This qualifies as fabrication, though I didn't actually make it myself. My gears and lockers were installed way more than a year ago by Tucson Differential. They ended up installing the switches in the existing plastic dash panel to the left of the steering column. This was done by cutting holes in the panel for the switches. It was immediately obvious that this would never last as the plastic is too thin. And indeed the panel did eventually crack.

I went back a few weeks ago asking if they could recommend anyone to make a custom plate. All I wanted was a recommendation, but they offered to draw something up and have it made. The original plan was to make something out of aluminum billet. That would probably be better, but the machine shops they work with didn't have quite the right capability or time.

So what they did instead was to make a sheet metal panel to cover the existing plastic panel and then cut square holes in it to fit the switches. I'm not claiming this is the best solution but it's a heck of a lot better than a broken plastic panel.

This is a picture from the front before installation, with a plastic film covering the front. The panel looks to be brushed aluminum, with a thickness of maybe 0.06 inch, which would be 16 gauge.



This is a picture from the back before installation. You can see the broken plastic panel section in the middle.



Finally here is the installed panel.



It required some last minute grinding with a pneumatic angle grinder to get it to fit. If I wanted to make it pretty I would sand the rough edges and maybe even paint it to match the dash. Don't envision being bored enough to do that anytime soon, though.

A better solution would have been to, say, scan the original part with some sort of coordinate measuring machine. Import that to a CAD program, model up a new custom part, and send that to a shop for fabrication. But this is a big improvement over what I had. And the price was right, they didn't charge me a nickel. So I am very grateful to Tucson Diff for fixing my switch panel!

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2003 Liberty, ARB bumper w fogs and KC SlimLites
Front Franky II HD, rear OME948 w Rancho RS9000/XL shocks
LT245/75R16C Duratracs on Moabs
4.10 gears, front & rear ARB lockers, Boulder Bars, AFE Stage 2 intake
Surco rack w BajaRack jerry can holder
Cobra 75 WX ST

06 LJ Rubi, 3.5" RE SA and 33" BFG KM2s, GenRight tank

nice solution, and it looks pretty good. I'd leave it bare.

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2005 CRD "Ol' Blue"
Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.
My build page- RL Komodo Rear and TJM Front Bumper, armored, lifted, JBA Steel D30, 4.10s and ARB air lockers.