I thought I'd throw this out as I know some of you have played around with this sort of thing so I'm hoping to tap into your experiences. Although I'm quite happy to drive around without a gearbox tunnel cover I suspect passengers and men in nipple hats may not look upon it too kindly, so I've got to make one and after painting the floorpan seems an ideal time... I'm going through my options and I'm wondering which would be the best. It'll still be removable with access holes for speedo cable and oil. The bulkhead is pre-'62 Herald, so not Vitesse shaped, needs to be longer and the gear stick is in a different place as is the handbrake and seats which could have a bearing on things.
- pro - already the correct shape for the bulkhead, already has a hole in it, would simply need cutting and extending with fibreglass, cheapest option
- con - tatty, impregnated in oil, already 50+ years old (probably), weak, may need a tweak where it finishes/handbrake/seats, might end up falling apart and a load of poop
- pro - already the correct shape for the bulkhead, already has a hole in it, would simply need cutting and extending with fibreglass, strong
- con - not cheap (£45 +extra money for parts and delivery), may need a tweak where it finishes/handbrake/seats
- pro - strong, can be welded to the body tub if I choose, cheap (£30ish worth of metal, probably), can be any shape I choose
- con - will take a lot of time and patience, will require insulation to stop noise
- pro - quick, easy, can be any shape I want, similar cost to steel, effectively pre-insulated by the wood, sounds like a laugh to make, strong
- con - messy, potential fire hazard but I'm not so sure as if it were then my plastic bag of lambs wool I had before would have caught fire?
- pro - light, can be any shape I want
- con - messy, more awkward than using the plywood if I use duct tape as a buck or summit and if I make it plywood form to base it on why not leave it there
Thoughts? I do like the idea of making one out of plywood then lashings of fibreglass over the top, but I've not seen that done before and there must be a reason.
