Redoing Dash Board

I'm new to the forums, but i pulled the dash board out of my 81 camaro z28 and i'm gonna try to build a whole new one. My question is what kind of metal (guage and type, as in steel, stainless, aluminum, etc) would be the best to use and if anyone has any suggestions on a good place to buy some in So. Cal?

Look in the phone book for steel. I suggest 18 or 19 gage.

Have you considered using fiberglass? As you know your stock dash is all plastic anyway. 'Glass is easier to work with, bucks can be made out of foam or thin plywood and shaping is easy if you stretch t-shirt material over the buck and slather it with resin. This willl give you a good base to build up a few layers of cloth for strength. Just an idea.
Do a search. There are a ton of audio sites (probably here also) that document building consoles or dashes.
Mark