chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

Well after owning my 98 V6 for 15 years the dash pad has finally cracked - the one in the Z28 has been cracked for 8 years. Only on the drivers side and not all the way to the windshield. I'm thinking about pulling it and fixing the crack with some plastic epoxy or get a plastic welder from harbor freight. Then sanding it down smooth again and coating the whole topside with Plastidip. Will the Plastidip help hide imperfections? Am I crazy to try this? What is a better repair method, the welder or the epoxy? I guess I'm open to any tips, comments, pictures to fix the cracks, etc... How will the Plastidip hold up in the hot sun? I usually use a shade in the windshield when I park. Should I glass the back too?

I guess my thinking is that the rubber like texture of the Plastidip will help keep the whole thing together longer and hopefully hide any lines from me fixing the current cracks. I'm not too worried about the vent area. If I cannot get the Plastidip to leave the slots open, then I will cut it out and put in some aluminum mesh that is sprayed with some clear.

I'm open to other thoughts too. I'm really not a fan of the dash pad covers and was hoping for a different solution.

VAformula

iTrader: (8)

You can do the Plasti Dip. I've seen it done before on dash boards, it takes some skill to get it smooth to the point that you don't make it obvious that you painted it. The best part is you can remove it if you need multiple tries. I think the epoxy would be better personally, but idk, haven't worked on dashboards much.

chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

Hopefully I will be pulling the dash out this afternoon. Been working on a few other things. I plan to epoxy the dash back together. With some luck it won't crack too much more when I pull it out. Now I have a few questions about the plastidip.

What are you guys using to thin the plastidip for spraying? How much thinner? Are you using a standard HVLP gun(pressure)? I think I am going to try to pick up the standard gunmetal gray color...I hope it is close to the 98 gray interior. How much should I need?

I am just looking for some tips and help from those of you who have tried the plastidip on your vehicle.

I8UR4RD

iTrader: (16)

this really has me thinking. I could dip the door panels black like i have always wanted them to be as well as the dash. They say its black but its not black black.

2000Hawk#317

iTrader: (3)

You should try it and give some feed back. Like you said too, if you dont like it, you can just pull it off. I am about to plasti-dip some wheels so I as well am curious about it. They do have a sticky for fixing the dash pads on here and making them look like it was never busted. Have you chaecked that out? That is what I am going to use for mine when I get around to it. Good luck.

chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

I have my dashpad from my V6 epoxied up. I just need to sand it and spray it with the dip. I ended up just buying the spray cans of black. I need to pick up some adhesion promoter to help make it a more permanent coating. I need to pull my dash out of the Z28 and fix it up also. It is in many pieces. My friends was also shattered and we glued his up successfully. The tabs and pins on the back came out good also.

How many coats am I looking at to cover these? 3 or 4? I plan on spraying one coat with a minute or so between coats....

2000Hawk#317

iTrader: (3)

With plasti-dip, the more coats you have, the easier it comes off as one piece when you tired of it. Personally I would go with 4 coats. Just curious though that since it is always getting blasted by the sun, if thats going to effect it later down the road. I have heard of plsti-dip holding up really well though so hopefully you have no issues there.

"It is in many pieces"...that sounds so depressing...lol

chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

Well I finally have my dashpad done and installed. Been really busy lately. I took some pics. Need to crop them down. I am pleased with the outcome. I used adhesion promotor - 3 coats, and 4 coats of plasti dip. Turned out nice for a first attempt. 2 dashpads fixed, 1 more to go. I definitely like this better than a pad cover. Probably around $20 and a few hours of my time. If it holds up the way I'm hoping, I may go to the junk yards and pick up broken ones to fix and sell.

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

Should work ok if you do any decent prep. I had a pad for mine that was the wrong color and I tried dye and paint and neither would stick.

So this is what it looks like plastidipped:



All I did was clean it with Dawn and then hit it with plastidip. 1 light coat then 2 heavier coats.

chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

That looks nice. Looks like stock. The way I look at it is that if it makes it 14 years like the stock one did before I need to repair it again it will be well worth it.