Dings on 1972 240z dashboard! Fix or replace whole dashboard?

[jalexquijano]

Went to check my AC installation today at the shop and found out the guys dented/ Punctured the upper side of the dashboard. They told me not to worry cause they would put some epoxy and when dried spray it with black. I do not think this is the solution. They should have been really carefull when pulling the dashboard out before installing the Evaporator Kit. Is there any posible way of fixing this dents and cracks or should i just purchase a whole NOS dashboard?

 

Anyone?

Edited October 18, 2015 by jalexquijano

[Patcon]

Was the crack to the right of the small puncture there earlier???? If so why are you worried about the tiny screw puncture? As for a NOS dash, good luck with that, they are pushing $2000 and they are 40 years old if you can find one.By the time you ship it to Panama it won't be undamaged any more. Lastly I wouldn't let any mechanics shop that isn't smart enough not to run screws up through the top of my dash, repair it for me!!!

[jalexquijano]

so what do you recomend? the leather british outfit:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-LEATHER-DASH-DASHBOARD-LEATHER-COVER-FITS-DATSUN-240Z-260Z-280Z-1970-1974/351222196587?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140211132617%26meid%3De0a34b2220ff4b5aaa17bbe664796e82%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D351222196587%26clkid%3D543286283460641180&_qi=RTM2067267

 

It looks like a nice option!! Any thoughts?

[Patcon]

I have several dashes that are cracked and I plan to try my hand at repairing them based on the dash repair thread floating around here somewhere. Maybe some one can post the link here for you...The leather cover kit sounds even harder to install than repairing the existing dash. It seems crazy to me to pay a ton of money that is likely to crack easily anyway. There are also several companies (one is in California I believe) that will re-vacuum form the dash cover for about $1500. If you want it to be perfect and aren't a do-it-yourselfer that is probably the way to go. Somebody will remember them for me too, probably. My memory is not what it use to be

[rcb280z]

I want to try my hand at the "restoration" part of it as well. I will tell you though, I am happy with the "full face" dash cover I bought from MSA. I had to take my wifes hair dryer to it to help shape it a bit where it didn't fit perfect but all-n-all Im happy with it. Forget its just a cover sometimes. The only drawback is that no one has been able to remove the tach and speedo with it in place that I know of. So the cover would have to come off and you will destroy it in the process. The good thing is they are only $100.00. A lot cheaper than having it recovered unless you have the funds burning holes in the pockets.

[psdenno]

Just Dashes is the California company that reskins and textures cracked dashes. Pricey, but they do very good work. I had a panel on my Avanti reskinned and it was a perfect match for color and texture.

Dennis

[Matthew Abate]

So I take it the replacements at MSA and various other places are frowned upon?

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic08d04

They're only $100. Are they really so different from the originals that people don't recommend them?

/M

Edited October 18, 2015 by Matthew

[Namerow]

JAlex:

 

If you decide on the option of replacing, 're-skinning' the dash (Just Dashes) or 'restoring' the dash (filler, followed by truck bedliner spray), the dash has to come out of the car.  Your Z will be disabled and undriveable for weeks.  Maybe months.  Do you really want that?  Also: My sense from your other posts is that you're not really a do-it-yourself kind of guy, so be warned than any of these three routes is going to cost you a LOT of ca$h for shop labour.  Also, if the shop you choose hasn't got previous experience with a Z dash remove/replace, there's a good chance that they'll screw something else up in the process.

 

If -- for whatever reason -- you choose to re-skin your dash, I expect that you'll need to add several hundred dollars to the Just Dashes price to pay for crating and two-way shipping.  Same applies to buying a NOS dash (if you're willing to wait for a good one to show up on eBay), although in that case it will just be the cost for crating and one-way shipping.

 

To summarize:  Lots of work, lots of time, lots of co$t$, lots of delay, lots of new risks.

 

Then there's the 'dash cap' option.  You can choose between a full-coverage cap and a half-coverage cap.  Half caps are easy to put on, but not pleasing to all eyes.  Full caps look much better, but are more difficult to install successfully.  The work and techniques involved are well-described in other places on this site (use the search tool).  Done wrong, the cap will probably not fit well around the gauges and the glovebox opening.  Also, the cap may split around the corners if you try to force it into place.  There's also the risk of warping the cap if you're over-zealous with the use of the heat gun. 

 

Nevertheless, despite all of these installation 'challenges', hundreds of Z's have full dash caps that have been (more or less) successfully installed.  Note: There are techniques for getting the speedometer or tach out afterwards (again, well documented elsewhere on this site - again, use the search tool), although there's not a 100% guarantee that those techniques will work for you.  Ask yourself, though:  How often am I going to need to service the speedometer or the tach?

 

Looking at the puncture mark on your dash -- along with the 3" crack that was already there and apparently wasn't bothering you much before the puncture mark occurred -- I think that the epoxy-and-paint suggestion may not be all that bad a solution.  If there is more than just this one crack in your dash (and I'll bet there are), I'm even more inclined to suggest that a spot repair makes sense.  If you want to try something a little 'better', Eastwood Tools (www.eastwood.com) offers a leather-and-vinyl repair kit that permits taking a small mold of the texture of undamaged surface and then applying it to the repair compound so that the repaired area blends in with the rest of the surface.  That sounds easier said than done, though.  You'd probably want to practice with it on some other textured-vinyl surface first, before you commit to trying it on your Z's dash.

 

Remember:  If the results of a spot repair don't please you, all of the other options still remain available.

[jalexquijano]

Namerow,

 

Thanks for your kind advice!! You are right, i am not a do it yourself man and since i dont live in the US where i can get these parts easier, i prefer the www.eastwood.com solution! Its just three spots that have been punctured and the 3 inches long crack that was there before these people were handed the car for AC installation. I am not interested in the full cap!! Want to keep it original!

 

What will be the eastwood procedure? ANyone has done this repair before?

[jalexquijano]

http://www.eastwood.com/vinyl-and-dashboard-repair-system.html?reltype=2&parent_id=25927

 

The reviews arent that impressive!!

[Matthew Abate]

No opinions on the full covers at zstore I mentioned earlier?

/M

[jalexquijano]

im also waiting for opinión on the full covers? any pictures of anyone who have them installed?