How To Repair A Dashboard

When restoring older cars, it is frequently too expensive to replace a cracked dashboard. And, that is bold a new dash lath is bachelor. In cases where new parts are also expensive, besides difficult to notice, or impossible to notice, y'all will need to restore what is already in that location. The padded dashboard on this 1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser is a good example.

Pace ane

As you can see, this dashboard has a hole that needs to be repaired. Most old cars and some new cars have dashboards fabricated from vinyl over urethane cream. Over time in the sun, the vinyl gets brittle and the dash board gets cracks. Many newer dashboard don't have any foam at all. Instead, they are made from injection molded TPO or ABS. But, these dashboards can also get cracked or get holes from exposure to the sun.

Step 2

Employ 80 grit or 180 grit sandpaper to bevel into the impairment. Brand sure that you lot sand out any dried-out and crusty cream, besides.

Step three

Cook some of the polyurethane welding rod into the void that was created when yous sanded out the crusty, dried out foam. The urethane rod is very flexible and closely simulates the urethane foam. Turn the temperature all of the way up and the melted rod come out bubbly. Some of the bubbles remain encapsulated within the polyurethane and simulates the cream even more. Overfill the pigsty slighly. You will be sanding it down and information technology is better to overfill slightly than having to find out that y'all demand to melt more polyurethane rod into the pigsty after you have sanded information technology. IMPORTANT Note:If yous accept one of the newer dashboards that don't have any cream, yous may skip this step.

Stride 4

This is what it looks like afterwards filling the hole.

Pace 5

Use 80 grit sandpaper to sand the urethane level with the surrounding area. The urethane is very stretchy and elastic so, if you employ actually curt strokes when you sand, it may simply stretch back and forth rather than getting ground abroad. A expert way to prevent the back-and-forth stretching is to put your pollex on summit of the sandpaper over the area that y'all need to sand. So, pull the sandpaper while maintaining downward pressure with your thumb over the urethane.

Pace half-dozen

This is what the damaged area looks similar subsequently the urethane welding rod was sanded down.

Step 7

Mix some Padded Dash Filler with the cream hardener according to the instructions. Utilise a spreader to utilize the Padded Dash Filler to the damaged expanse.

Step 8

Allow time for the Padded Dash Filler to cure. Sand it smooth starting with 180 grit sandpaper and then 320 grit sand newspaper.

Step nine

This is how it looks after sanding smooth the Padded Dash Filler.

Stride 10

Spray on Flextex VT. Y'all may desire to spray the texture blanket on something else commencement. Y'all volition get unlike size texture depending on your spray gun settings and how much you lot reduce (dilute) the Flextex with lacquer thinner.

Pace xi

Sometimes, the Flextex may get footling "nibs" on it that can easily be knocked off past lightly scuffing the surface with a scuff pad.

Footstep 12

This is what it looks like. Of grade, Flextex is black. If your dashboard is blackness, you are finished. If not, you are going to need to put a coat of paint over the height of the Flextex.