New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - How to prevent dash from cracking?

How's it going i just got a camaro and i know the dash is notorious for cracking... I dont want mine to crack, i park the car outside under no shade... How can i prevent any damage to my dash? Thank you.

Get a sun screen thing.

I have one of those reflective ones and it works well.

dont take the car off road at highspeeds. aka- Dukes of hazard.

but really yea, sunscreen thing, armor all, avoid big potholes?

Alrite looks like ill be investing in a dash reflector lol thanks guys

Subframe connectors!!!

thats one thing on my car that hasnt been a problem and my car sits for long periods getting its ass kicked. i do clean it periodically. (my dash and everything else).

I used sunscreens and armor all on my dash pad and it still cracked :(

mine just cracked.......i thought i was going to be one of the lucky ones......the old guy i bought the car from kept it in a garage all of it's life, i guess that's why it survived 14 years

dont take the car off road at highspeeds. aka- Dukes of hazard.

but really yea, sunscreen thing, armor all, avoid big potholes?
If I remember right I read "armor all" may speed the process up from absorbing the sunlight more or something like that... Either way use a real interior detail spray and not some greasy junk.

Subframe connectors!!!
The dash crack has nothing to do with chassis flex (its the cheap plastic GM used that expands/contracts with different temperatures) - much like the firebird interior door pannel crack issues.
These cars don't flex anywhere near enough to do anything like that, they're actually pretty sturdy. The rough ride and perceived "flex" people feel is from inadequate shock dampening (yes, it makes that much of a difference).

I used sunscreens and armor all on my dash pad and it still cracked :(
From what I have read, using a cleaner or "protectant" removes the aerosol's in the plastics making them more likely to crack. I just dust mine or wipe it dry.

If I remember right I read "armor all" may speed the process up from absorbing the sunlight more or something like that... Either way use a real interior detail spray and not some greasy junk.


The dash crack has nothing to do with chassis flex (its the cheap plastic GM used that expands/contracts with different temperatures) - much like the firebird interior door pannel crack issues.
These cars don't flex anywhere near enough to do anything like that, they're actually pretty sturdy. The rough ride and perceived "flex" people feel is from inadequate shock dampening (yes, it makes that much of a difference).

i will never add SFCs to my car. its plenty firm with konis i bought from sam.


i actually sold my SFCs for more than i bought them.

i will never add SFCs to my car. its plenty firm with konis i bought from sam.


i actually sold my SFCs for more than i bought them.

Maybe that's why that thing has only ran a 12.20 ;)

Yes armor all supposedly dries the plastic out over time allowing it to crack. Honestly ive always used meguiars products and never had a problem. But, a lot of people I have talk to said they just dust it or wipe it down with a moist rag.

Maybe that's why that thing has only ran a 12.20 ;)

lol id bust your ass and send you back to your shop crying.

i wouldnt talk with those shit numbers. ill bet you wont run better. lets put money it or cut out your nonsense. ;)

Whoa....I'm sure it was a joke not a dick, don't take it so hard man.

Armor All stopped being harmful a long time ago, it's water based these days. However, there are certainly better products for the purpose of interior protectants....such as 303 Aerospace. That is the product I use, and I've never had a cracked dash; not on my 100k+ mile outdoor '02 car nor my 16k mile indoor '98 car.

On the other hand, I also have an '04 Cavalier as a daily driver, and it is exposed to the same sort of outdoor parking situations as my '02 Z28, but it's dash did end up cracking last year. I never used any of the 303 on that car, so it appears this product does it's job when used 2-3 times per year.

Whoa....I'm sure it was a joke not a dick, don't take it so hard man.

lol i know him pretty well. all he does is talk. hes never made a 12 sec. pass ever and he tries to put my car down.

id give him a head start and spin past him as his doors blow off his car.:bomb:

i will never add SFCs to my car. its plenty firm with konis i bought from sam.


i actually sold my SFCs for more than i bought them.

I'm glad your happy with your koni package on your street car setup. However add fat and skinnys, a full spool 12 moser,a full Spohn rear suspention package and an engine putting out 450rwhp. Then add a set of 28 inch tall Mickeys and 4 AFCO DA racing shocks from Madman racing. Now set the front shocks on about 7 and 14 with the 300# springs on..

Now you can kick your gas to the floor and watch your dash crack. Should have added that set of SFC you didn't need huh?

I'm glad your happy with your koni package on your street car setup. However add fat and skinnys, a full spool 12 moser,a full Spohn rear suspention package and an engine putting out 450rwhp. Then add a set of 28 inch tall Mickeys and 4 AFCO DA racing shocks from Madman racing. Now set the front shocks on about 7 and 14 with the 300# springs on..

Now you can kick your gas to the floor and watch your dash crack. Should have added that set of SFC you didn't need huh?

when it happens ill worry about it. i make decent power with tires and suspension upgrades. i dont want SFCs is that ok? :)

Back to the original topic, I use a sunshade when I'm parked in the sun for more than an hour. I would also suggest getting the windows tinted to keep the interior cooler, and leave the windows cracked an inch or so.

window tint also helps...

Neither of mine have cracked.... Actually the z28 wasnt cracked eaither. Both camaros were in front end wrecks. No cracks. The Firebird, no wrecks but still not cracked.

mine was wrecked twice before i got it... once into a cornfield at the top of 4th...(YEAAAAAAA WTF) and i cant remember the other one... either way mine aint cracked either

I just ordered a sun reflector hopefully this will put less sunlight on the dash and prevent in from cracking anytime sooner.

I'm glad your happy with your koni package on your street car setup. However add fat and skinnys, a full spool 12 moser,a full Spohn rear suspention package and an engine putting out 450rwhp. Then add a set of 28 inch tall Mickeys and 4 AFCO DA racing shocks from Madman racing. Now set the front shocks on about 7 and 14 with the 300# springs on..

Now you can kick your gas to the floor and watch your dash crack. Should have added that set of SFC you didn't need huh?
Dash still wouldn't crack...
If its that bad you need a cage, not SFCs...

Subframe connectors!!!

I thought that was true too. But with full suspension, i was raising a corner one day and mine STILL cracked. But we can get mid 100 deg temps inside the car during the summer here.

sun screen and hope for the best...heat still destroyed mine :(

I live in Phoenix. Every time I get a different vehicle, the first thing I get is a Dash Mat ... haven't cracked a dash in years ... plus it almost eliminates the reflection in the windshield.

i got SFCs simply to reduce the groans and creaks of going over speedbumps in my neighborhood....at 3mph. theres nothing that a suspension can do for that when half the car is twisted 6 inches higher than the other half. u need a stiffer chassis

If I remember right I read "armor all" may speed the process up from absorbing the sunlight more or something like that... Either way use a real interior detail spray and not some greasy junk.


The dash crack has nothing to do with chassis flex (its the cheap plastic GM used that expands/contracts with different temperatures) - much like the firebird interior door pannel crack issues.
These cars don't flex anywhere near enough to do anything like that, they're actually pretty sturdy. The rough ride and perceived "flex" people feel is from inadequate shock dampening (yes, it makes that much of a difference).

I broke mine after a sherman williams truck dropped a 5gal bucket of white paint in front of me and the car next to me swerved. By him doing that he made me get sideways at 70mph on the hwy. I was able to control the car by letting off the gas and steering it straight. Thank GOD the only damage to my car was the dash exploding in my face.

i got SFCs simply to reduce the groans and creaks of going over speedbumps in my neighborhood....at 3mph. theres nothing that a suspension can do for that when half the car is twisted 6 inches higher than the other half. u need a stiffer chassis
The groans and squeeks are from control arm bushings and swaybar bushings when the suspension is articulating and usually dry rotted (or binding).
If your car is "twisted 6in higher than the other half" over a bump then there is something seriously wrong with your car, and it wouldn't be safe to drive.
These cars do not flex like that, that's completely ridiculous.
Ive personally had my car in the air with a jack on one corner (with no SFC's) with the car teetering back and forth, no flex at all.

I bought a dash cover and also got a SLP car cover. The car cover works awesome, keeps the car pretty cool in the sun. No problems yet and hopefully no problems ever.

I bought a dash cover to cover up the crack. No biggie...

why do so many people swear by them then?

why do so many people swear by them then?
Because the companies that sell them are great at marketing, and 3rd gens did need them (and many 4th gen owners were prior 3rd gen owners).
And at the point when you would "need" them, for example pulling the wheels at the track, you need a cage anyway which does greatly stiffen the chassis (much much more so than SFCs could).
Talk to the guys that have actually done them with other (proper) suspension mods like good shocks, you will see they dont notice the SFCs and often take them off... A great example is Sam Strano's old auto-x 4th gen Camaro he sold (national champion winning car, no chassis bracing at all), the new owner threw on SFCs, went slower due to the added weight, and took them back off and preceded to keep winning...
I again can tell you first hand, I have 3 point welded on, they did nothing noticeable, but I already fixed the real problem: bad shock dampening.
I had some groans you talk about as well, they were rear LCA bushings, and my front swaybar D-bushings. Replaced those, and guess what? No more noise.

you could have it removed and have it wrapped at an expense. it should have been wrapped anyways.

you need to keep it clean and not go 4x4 ing with it like it did with mine after making it 3/4 of the way through a drift on a completely circular on ramp in the rain.

put that hoe in a garage and keep it out of the heat and out of the real cold shit. these cars are not air tight. you hop in, that dash is below freezing. you let it heat up then hit the defroster with 90 air coming through it all of a sudden, then thing will act the same as a windshield. the door panels do it too. when that happens youll just have to get new ones, or fab up something to make it look decent.