Dash Repair Process/Pictures

[WildmaN]

Wow, excellent work guys! This whole thread is a huge inspiration! I currently have a dash out of my wrecked '81 280zx. That will be the test, for this project. It is sitting outside, as I think of where to start. It looks like I have a lot of different options. I may attempt the Dupli-Color bed liner, since my dash will be black. I am going for an all black interior in my '82 280zx slicktop.

[SSuspect]

Hi all...

Well, I too am diving into this repair process head first.

I had a full dash cap, but decided to try this repair process instead.

Napa does not stock the bumper repair material any more. They have a few floating around the US, but I decided to go a different route.

I am using SEM Flexible Polyester Glaze. The SEM part number is 39482. http://semproducts.com/Catalog.asp?prod=122

It will be interesting to see how this stands up compared to the other materials detailed in this thread.

Process to date...
- Beveled all large cracks and filled with Great Stuff foam. Small cracks will be filled with finish material.
- Cut down the foam using a thin piece of diamond coated cutting wire - worked great and made flush, clean cuts! I happen to work for the company that makes this material.
- Applied first coat of SEM Polyester glaze. Filled and smoothed out well.
- Second coat applied. Smoothed out and feathered around the edges very well.

I have to apply the final filler coat this weekend and finish up the surface prep. There are still a few low spots that I need to finish up and the lines ofer the gauge arcuse are a PITA when you are out of practice doing body work!

Once this is done, I need to decide which "texture" I will go with. I am doing a COMPLETE interior color change to gray. I will be using the SEM color over the texture finish.

I hope to have this finished in 2 weeks or so. It all depends on how much time I have left after the spring "Honey-Do" lists are completed...

A couple of BAD cell phone pics attached. I have taken GOOD photos thrughout the process and will post them once the process is finished.

I LOVE these car forums!

Tim

[dhoneycutt]

Keep us posted and yes please post pictures. I have two dashes to do!!!

[7T1240]

- Cut down the foam using a thin piece of diamond coated cutting wire - worked great and made flush, clean cuts! I happen to work for the company that makes this material.
Tim

Tim, hello.
So I did a quick google search for "diamond cutting wire colorado springs", and came up with a number of listings for Diamond Wire Material Technologies. Is this your employer? Can you provide more info. on what you used specifically, and if it's available to the general public?
Thanks,
Gary S.

[SSuspect]

Tim, hello.
So I did a quick google search for "diamond cutting wire colorado springs", and came up with a number of listings for Diamond Wire Material Technologies. Is this your employer? Can you provide more info. on what you used specifically, and if it's available to the general public?
Thanks,
Gary S.

Hi Gary - Yep - That is me... (don't own it - just work there!) http://www.dmt-inc.com/

I just used a little bit of our scrapped material to do this. It slices through the foam "like buttah"... NOTE: It will cut through your skin the same way!

We do sell material to the public. However, it is usually done in volume orders for specific saws and cutting applications. The wire has 6 sizes ranging from 140 microns to 420 microns in thickness depending on the application.

If you are looking for some "official" uses for this material, I can link you up with the right folks.

If anybody is looking for this material, please shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to see if I can help.

Note - Somebody could also use a "wound" steel guitar string (maybe a "D" string) and get nearly the same result.

Thanks!
Tim

[Gary in NJ]

Note - Somebody could also use a "wound" steel guitar string (maybe a "D" string) and get nearly the same result.

Yeah but my Martins & Gibsons are not the best cutting tools.

[ChrisZ]

And i prefer a G-string

[SSuspect]

Yeah but my Martins & Gibsons are not the best cutting tools.

True, but some of the players can shred pretty good!

And i prefer a G-string

! Me too, but I prefer so see somebody else using one rather than me!

[SSuspect]

OK... Got to put some good time into the dash this weekend. Here are a couple of teasers. Coming along NICELY! But, it has been a "project" to say the least.

I will post a full writeup once it is done and back in the car (another week or two). Until then, here is a "work in progress" comparison. Initial ""before and after" pics.

The white color is a plastic primer. Using it to find highs and lows. Will be sanded off tomorrow night (I am on a mission now!). I still have a couple of small areas to finish (around center gauge and hazard switch). Should get these done this week. I would like to have the new texture finish applied by next weekend if I can.

Thanks,
Tim

[kenz240z]

Looking good, Tim. Did you use anything to reinforce the backside of the dash in the areas with the holes (center pod area in your pic)? I fiberglassed the backside of the dash I repaired where it was cracked completely through.

From your previous pics it looks like the polyester glazing putty works well for the repair. Keep the photos coming!

[SSuspect]

Looking good, Tim. Did you use anything to reinforce the backside of the dash in the areas with the holes (center pod area in your pic)? I fiberglassed the backside of the dash I repaired where it was cracked completely through.

From your previous pics it looks like the polyester glazing putty works well for the repair. Keep the photos coming!

Thanks Kenny. Great input!

Since the dash is still out, I should at least throw some resin and a couple of glass strips on the bottom side. I currently have Gorilla Tape under there. It sticks well, but is definitely temporary.

The polyester is working well and is easy to work with. Longevity? We'll have to wait and see.

The attached pictures are of the white plastic primer after it was just sprayed and still wet (will be sanded off). But you get the idea. Again, bad cell phone pics, but it is coming out nicely. The "body work" up top is complete. Still need to address a few other issues with the dash before I finish it.

MY GARAGE (AND EVERYTHING IN IT) IS COVERED WITH SANDING DUST (look at the Z in the background!)! It will take a good weekend to clean all of this stuff up!

Thanks again!
Tim

[esmit208]

Well here are a few pics of my repair. I actually did two dashes however I haven't put the final coat on the second one. I used metal screws and cut the head off them and then carfeully worked them in. It gave the foam something to attach itself to, or that's the train of thought anyway. NOTE to all who attempt...BE PATIENT! Not difficult

[SSuspect]

Well... I went ahead and pulled the harness and everything out of the dash. Tried to avoid it, but I can't help but to dig deeper and get everything done at the same time rather than to re-do it later...

The dash is ready for final finish and final color. All "body/finish" work is done!

I painted (almost) all metal surfaces with flat black rust encapsulant. This stuff is thick and does not lay out smoothly, but it is a great coating! It is behind the dash and will not be visible anyway. I will paint the last areas when the dash is installed and all grounds are in place. I also applied 2 layers of fiberglass to the underside of the gauge area. I hope this helps with future cracking issues (thanks for the tip Kenny!). I also need to paint the area on top of the dash where the air vents come through, but will wait to do this after the rest is finished.

Regardless, I will most likely end up with a carpeted "Dashmat" to help keep the dash safer in the future. Too much work into this to let it get messed up!

I am hoping to have the dash finished (final color in place and all gauges installed) and back into the car in about 2 weeks.

I will post an update when there is something worth posting.

Thanks,
Tim

[mickey_bigdaddy]

Guys, I've been following this thread for a while. I'm going to be doing this repair soon. Must admit, this is probably THE best thread I've found. I've always hated the fact that I was going to have to use a dash cover since I didn't want to pay the crazy dash restore prices. This fix is something I can do and live with. NICE JOB!!!!

[SSuspect]

Finally got some time to kick this into gear! I just finished the color coat about 2 hours ago.

Yes - I know that it is not black. Yes, I know that this is not traditional. But, I am not restoring the car to OE anyway. The entire interior is changing to gray. I like "different".

Finished up the bodywork and sprayed it with the SEM texture coating. It went on fairly dry and had some high spots. I knocked it all down with 400 and then applied 3 coats of SEM "Presidio Gray" Flexible Color Coat.

I am VERY happy with the results! There is some minor variation in the finish in different areas, but it is not something 98% of the people would notice.

Speedhut speedometer and tach will be here next week.

I will post more as it goes into the car.

Thanks,
Tim

One "before" and several "after" shots.

[SSuspect]

Quick update...

Speedhut gauges are installed. Wiring harnesses are in place, but I need to adapt all of the new gauges and sending units. Then I need to install of the air ducts. I am hoping to have the dash back in the car within the next 2 weeks...


I know that a lot of folks here are not crazy about the interior color change and gauge changes, but it is coming out VERY nice. Can't wait to get everything put back into the car. I do these things for me and really do not follow the crowds too much...

Tim

[Gary in NJ]

I know that a lot of folks here are not crazy about the interior color change and gauge changes, but it is coming out VERY nice.

Indeed it is Tim. It's your car, make sure that YOU are happy with it. Who gives a frack what others think.

[kenz240z]

Hi Tim, the dash is looking great. How did you mount the Speedhut gauges? Did you retain the stock clear plastic lenses? I have a set of Speedhut gauges I need to install in the dash of my V8 Z project.

[SSuspect]

Thanks guys. I definitely don't worry too much about what others think. It is all about me!

Kenny - I have "almost" all of the pics to do a full writeup. Got impatient toward the end and did not take the final pics. I only missed the part where I mount the metal gauge cups back to the rear of the plastic cups. I can talk you through it.

I am only using the Speedhut speedo and tach. I am not using the stock plastic lens. I did not like the look and had issues fitting everything. I am sure that it can be done and keep the lenses.

I will take more pics of the rear of the dash and wiring harness later this week.

Cliff notes...
- White 4" plastic caps from plumbing section at Home Depot. For sprinkler line - not regular ABS.
- Cut out solid part of cap to gauge diameter and cut cup to gauge depth
- Install Speedhut lock TIGHTLY ring into trimmed white cap (Note - ring is tapered - install THIN SIDE IN)
- Screw gauge into cap and tighten - mark top center for alignment in gauge cup
- Place into gauge cup and align as needed - hold with tape
- Mark points on plastic cap that align with the metal tabs on the metal gauge backing cup. These areas will need to be ground down in order to clear tabs
- Unscrew gauge and paint plastic cap black (keep paint out lock ring of threads)
- Install gauge back into painted cap
- Install into plastic gauge cup
- Install metal backing cup and tighten small factory screws
- Install into dash

See attached pics. Definitely trial and error, but they came out nice and they are solid! I will add more later or will start an entire install thread.

Thanks Tim

[manuel59]

I am glad that i found this site. I will be repairing my own dash now. It cost 2500.00 for a new dash and no way that i want to pay that much for it. I have a 79 280zx and will keep it till my son takes it from my cold dead hands.

[boostedH23a1]

I am redoing mine and i cant get an even texture with the sem, i have sanded it down about 5 times now. i think im going to have to use bedliner or something else, my fingers hurt.

[PhilbertZ]

This thread is awesome - I found it years ago and finally got around to doing my 1980 ZX dash. I used the same SEM products mentioned in the original page of this thread and they've worked great. I ended up doing the textture coat twice though, and NOT knocking it down - knocking it down showed too many blemishes and, hey, it's different now

Tracking down some replacement center gauge bezels right now, as mine's tabs cracked when I removed them - after that, it's in with the dash - I'm really liking it and will post photos once in the car (plus the "before" photos). This took me a long time but with patience anyone can do it!

[Otto]

I am glad to have found this site, and thread. I don't have a Z car, but am in the process of doing a ground up resto/mod of a 1970 Falcon. My dash pad is huge, and has plenty of damage. Just got off the phone earlier today with Just Dashes, and got an estimate of $950-$1000 plus shipping both ways. After a big gulp, I started to do some searching and found this thread. Sure glad I did, and will try this method in the very near future as well.

Thanks,
Otto...

[chuckles]

subscribing... Great work from all on this thread. In process on my 71 240 now....

[Robert Stubbe]

I'm new to the forum. In fact, this is my first post. My wife and I inherited her grandfather's 1974 260Z several years after he passed away. Unfortunately, in the interim it was parked behind his barn with the windows partially down and the hood up thanks to my wife's cousin. To say it's a mess would be a gross understatement. The dash, in particular, is in very sorry shape. The car had a half dash cap installed on it but the cap had a large crack in it on the driver's side. Upon removing the dash cap I found a badly cracked/worn original dash. This thread has been VERY informative in planning my dashboard's restoration, but like some I had questions as to the suitablility of the Duplicolor truck bed liner material for use in this application. The results posted so far of applying the truck bed coating to dashboards looks good. In fact, it seems to good to be true. Therefore, I have decided to do a little research on this material. I bought a can of Duplicolor truck bed coating and I have already prepared one sample of it on the surface of a cardboard folder. I plan to test the material for: flexibility/resiliency, heat resistance, UV resistance, abrasion resistance, ease of cleaning/detailing, and solvent resistance. I'm attaching pictures of my dash and of the material sample. I'll update everyone and include pictures as I test the material.

[kristian2b]

Hi, I'm also a newbie and first want to thank for all of you helping me unknowingly. But with all your help my Lady become as pretty as when she was delivered.
So after restoring my steering wheel I will start with the dash. My question now is, which is the best structure spray. Which one will match the original structure best. In this thread are just tested the SEM's texture coating and the Duplicolor. Has anyone tested another? Are here quit accidentally some germans who knows an equivalent to the tested one's. I know we can buy the Duplicolor in Germany as well.

Thanks, Kristian

[FricFrac]

Just an FYI to add to the thread. Great Stuff has a low expansion foam for windows and doors that would probably work better for this particular application.

[ninjazombiemaster]

This is definitely one of my favorite threads. My dash could definitely use this repair, as I have no interest in a cap. I think I'll look into that low expansion foam for the dash and possibly a similar method with epoxy to repair my center console. Fantastic stuff guys! When I get around to it, I'll give it a try and post pictures.

[djwarner]

Somebody should make this thread a sticky. I don't know a Z owner that won't face this sooner or later.

[hr369]

I'm wondering how some of these repairs look 6 years down the road. I've used this sem repair system before on rubber bumpers and
have had some bubbling problems due to lack of adhesion around the edges where it's feathered and very thin.

fiberglass over the whole top of the dash seems to me to be the most durable. but... gawd that must stink up the car inside for
a really long time.

What's the verdict? anyone around that made their repair 6 yrs ago?

[EuroDat]

Hi Bruce,

You did these repairs 6 years ago. We are all wondering how the repairs are holding up after all that time? Would be nice to hear your input. The results you had were amazing.
Thanks

[cajunz]

Well, I finally got around to trying the dash repair process and I couldn't be happier. I followed the proceedure outlined in the thread with the exception of using the SEM Flexible Polyester Glaze. I also substituted the SEM Texture Coating #39853 with SEM Heavy Duty Chip Guard #39793. It had a little better texture I thought. I turned out great.

[kjohnson2444]

Nice work Cajunz. Looks good.

[Diseazd]

Hi Bruce,

You did these repairs 6 years ago. We are all wondering how the repairs are holding up after all that time? Would be nice to hear your input. The results you had were amazing.
Thanks

EuroDat........Bruce sold the car to me a couple years ago. The repair is holding up well.......Bruce did a super job. I might add that the car stays in a heated and air conditioned garage.

[EuroDat]

Thanks Diseazd, good to hear its still holding up

Grats on the top job cajunz. Looks really good.

I have a cap on mine and now very tempted to try this resto.

Chas

[cajunz]

Eurodat, go for it. Its not that hard. Just take you time and pay attention to the details. If I can do this, anyone can.

[conedodger]

I'm wondering if this could be done in the car.. I only have one crack and a weird kind of impact like it was hit with a golf ball...

[cajunz]

Conedodger, I suppose it could be done in car but would be a pain and make a big mess. You would have to do a lot of masking to keep the spray on texture and paint from getting on everything. You'll also have alot of dust from the sanding. When I first tried this, I used the SEM bumper repair kit. Its pretty expensive for the amount of material that you have to use. The SEM Flexible Polyester Glaze worked better for me. The price is around $40 but I got it for half price because it had been on the shelf for awhile, plus it comes in a 24 oz tube. Not hard to do, just take you time and try not to put the putty on too thick. Also, use a sanding block for the flatter surfaces so you don't end up with groves that you'll be able to see. Around the instrument cluster, I sanded by hand but don't press too hard and just let the paper do the work. The results are definitely worth the time and expense.

[getrdone]

I used pretty much the same procedure and SEM products that are shown throughout this thread. Thanks everyone for the pictures that helped me along the way.

[EuroDat]

This is truly the most impressive resto job you can do on your car. Really amazed how the old badly cracked dashes turn up like new.
Im now buzy with 240 bumpers on my 280z and a 71C transmission swap. The next project will be the dash, thanks to you guys.
My dash is cracked and the PO put a cap on it. He used plenty of glue and I think he might of been cross eyed because it didnt line up to good. It really annoys me when I look at it.

Grats for the Great posts and the dashes, but that goes without saying, just look at the results.
Chas

[EuroDat]

Can someone post a link to a shop where you can buy SEM's. Im having trouble trying to find it in Europe and might have to order it over the net. Or a photo of the cans, then I can ask a local if he can supply it.
Thanks Chas

[ChrisZ]

Try to make a search on Ebay UK, i believe i have seen SEM there, but not sure tho.

[moritz55]

Well, I spent 1 week repairing my dash while installed in my car. I didn't want to tear everything out and I was absolutely sick of the dash mat. I followed all of the procedures in this thread ... THANK YOU with one exception. I had trouble smoothing and sanding the SEM Bumper Repair epoxy. With my dash installed it's tough to shape it properly. I had quite a lot of experience using Six10 Marine Epoxy on my boat to repair a swim platform. It's got great bonding and strength characteristics plus it's thick and holds perfectly when spread while also having a 42 minute working life. I applied it with a siringe on top of the cracks still visible from the Stuff Foam allowing it to be reaised above the surface for easy spreading. It spreads superbly thin such that I had at least 1.5 inches spread over the uncracked portions for proper overlap adhesion. It required minimal sanding even though sanding is not to bad after 24hr cure. After I sanded it down pretty well shaping it close to original contour I used car body fine glazing compound to fill scratches and fine pin holes. This allowed me to get the shape pretty well back to original without damaging my windshield (which is 3yrs old - I know, I should have repaired the dash back then - but never thought of it!).

The Six10 Marine Epoxy Link: Six10 Introduction

If it were'nt for Six10 Epoxy that I used on my boat so successfully, I would have never been able to tackle this and get the shape right with my dash installed. I hope it holds up well ... will keep you all apprised.

Here are photos before, during and after completed.

[moritz55]

Here's a few more of the finsihed dash..

Overall it was a bit tricky painting .. I practiced outside the car on a piece of wood to assure I had the SEM texture paint distance right. At best I could only get about 16inches of distance, so after 24hrs, I used a gray scotch brite pad to smooth them down evenly. Then for top coating I used light coats of Dupli-Color Low-Gloss Black (DE1634) and Semi-Gloss Black (DE1635) which withstands excessive temperatures. Alternating light coats allowed me to blend to the original face which had more luster. This paint is used on all types of engine parts and bonds superbly to clean surfaces of all types.

Anyway .. many thanks for this outstanding thread. I would not have tackled this dash repair while still installed if I did not have materials that worked easily for shaping the dash back to almost original contour.

It's denfintely better than having the dash mat. Let's see how it holds up in the North Carolina Summer!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all ...
Mark

[ninjazombiemaster]

I absolutely love seeing the results on this thread. Can't wait to get to mine.

[EuroDat]

I absolutely love seeing the results on this thread. Can't wait to get to mine.

Me too. This would have to be the Nr. 1 resto for result versus' time and effort. Just amazing.

[DatRedZ]

I got so excited when I found this thread. Just recently bought myself a 1972 240z started to get the dash out and everything was working smoothly until i bumped my steering column. Driver side just broke off it was very brittle. No luck in saving it now. No idea what to do now. Any suggestions?

[hr369]

got pictures of this dash? i cant imagine the whole dash broke apart just by bumping the steering column.

I got so excited when I found this thread. Just recently bought myself a 1972 240z started to get the dash out and everything was working smoothly until i bumped my steering column. Driver side just broke off it was very brittle. No luck in saving it now. No idea what to do now. Any suggestions?

[DatRedZ]

I don't have any. Went ahead and pieced it together this morning I used finishing nails for them to stick. I have it drying right now with the foam. Going to attempt to mold the missing pieces I couldn't find

[Zedyone_kenobi]

THATS IT

I am doing this next. The result are just too fantastic!!!

And if it does no work, I will just slap a damn cap back on it.

BRAVO everyone who has done this!!!

[CEgg11]

Nothing like jumping onto a 4 year old thread, but I am going to do this process to 2 dashes this weekend, and will seel one...gotta raise some funds!

[CEgg11]

Here's my progress so far - it is slow, but kids have to eat and stuff.

[CEgg11]

And here's the Great Stuff sliced off.

[HaZmatt]

Hello. I am in the process of repairing my dash as well and I just wanted to share something. I am using the Bondo brand bumper repair kit.(similar to SEM). Yesterday I had the dash laying on my bench about 4' high and this morning when i came out to the garage it was laying on the ground. I thought for sure it was ruined. To my surprise it held up perfectly. No cracks at all. This stuff is strong and I see this as a permanent fix.

[CEgg11]

I ended up using Evercoat flexible poly for my coating. I saw lots of posts about NAPA and Bondo, etc, but those didn't have enough product for what I was wanting. Lots o cracks. It sands well, which was a concern of mine. I will post pics as soon as I get it finished. Thanks for the inspiration!

[djwarner]

I attempted a repair with SEM bumper repair and was shocked just how fast it set up. I did manage to get a butt joint bond to the vinyl on two of the three cracks. I thought this might be sufficient as I had stop drilled the ends of the cracks.

The repairs last a matter of weeks before the butt joints failed and a hairline crack re-appeared. Considering the thinness of the crack, I tried filled with crazy glue filled with micro-balloons used in model aircraft. This also failed. At first I thought it was caused by heat, but over time I've noticed the cracks widen on a cold night and close up in the hot summer sun.

I have come to realize that the butt joint will never be strong enough using any kind of adhesive due to the small bonding area. The would indicate a lap joint is needed by inserting a piece of plastic bridging both sides of the crack. Getting good pressure to achieve a good bond would problematic when pressing against the soft, deteriorating foam rubber.

I recalled Edd China doing a front plastic bumper cover repair on Wheeler Dealers. He made a point of drilling holes on each side of the crack so that the epoxy not only spanned across the crack, but also through the hole.

The Six10 material looks promising. I'm contemplating adding a substrate to for a lap joint, adding through holes, and securing the substrate with sheet metal screws while waiting for the epoxy to set up. After its sets up, I'll remove the screws and fill the holes with more Six10.

[CEgg11]

Evercoat Applied - sanding tonight. Going good so far!

[mjr45]

I've been watching this thread for a long time and would like to do my dash. Currently it has a full dash cap that I've tried multiple methods to remove(dash is still in the car), I've let it sit outside in the sun, tried a heat gun(don't do this) tried prying and pulling and no luck so far it appears that when the cap was put on, it was slavered with glue on the top but not much on the bottom end. Any suggestions, besides take the dash out and just rip it off?

[CEgg11]

Did you take the metal plate off the front of the dash where it meets the windshield? I imagine that w/o doing that, you'd have a very hard time getting the cap off.

[12doplumbing]

Well, I wonder if anyone has done a custom dash? I want to see pics of creations if so. We are considering a new flat aluminum face with hardwood cap either varnished or wrapped in leather. Custom center console to match.
The father-son resto of a '72 with '83 turbo ...

[HaZmatt]

What are you guys using for primer? Is it necessary to use a flexible primer?

[HaZmatt]

Just found this if anyone wants to try it. Looks promising.

Amazon.com: Padded Dash Filler: Automotive

[motorman7]

So, I figured I could do this on my roadster same as everyone else has done for their Z dashes. Sure enough, the final product came out looking pretty nice. I am very happy with the results. I must say, however, this was really a lot of work only because the dash seemed to be pretty warped. It wasn’t just a matter of cutting and filling the cracks, that part was pretty easy and took me about 3 Bumper bite applications to finish. The warped dash however was very obvious and took about 6 more iterations of Bumper Bite to get resolved, meaning it was a lot of work.

Then, after putting on the second coat of texture paint and hanging to dry, the dash came un-hooked and dropped two feet to the concrete, resulting in two more applications of Bumper Bite on the end and repaint. Anyway, once the paint was on everything was looking pretty good. The texture finish is matte and picks up all finger prints that touch it so I put a couple coats of clear over the texture spray. That works out pretty well and gives the final finish which is a bit glossy, but very nice.

I also go the original 44 year old clock working. I took the little motor apart and notice the gunk on the armature where the two brushes contact. I cleaned the gunk off with carb cleaner and used electronics cleaner spray on the mechanism and the clock started right up when I applied 12 volts. Pretty cool. After 24 hours it seems to run a couple minutes fast, but it is still running.

Anyway, here are the pics. Hope to have the dash with gauges and glove box assembled and on car in the next week here or so. Making some pretty good progress.

Rich

[HaZmatt]

My dash was in need of some love so I followed the dash repair techniques on this forum and I think it came out really good. Not perfect but 100X better than it was. I ended up spending about $100 on materials and a good week or 2 of working on it here and there.

[suprayoshi]

I'm gonna be pulling the dash from my Z this weekend and try this out, but i was wondering what y'all did to get the shape back in the pod holes? cause mine are out of round, do i just pull it till its right or is there a better way of doing this?

Thanks!

[socorob]

I recently did my 280Z dash. It came out pretty good for the 1st time attempting something like this. It looks way better than a dash cap, that's a definite. I used great stuff to fill the cracks, the padded dash filler and flexible dash texture from Urethane Supply Company. Stuff is very flexible, almost like rubber. I Da'd it all smooth. I also used speedhut gauges for the tach and speedo. If you use a 4" DWV cap (it has a flat end, not rounded) from ace hardware, the hole saw for the gauge cutout fits just about perfects inside the cap, so it sort of self centers, to fit the gauge in, you have to file off the knubs on the locking ring for the gauge, then that's a tight fit inside the cap, and the cap OD is about 1/16" smaller than the gauge pod ID, so it all fits together just about perfect.

Padded Dash Filler
Flextex VT Texture Spray

[Otto]

I'm getting ready to try this on the dash pad of my 1970 Ford Falcon. Am wondering what people are using to remove the old, cracked, portions prior to filling them with the Great Stuff?

Didn't want to post any photos of my current pad since it's not a "Z" car, but will if the community approves.

Thanks in advance,
Otto...

[nix240z]

I'm getting ready to try this on the dash pad of my 1970 Ford Falcon. Am wondering what people are using to remove the old, cracked, portions prior to filling them with the Great Stuff?

Didn't want to post any photos of my current pad since it's not a "Z" car, but will if the community approves.

Thanks in advance,
Otto...

I used a dremel with a small bit.

Steve

[Otto]

I used a dremel with a small bit.

Steve

Thanks for the reply, Steve.

I was thinking about using my Dremel, but wasn't sure what type of bit to use. Would you use a stone type, or a metal cutting bit similar to a die grinder type?

Otto...

[nix240z]

Thanks for the reply, Steve.

I was thinking about using my Dremel, but wasn't sure what type of bit to use. Would you use a stone type, or a metal cutting bit similar to a die grinder type?

Otto...

I used the tungsten steel solid carbide burr bits.

Steve

[Otto]

Great, thanks Steve.

[Namerow]

I've just finished my dash project. Will post pix and notes later, when time allows. I tried a lot of different bits in my Dremel when working on the vinyl overlay (which is ~ 1/16" thick). It's very a tricky process. Too aggressive with bit choice/speed results in melting rather than abrading, and creates a mess. The goal is to feather-edge the vinyl so that the top-coat filler (I used SEM Bumper-Bite) has a good edge to bond onto. In the end, I found that an engraving-type bit (all-metal, ball-tip -- not the textured tip -- the one I had good results with looks like it's fluted, like a drill bit) with medium-low rpm worked best. My attempts with various rotary sanding discs were unsuccessful (too easy to overshoot the vinyl and accidentally create unwanted deep gouges into the old foam underlay). This job requires a lot of patience to do right. I used a cable-type extension drive, hooked up to my Dremel tool, in order to get the bit at the right cutting angle. Remember to wear safety glasses (a small chip of vinyl cutting lodged in the eye is not a happy experience - don't ask me how I know this).

Be sure that you cut back the vinyl and oem foam far enough away on each side of the crack to get past the curled-up area. Otherwise, you'll end up with a big problem when you start sanding. Avoid cutting too deep into the oem foam during this cut-back process, Otherwise, you'll end up having to use too deep a layer of Bumper-Bite (which, by the way, isn't really all that flexible). Aim for a depth of Bumper-Bite fill that's no more than 3/16".

Important FYI - Even though the textured bedliner paint looks like it will mask small mistakes in your sanding/contouring job, you may as well know right now that it doesn't. Be sure to put a full primer coat over the sanded areas of your dash before you even think about reaching for the bedliner spray can. Then take a long, hard look at your work under natural sunlight before you proceed to the bedliner spray (shop lighting won't tell you the whole story).

I found that sanding the Bumper-Bite to get true contours over the arches of the gauge clusters was r-e-a-l-l-y difficult to get right (you'll be working with a combination of concave, convex and flat surfaces -- the convex ones being the most difficult to get right). Recommend you get a set of hard-foam sanding blocks from Eastwood for this job. There's one in this set that has an onion-type cross-section that works really well for the concave and flat surfaces of this job. However, none of these blocks is suitable for the convex contours of the gauge bezel peaks. I recommend you find a piece of properly contoured thick rubber for this part of the job (go to the plumbing section of your hardware store and look for a large-diameter rubber pipe-joint, and then cut a small section out as your sanding pad).

[lcord]

If you had a hairline fracture would you still need to widen the gap?

Thanks
Larry

[Namerow]

My dash had three, full-span cracks and that was what made me decide to do the repair. However, when I had the dash out and sitting on my workbench under good lighting, I found a few tiny hairline cracks (~ 1/16" long) along the forward (windshield) edge. My guess is that these little cracks are the way that the big cracks get started. All I did was grind out the vinyl top surface locally so that the ends of each little crack got round edges. What I would end up with in each case was a cut in the vinyl that was the width of the tip of my Dremel bit ( ~ 1/8") and -- in length -- a little bit longer than the original hairline crack. The ball-shape of the Dremel bit automatically gave me the rounding that I wanted at each end of the crack.

If you've got a long hairline crack (I've never seen this -- they usually open up, starting from the windshield and getting wider as they track towards the gauge openings), you still need to: 1) 'V' the edges of the vinyl all along the length of the crack (so that you filler coat has something to bond to), and; 2) round off the end of the crack, to stop it from growing any further. You should probably try to fiberglass along the underside of the dash foam too (that is, if you can access the crack area from underneath), because a long hairline crack is almost certainly going to grow as the old foam shrinks and pulls back (and Bumper-Bite filler on the top isn't going to stop this from happening).

[lcord]

Thanks so much for the detailed information. This is really helpful. I ordered the ball-shaped Dremel bit that you suggested and waiting for delivery.

Thanks
Larry

[sdyck]

This is in my future so a couple of quick questions.

1. Hazmat asked about primer but I didn't see an answer. What are you guys using for primer?
2. I'm assuming the texture is different enought that the full dash needs coating?
3. Is everyone clearcoating afterwards? I'm not sure I'd like a shine to the dash.

Thanks!

[socorob]

I used a cone shape stone in my dremel. Thats what the guy recommended when I called to order the dash repair stuff. It gave a good controllable cut. Make sure you go past the end of cracks and round them to make it a little less likely to crack. I used a DA on very slow speed to sand the urethane supply padded dash filler. This stuff is way too rubbery, it takes a while to knock it down by hand if you get it too thick, which I did. Still can't understand why people use something to fix bumpers on dashes when there is something made for specifically repairing dashes. Urethane supply recommended a flat or satin vinyl paint to topcoat it with if you wanted to coat it for some extra UV protection. They said a high gloss coat may give you a lot of glare depending on the car.

[lcord]

Good question! This brings up another question. Should the final coat of the dash be the same color of the other trim areas. For example if I paint the dash in Landau black should I paint all the interior in the same color?

Thanks
Larry