Solutions for destroyed dash
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From: West TN/KY border
Solutions for destroyed dash When I was doing some interior work, my dash pretty much shattered like glass. It is beyond any sort of repair. I really don't want to spend $500 on something that has the exact same issues. Plus I have much better uses for that money right now. I have been looking at trying to modify one of the hard plastic overlay's, like the one that 6LE sells.
Idea:
-buy the hard plastic overlay
-use some sort of mesh for the heater opening
-take the pieces of the old dash that actually attach to the inside of the car
i.e. the pieces that have the screw holes/velcro parts
-glue those to the overlay and attach it
could also use plywood mounting points, or whatever
Has anybody done anything like this? what are your suggestions?
Idea:
-buy the hard plastic overlay
-use some sort of mesh for the heater opening
-take the pieces of the old dash that actually attach to the inside of the car
i.e. the pieces that have the screw holes/velcro parts
-glue those to the overlay and attach it
could also use plywood mounting points, or whatever
Has anybody done anything like this? what are your suggestions?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 534
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From: West TN/KY border
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 534
Likes: 0
From: West TN/KY border
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I have had two ship to me without any issues as the seller took good care to protect them. However I did get a third one in about 6 pieces because the guy simply put it in a box and shipped it with no packing so just make sure the seller packs it well.
With that said I only got about a year out of both of the good ones and one cracked to pieces. I bonded it back together and vinyl wrapped it and it looked good for a bit but then the adhesive will not stick and now looks like ***.
With that said I only got about a year out of both of the good ones and one cracked to pieces. I bonded it back together and vinyl wrapped it and it looked good for a bit but then the adhesive will not stick and now looks like ***.
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Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Sep 2009
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From: West TN/KY border
I have had two ship to me without any issues as the seller took good care to protect them. However I did get a third one in about 6 pieces because the guy simply put it in a box and shipped it with no packing so just make sure the seller packs it well.
With that said I only got about a year out of both of the good ones and one cracked to pieces. I bonded it back together and vinyl wrapped it and it looked good for a bit but then the adhesive will not stick and now looks like ***.
With that said I only got about a year out of both of the good ones and one cracked to pieces. I bonded it back together and vinyl wrapped it and it looked good for a bit but then the adhesive will not stick and now looks like ***.
Alright fellas. Lets figure out a way to fix this. I'm against the whole shipping idea considering the plastic is very brittle and either way the OEM one you get is going to crack its only a matter of time. So I'm not the first one to fix the dash pad this way. I glued every piece together with some plastic silicone glue, then applied fiberglass to the back side. Then the final step was to fiberglass bondo the top side of the dash which I do not have a pic of at the moment. What my question is, is does anyone have suggestions on something to go over my dash, like wrap it in?[IMG]
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After the fiberglass cures you just cut the excess off with a razor blade. The top side is smooth with fiberglass bondo applied that I sanded. I can get pics of that at some point. I plan on finishing this project soon because last summer sucked with no dash pad having the glare of the sun and light reflecting off the windshield.
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[/IMG]After the fiberglass cures you just cut the excess off with a razor blade. The top side is smooth with fiberglass bondo applied that I sanded. I can get pics of that at some point. I plan on finishing this project soon because last summer sucked with no dash pad having the glare of the sun and light reflecting off the windshield.
Staging Lane
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 57
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Bringing the thread back to life... 
I'm also trying to figure out the better solution to this. The dash is cracked in about 5 places and is repairable however the vent is messed up. I was thinking about getting a used one and buying one of those ABS caps as a reinforcement to put over the top. I don't want to wrap it because I did it on my other Camaro and now I can't get rid of the adhesive smell... x( Plus it's starting to peel from the heat. Any thoughts on this?
I wonder why can't anybody just produce a durable aftermarket pad instead of that crappy overlay. If a vase is broken I want to replace it instead of just turning it so you don't see the crack...
I'm also trying to figure out the better solution to this. The dash is cracked in about 5 places and is repairable however the vent is messed up. I was thinking about getting a used one and buying one of those ABS caps as a reinforcement to put over the top. I don't want to wrap it because I did it on my other Camaro and now I can't get rid of the adhesive smell... x( Plus it's starting to peel from the heat. Any thoughts on this?
I wonder why can't anybody just produce a durable aftermarket pad instead of that crappy overlay. If a vase is broken I want to replace it instead of just turning it so you don't see the crack...
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 281
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From: Cape Coral Florida
I've had a similar idea before, just never got around to trying it. Not really sure about what to use to secure the mounting points to the cover, but as long as you paint it to match the dash it shouldn't be that noticeable.
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Joined: Feb 2012
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I'm in the same boat. I started with a minor crack, then due to the heat this summer (has not been THAT hot) and autocrossing it decided to give up.
I honestly think it cracked during the day parked in the sun...right in the middle lol. I don't care enough right now to fix it. I'd rather put money into functional parts.
But like the OP, I would go with the glue/fiberglass route then maybe use speaker box carpeting on top to hid cracks and also reduce the glare on the windshield.
I honestly think it cracked during the day parked in the sun...right in the middle lol. I don't care enough right now to fix it. I'd rather put money into functional parts.
But like the OP, I would go with the glue/fiberglass route then maybe use speaker box carpeting on top to hid cracks and also reduce the glare on the windshield.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 75
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From: Las Vegas
I used this stuff:
For those of us that rarely drive our cars, why does that opening need to be open at all I am considering covering mine over, I have never used the defrost...I live in the south and my car stays garaged. I just removed my wipers, NEVER used them in the 7+ years I have owned my car.
