kits)

Thanks for your opinions, I think c/f it now, paint it later.

 

[OJE]

I have the carbon fiber dash kit from cc.com. Its a nice kit but i wouldnt suggest doing it because paint will look much better. As far as peeling ive only had one vent piece start to peel off but other then that everything else has stuck fine. The pieces themselves are nice and its a nice kit but overall i think it looks cheap once installed. Its obvious thats its a carbon fiber overlay and its not an actual cf dash piece. From pics ive seen i like the painted dashs better then the ones ive seen with dash kits.

 

[dirtracer]

yeah go with paint. hey i was wondering for when you paint the thing above the gauges, can you armor all it or something to keep it looking great?

 

[starshower]

there is some other post somewhere about this. in any case, iirc, what is suggested for painted parts is wax or quick detailer? some one back me up on this...
armour all is poop in most people's opinion. can do nasty things to your dash over time, like make it brown and crack as it clogs the pores in the vinyl. when that happens, it can't breathe and your dash goes to sh*t

 

[starshower]

***:biggrin: I FOUND IT!! Go check out the thread in the Gen Info section entitled "Quick Question" - this is totally about cleaning painted dashes

 

[eikon]

If you do a search on the internet, you will find that a lot of listings take you to the same sites, even when the listings have different company names.

To help lighten up my dark dash area, I opted for a paintable ABS dash kit and some in-place painting. I know it is expensive, but my Cougar is my sole transportation, and can not afford to have it torn apart to paint the dash properly. Am painting some of the existing dash parts silver, to match the existing dials, then adding some the dash kit, painted to match the body color (Light Parchment Gold), with a matt finish.

Right now I need wait for warmer weather to proceed!