Dash Repair Process/Pictures

[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.

Edited September 12, 2014 by socorob

[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

[grannyknot]

I'm just about to start restoring my dash with the methods from this thread but I'm wondering because my cracks are so shallow, can I go straight to filling them with body glaze or should I still fill them with foam or bumper filler?

Thanks,

Chris

[nix240z]

Use a Dremel and cut up under the dash cover into the foam like this \ , instead of a straight up and down cut.   This will help with the filler from lifting.  You only want a very thin layer of Sem bumper filler. When you sand the repair ,tape off around the repair so you dont sand into the good parts of the dash.

 

Steve