4th Gen Dashboard Restoration Airbag Cover
01-09-2017, 12:58 PM
#1
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4th Gen Dashboard Restoration Airbag Cover Looking for some guidance. I have a dash in my car currently with a curling pass airbag cover. This is a common problem, I know but what are you doing about it? My car is a mint example and I refuse to believe I just have to deal with this. I bought the last NOS dash available and when it arrived it had millions of micro cracks all over the vinyl surface from sitting in a box for 14+ years. The airbag cover is perfect, but the vinyl covering it is also cracking. I know it's bonded to the dash, but has anyone successfully recovered a dash and airbag cover and got the cover bonded back correctly?
01-09-2017, 05:00 PM
#2
When I first bought my Formula the leather or vinyl covering the pass. airbag was curling up also, I just simply put alot of protectent on it.
The stuff I use is "Lucas" Slick Mist Interior Detailer but I guess you can use anything as long its safe to use on plastic, vinyl, and leather and its has UV Resistant in it.
Since its on downward tilt I laid a towel on the airbag cover and sprayed the towel making it wet and let it set overnight and the next day I respayed it again and buffed it out and I was good-to-go. Now your case might be more serious so you want might have to do this a couple of times.
The stuff I use is "Lucas" Slick Mist Interior Detailer but I guess you can use anything as long its safe to use on plastic, vinyl, and leather and its has UV Resistant in it.
Since its on downward tilt I laid a towel on the airbag cover and sprayed the towel making it wet and let it set overnight and the next day I respayed it again and buffed it out and I was good-to-go. Now your case might be more serious so you want might have to do this a couple of times.
01-10-2017, 09:42 AM
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At this point nothing is going to reverse the small cracks all over the nos dash so it needs recovered. Has anyone recovered their dashes in vinyl and if so, what did you do about the airbag cover?
01-14-2017, 08:10 AM
#4
I'm having the same issue. My intention is to cover it with a pad which will match my RedLine leather gauge bezel cover. I'm hoping to get the same material that the gauge bezel is made from (black perforated leather) & create a cover/pad that will be just 1/4" larger than the airbag pad. Passenger side matching the drivers side. It should look asemetrical, as if it made that way. Possibly have it embroiled with WS6 emblem. It's left to be seen if this will look good or not.
Worth a try.
Worth a try.
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05-24-2021, 06:03 PM
#8
On The Tree
05-25-2021, 06:18 PM
#9
Damn resurrection 
I have taken this cover off on a dash I was covering in leather due to the curling. The airbag cover is a nightmare to separate from the dash. GM used a thick green type adhesive that almost looks like that cheap green kitty hair fiberglass stuff you get at parts stores. I guess for good reason, when the dash cover blasts open, the foam piece thats attached to it needs to stay bonded. When these dashes were produced new, they were inserted into a mold and the pre cut foam/vinyl covering was heat pressed and bonded around the dash core. Once they start to curl from age there's no going back. All the heat and cool cycles expanding and contracting over the years build memory into the material and its near impossible to get the corners to lay flat again.
This cover is alot more complicated than it would seem. The base dash is glass filled 6/6 nylon, there are molded in reliefs in the shape of the passenger bag flap so it breaks away cleanly. In between the dash core and top foam/vinyl piece is a bonded mesh cloth material thats riveted to metal straps so the flap stays connected if the bag is deployed.
So in short, if you modified this part Id just remove the bag entirely. Then you could remove the oem flap, use like a high density rigid foam piece in the same thickness as OEM cut to shape. Mold the piece to the dash with heat. Bond with DAP ladau top and trim, and cover with a leather or vinyl material of your choice. Sorry but this one wouldnt be an easy repair.
I have taken this cover off on a dash I was covering in leather due to the curling. The airbag cover is a nightmare to separate from the dash. GM used a thick green type adhesive that almost looks like that cheap green kitty hair fiberglass stuff you get at parts stores. I guess for good reason, when the dash cover blasts open, the foam piece thats attached to it needs to stay bonded. When these dashes were produced new, they were inserted into a mold and the pre cut foam/vinyl covering was heat pressed and bonded around the dash core. Once they start to curl from age there's no going back. All the heat and cool cycles expanding and contracting over the years build memory into the material and its near impossible to get the corners to lay flat again.
This cover is alot more complicated than it would seem. The base dash is glass filled 6/6 nylon, there are molded in reliefs in the shape of the passenger bag flap so it breaks away cleanly. In between the dash core and top foam/vinyl piece is a bonded mesh cloth material thats riveted to metal straps so the flap stays connected if the bag is deployed.
So in short, if you modified this part Id just remove the bag entirely. Then you could remove the oem flap, use like a high density rigid foam piece in the same thickness as OEM cut to shape. Mold the piece to the dash with heat. Bond with DAP ladau top and trim, and cover with a leather or vinyl material of your choice. Sorry but this one wouldnt be an easy repair.
05-25-2021, 07:28 PM
#10
On The Tree
Damn resurrection
I have taken this cover off on a dash I was covering in leather due to the curling. The airbag cover is a nightmare to separate from the dash. GM used a thick green type adhesive that almost looks like that cheap green kitty hair fiberglass stuff you get at parts stores. I guess for good reason, when the dash cover blasts open, the foam piece thats attached to it needs to stay bonded. When these dashes were produced new, they were inserted into a mold and the pre cut foam/vinyl covering was heat pressed and bonded around the dash core. Once they start to curl from age there's no going back. All the heat and cool cycles expanding and contracting over the years build memory into the material and its near impossible to get the corners to lay flat again.
This cover is alot more complicated than it would seem. The base dash is glass filled 6/6 nylon, there are molded in reliefs in the shape of the passenger bag flap so it breaks away cleanly. In between the dash core and top foam/vinyl piece is a bonded mesh cloth material thats riveted to metal straps so the flap stays connected if the bag is deployed.
So in short, if you modified this part Id just remove the bag entirely. Then you could remove the oem flap, use like a high density rigid foam piece in the same thickness as OEM cut to shape. Mold the piece to the dash with heat. Bond with DAP ladau top and trim, and cover with a leather or vinyl material of your choice. Sorry but this one wouldnt be an easy repair.
I have taken this cover off on a dash I was covering in leather due to the curling. The airbag cover is a nightmare to separate from the dash. GM used a thick green type adhesive that almost looks like that cheap green kitty hair fiberglass stuff you get at parts stores. I guess for good reason, when the dash cover blasts open, the foam piece thats attached to it needs to stay bonded. When these dashes were produced new, they were inserted into a mold and the pre cut foam/vinyl covering was heat pressed and bonded around the dash core. Once they start to curl from age there's no going back. All the heat and cool cycles expanding and contracting over the years build memory into the material and its near impossible to get the corners to lay flat again.
This cover is alot more complicated than it would seem. The base dash is glass filled 6/6 nylon, there are molded in reliefs in the shape of the passenger bag flap so it breaks away cleanly. In between the dash core and top foam/vinyl piece is a bonded mesh cloth material thats riveted to metal straps so the flap stays connected if the bag is deployed.
So in short, if you modified this part Id just remove the bag entirely. Then you could remove the oem flap, use like a high density rigid foam piece in the same thickness as OEM cut to shape. Mold the piece to the dash with heat. Bond with DAP ladau top and trim, and cover with a leather or vinyl material of your choice. Sorry but this one wouldnt be an easy repair.
I'd rather leave the airbags in there as part of originality if I can, although if its just not possible then yeah I guess removing the airbags and gluing in a new piece would be the only logical option?
05-25-2021, 07:50 PM
#11
On The Tree
Just to add to this, Here in Australia/New Zealand the Holden Commodores of the 90's had the exact same issue, with a similar dash and very similar airbag 'door'. They are were very common to lift up the same way. GM actually had a replacement 'door' that could be re-glued to them as I understand a lot were lifting under warranty period of the time.
Parts long discontinued, and irrelevant to our 4th gen f-bodies, but it is interesting nonetheless.
Parts long discontinued, and irrelevant to our 4th gen f-bodies, but it is interesting nonetheless.
05-26-2021, 02:04 AM
#12
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I don't think that age alone is a primary factor, at least not at the present age of these cars. I don't often see this issue on sub-20k-ish mileage examples, including my own, or even some with quite a bit more mileage than that. I suspect that heat and sun exposure over a period of time is more likely to blame, so for the folks who might buy a garage queen example with a non-curling cover, but then start parking it out in the sun a lot more often, perhaps a sun shade would be advisable protection.
05-26-2021, 10:42 AM
#13
Just a thought on this...
I don't think that age alone is a primary factor, at least not at the present age of these cars. I don't often see this issue on sub-20k-ish mileage examples, including my own, or even some with quite a bit more mileage than that. I suspect that heat and sun exposure over a period of time is more likely to blame, so for the folks who might buy a garage queen example with a non-curling cover, but then start parking it out in the sun a lot more often, perhaps a sun shade would be advisable protection.
I don't think that age alone is a primary factor, at least not at the present age of these cars. I don't often see this issue on sub-20k-ish mileage examples, including my own, or even some with quite a bit more mileage than that. I suspect that heat and sun exposure over a period of time is more likely to blame, so for the folks who might buy a garage queen example with a non-curling cover, but then start parking it out in the sun a lot more often, perhaps a sun shade would be advisable protection.
Mine has never sat out in the sun for extended periods and I don't have the curling edge issue @ 85K miles.
05-26-2021, 02:24 PM
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On another side note, great choice on the 35th wheels - they actually look much better to me on an SOM car than on the factory Z4C red ones. 
05-26-2021, 06:27 PM
#15
Thank you. The pic was a couple years ago, its only seen maybe a 1000 miles since then. These cars dont hold up well if outside all the time. Not seeing winters, rain occasionally and being the garage, at 85K miles It's feeling pretty much like a couple year old car. Thanks on the wheels too. Im going to be moving on to an 11" wheel/315 tire all around , it will be bittersweet not seeing them on the car anymore.