Seeking Some Advice About The Dash

[mjr45]

Yesterday, I removed the dash cap to see if I could start on a restoration, I've read the restoration threads and felt it was doable. Now for the kicker whoever put the full dash cap on(not me) used about 100 tubes of latex caulk to hold it in place and/or fill gaps, the result when taken off was that about 50% of the orignal dash vinyl came off with the cap as well as a lot of the original foam padding. Question is do I try to restore or just put a new cap over it? I will have to glue the pieces of factory foam that came off, that I could save in chunks, into place but would still have lots of big gaps. I'll post a pic later today. Thanks for the advice.

Mike

[26th-Z]

Send your dash out to be recovered.  There must be a million threads about the topic in the archives.

[mjr45]

I've looked thru the archives and the cost to send it out is a little prohibitive.

[CEgg11]

Worse than this? I've fixed mine and it looks pretty decent - more work to do of course.

Always more work....

[240tom]

Give it a shot, you've got nothing to lose.  I bought a full cap and figured that was the route I would go, then started reading the resto threads and thought, why not give it a shot?  If it ended up looking like crap, I still had the cap to put over it.  Anyway, I'm very happy with the way mine turned out.  Just be patient, sand and sand and sand so that your fillers and repairs match the base, then cover with bumper coating and paint.  Put back all the foam that you can, but I think you'll be pleased with how the expanding foam stuff will fill the remaining gaps and how easy it is to sand it down and match what's left.  In the end, if you can't make it right, I've got a dash cap I'll sell you for CHEAP, and you're done, but I honestly think you can do it.

[EuroDat]

Now for the kicker whoever put the full dash cap on(not me) used about 100 tubes of latex caulk to hold it in place and/or fill gaps, the result when taken off was that about 50% of the orignal dash vinyl came off with the cap as well as a lot of the original foam padding.

Thats my biggest fear and whats holding me back at trying this on my dash. When winter began I almost gathered enough courage to do it, but my TIU gave up and kept me occupied.

Now you are this far, you may as well try to repair it. If it sucks at least it will be a good back fill for the dash cap.

Chas

Edited March 31, 2015 by EuroDat

[CEgg11]

I agree - give it a shot. If you have an ugly dash now, the very least you'll have when you get done is an ugly dash. Courage up, get out that razor blade, square up those cracks, and get to foaming....and take pics!

[Namerow]

I experienced the same conundrum last summer.  I already had a dash cap (uninstalled - came from the PO at time of purchase), but it didn't fit, so that made it a bit easier to decide to go the fill-and-sand route.  It was a long job, but I'm happy with the results.  The only question mark is long-term durability.  Only time will tell.

 

If you decide to fill-and-sand, here are three tips from my experience:

 

1. Have a look at the 'Dura-block' sanding blocks available from Eastwood.com.  The big block with the tear-drop-shaped cross-section is perfect for dealing with the multiple-shape/multiple-direction contours of the top surface of the Z's dash.  It also worked well in and around the instrument pod openings. You might have to buy a whole set to get this particular block, though.  Check the Eastwood website.
    
2. A 'Work-Mate' type folding workbench is about perfect as a platform to hold the dash while you're working on it.  Slide the dash over the table, then use C-clamps to clamp the back top lip (sits under the windshield) of the sheet-metal 'armature' (dash skeleton) to the table-top.  You'll probably need to tape some wood wedges in place between the lower front part of the armature and the front legs of the bench.  Use a good-quality bench (Black & Decker recommended).  The cheap-o units are too flimsy and wobbly.  After you're all finished with the foam, fill and sanding, remove the dash temporarily and put a sheet of painter's poly-sheet film over the workbench to keep it clear of primer and paint.
    
3. While most of us have used bumper repair compound for the top-coat filler, I'm still not convinced its the right solution.  There's been mention of dash-specific compounds in at least one thread on this site, and I think that might be a better (but more expensive) bet.  More flexibility = less chance of separating along the edges of the cracked vinyl.

I have some misgivings about your starting point.  I wonder if you might be better served by buying another cracked dash (should be cheap) that still has most of the top vinyl in place.  That way, you won't have to guess about getting the proper contours.

 

My 2 cents.

  
 

 

From my experience, count on investing 3 or 4 weekends of work to complete the job.

[mjr45]

You guys are probably right, if I screw it up then I will just put on a cap. Here's some pics of the dash.

[Namerow]

Getting those instrument pod lips properly contoured is going to be a challenge.

[black gold man]

Here is one on CL offer 300 http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/pts/4941281148.html

[mjr45]

The more I look at my dash, the more I'm thinking I will just put a cap on. I'm not sure if I have the skill to redo all the gauge lips without using a ton of restorative material. In the long run a cap might be the easiest and least messy way to do things.

Edited April 2, 2015 by mjr45