Jump to content
HybridZ

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'dash cap'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Technical
    • FAQs
    • Model Specific
    • V8 Z Forums
    • 6 Cylinder Z Forums
    • Other Engines
    • Engine Components
    • Body Kits & Paint
    • Windtunnel Test Results and Analysis
    • Brakes, Wheels, Suspension and Chassis
    • Drivetrain
    • Fabrication / Welding
    • Interior
    • Miscellaneous Tech
    • Trouble Shooting / General Engine
  • General
    • Announcements
    • Non Tech Board
    • New Members Forum
    • Members Projects
    • Motorsports / Events
    • Buy / Sell / Trade
    • Group Buys
    • Vendor's Forum
    • Links
    • Site Support

Blogs

  • Blog 7794
  • Blog 7796
  • Blog 7797
  • Blog 7801
  • Blog 7810
  • Blog 7821
  • Blog 7850
  • Blog 7876
  • Blog 7900
  • Blog 7903
  • Blog 7918
  • Blog 7945
  • Blog 7995
  • Blog 8097
  • Blog 8113
  • Blog 8124
  • Blog 8199
  • Blog 8217
  • Blog 8223
  • Blog 8239
  • Blog 8335
  • Blog 8424
  • Blog 8478
  • Blog 8501
  • Blog 8644
  • Blog 8751
  • Blog 8853
  • Blog 9074
  • Blog 9088
  • Blog 9095
  • Blog 9152
  • Blog 10389
  • Blog 10579
  • Blog 10681
  • Blog 10929
  • Blog 10956
  • Blog 11195
  • Blog 11737
  • Blog 11794
  • Blog 11853
  • Blog 12120
  • Blog 12435
  • Blog 12884
  • Blog 13129
  • Blog 13159
  • Blog 13200
  • Blog 13472
  • Blog 13567
  • Blog 13587
  • Blog 14207
  • Blog 14439
  • Blog 14625
  • Blog 14703
  • Blog 14909
  • Blog 14919
  • Blog 14975
  • Head Gasket for 3.1 liter stroker engine
  • Blog 15298
  • Blog 15393
  • Blog 15520
  • Blog 15602
  • Blog 15654
  • Blog 15717
  • Blog 15865
  • Blog 16224
  • Blog 16227
  • Blog 16485
  • Blog 16662
  • Blog 16809
  • Blog 16878
  • Blog 16923
  • Blog 17059
  • Blog 17103
  • Blog 17116
  • Blog 17333
  • Blog 17402
  • Blog 17506
  • Blog 18026
  • Blog 18084
  • Blog 18466
  • Blog 18819
  • Blog 19188
  • Blog 19475
  • Blog 19671
  • Blog 19685
  • Blog 20165
  • Blog 20200
  • Blog 20239
  • Blog 20330
  • Blog 20345
  • Blog 20475
  • Blog 20568
  • Blog 20611
  • Blog 20767
  • Blog 20885
  • Blog 21113
  • Blog 21316
  • Blog 21355
  • Blog 21400
  • Blog 21541
  • Blog 21630
  • Blog 21672
  • Blog 21712
  • Blog 21925
  • Blog 21950
  • Blog 22036
  • Blog 22272
  • Blog 22312
  • Blog 22331
  • Blog 23034
  • Blog 23042
  • Blog 23220
  • Blog 23246
  • Blog 23322
  • Blog 23406
  • Blog 23570
  • Blog 23700
  • Blog 23718
  • Blog 23737
  • Blog 23762
  • Blog 23794
  • Blog 23917
  • Blog 23956
  • Blog 23959
  • Blog 24064
  • Blog 24131
  • Blog 24139
  • Blog 24205
  • Blog 24221
  • Blog 24240
  • Blog 24430
  • Blog 24435
  • Blog 24495
  • Blog 24576
  • Blog 24643
  • Blog 24722
  • Blog 24770
  • Blog 24833
  • Blog 24848
  • Blog 24853
  • Blog 24872
  • Blog 25030
  • Blog 25248
  • Blog 25289
  • Blog 25373
  • Blog 25396
  • Blog 25527
  • Blog 25674
  • Blog 25853
  • Blog 25886
  • Blog 25922
  • Blog 25986
  • Blog 26129
  • Blog 26181
  • Blog 26217
  • Blog 26240
  • Blog 26247
  • Blog 26299
  • Blog 26401
  • Blog 26440
  • Blog 26559
  • Blog 26735
  • Blog 26736
  • Blog 26831
  • Blog 26844
  • Blog 26883
  • Blog 26884
  • Blog 27002
  • Blog 27028
  • Blog 27169
  • Blog 27260
  • Blog 27267
  • Blog 27307
  • Blog 27345
  • Blog 27400
  • Blog 27428
  • Blog 27452
  • Blog 27558
  • Blog 27622
  • Blog 27707
  • Blog 27735
  • Blog 27877
  • Blog 28049
  • Blog 28070
  • Blog 28199
  • Blog 28214
  • Blog 28234
  • Blog 28308
  • Blog 28320
  • Blog 28475
  • Blog 28476
  • Blog 28494
  • Blog 28657
  • Blog 28671
  • Blog 28814
  • Blog 28880
  • Blog 28923
  • Blog 28943
  • Blog 28945
  • Blog 28982
  • Blog 28993
  • Blog 29008
  • Blog 29036
  • Blog 29168
  • Blog 29412
  • Blog 29467
  • Blog 29618
  • Blog 29710
  • Blog 29759
  • Blog 29832
  • Blog 29868
  • Blog 29922
  • Blog 29950
  • Blog 30009
  • Blog 30027
  • Blog 30175
  • Blog 30182
  • Blog 30287
  • Blog 30302
  • Blog 30339
  • Blog 30443
  • Blog 30461
  • Blog 30474
  • Blog 30517
  • Blog 30556
  • Blog 30654
  • Blog 30729
  • Blog 30758
  • Blog 30773
  • Blog 30842
  • Blog 30872
  • Blog 30886
  • Blog 30989
  • Blog 31027
  • Blog 31048
  • Blog 31073
  • Blog 31109
  • Blog 31116
  • Blog 31138
  • Blog 31251
  • Blog 31307
  • Blog 31343
  • Blog 31378
  • Blog 31393
  • Blog 31432
  • Blog 31495
  • Blog 31507
  • Blog 31592
  • Blog 31626
  • Blog 31643
  • Blog 31692
  • Blog 31717
  • Blog 31760
  • Blog 31768
  • Blog 31777
  • Blog 31826
  • Blog 31851
  • Blog 31877
  • Blog 31907
  • Blog 31942
  • Blog 32009
  • Blog 32051
  • Blog 32073
  • Blog 32094
  • Blog 32111
  • Blog 32142
  • Blog 32169
  • Blog 32198
  • Blog 32250
  • Blog 32256
  • Blog 32259
  • Blog 32262
  • Blog 32291
  • Blog 32371
  • Blog 32417
  • Blog 32463
  • Blog 32515
  • Blog 32519
  • Blog 32562
  • Blog 32678
  • Blog 32695
  • Blog 32725
  • Blog 32981
  • Blog 33294
  • Blog 33517
  • Blog 33612
  • Blog 33734
  • Blog 33993
  • Blog 34018
  • Blog 34140
  • Blog 34452
  • Blog 34586
  • Blog 34855
  • Blog 35117
  • Blog 35378
  • Blog 35742
  • Blog 35956
  • Blog 36022
  • Blog 36030
  • Blog 36711
  • Blog 36997
  • Blog 37069
  • Blog 37070
  • Blog 37103
  • Blog 37166
  • Blog 37257
  • Blog 37645
  • Blog 37818
  • Blog 37954
  • Blog 38369
  • Blog 38569
  • Blog 38681
  • Blog 38923
  • Blog 38945
  • Blog 39122
  • Blog 39441
  • Blog 39494
  • Blog 39529
  • Blog 39575
  • PSL_240z's Blog
  • Phlebmaster's Blog
  • dhp123166's Blog
  • miguel240zcruz's Blog
  • dsalni's Blog
  • dsalni's Blog
  • beon's Blog

Categories

  • Configuration File Sharing
  • Drawing Files, Templates
  • Manuals, Diagrams, Guides
  • Software, Calculators
  • Other misc files

Product Groups

There are no results to display.


Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Location


Interests

Found 1 result

  1. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a couple of years. I put it off until I had my Speedhut gauges. Well I no longer had any excuses. This is not a cheap way to fix your dash but a lot cheaper than sending it out for recovering. It is destructive to the original dash so if you plan on having it recovered in the future this is not an appropriate mod. The basic premise is this. Bond the cap to the existing dash. Fill any gaps between the cap and dash with expanding foam. Fill and blend all the seams and gaps. Paint entire dash. I had done the “fill the cracks and texture paint” kludge to my dash years ago. It worked for a little while, but soon a new crack started and then the old ones opened up again. I decided that I wasn’t going to fix the cracks again and opted for a full cap instead. Most of the installed caps I’ve seen were warping and generally ill fitting because of it. I knew from the start that I was going to get the thickest cover I could find and then float it on the existing dash. What I mean by float is let the cap stay as close to its original shape as possible. I had made a couple of posts looking for thicknesses on different caps but didn’t get much data. I called Palco Industries which makes the Dashtop cover. I was told the base material started out at 1/8”. This is the same thickness I use for my speaker panels so I was pretty optimistic that it would have a decent thickness in even the deeper draw sections like the gauge pods. Unfortunately when it arrived it was pretty obvious that the base material was a lot thinner. Most likely 1/6” I decided to stick with it as the overall look was really nice. The hair cell texture was your standard ABS so it isn’t an exact match to the factory but it wasn’t too bad either. You have to pull the dash for this and it is not hard to do so no matter what, don’t convince yourself you can do it in the car. I pulled the dash and did a test fit of the cap. It was immediately apparent that it wasn’t going to just slip on. You could wrench it into position but in doing so it put huge stress on it. Over time that stress would lead to warpage and de-lamination from the pad. I knew it wouldn’t be perfect but I was surprised at how far off it was. The plastic in the gauge pockets is extremely thin so be really careful you don’t tear it during fitting. In order for the cap to sit in it’s natural position I had to do a fair amount of grinding to the pad. Mostly to the tops of the gauge pods and the outer corners. Even then I had to throw in the towel and accept a small amount of stress. I took a DA sander to the entire dash surface with 80 grit to improve adhesion. In reality something even rougher like a 50 grit sander would be better. Speaking of adhesion I decided to use SEM 2 part plastic repair #39847. It’s made for repairing plastic bumpers and is sand-able like bondo with almost no shrinkage. I already have the dual mix gun but if you don’t have one you will need to get one. By the time it was all said and done I used the entire 7 oz tube and 6 mixing tubes. The next part is how I should have done it not exactly how I did it. Slip the cap over the dash and hold it as best you can in position. Four hands would be helpful. Press the dash cap in different areas looking for low spots. Make a mental note of where they are. I was mostly concerned with the top surface. Take a drill and a 3/8” drill bit and drill through the dash pad all the way out the back through the metal frame. Make sure you don’t hit anything important. These are the holes you will use to inject the foam. I can’t tell you how many you need but for every injection hole I figured one or two vent holes. You don’t want the foam to build up pressure so a 2:1 ratio is probably pretty safe. Now you are going to glue down the cap. I did mine in multiple steps. I wiped the inside of the cap with lacquer thinner. This will clean it but also etch the surface a bit. First area to glue was the top and a small amount down the front. This helped me create a stable base so that as I pulled the rest of the cap into position it wouldn’t effect the top. I concentrated the glue around the edges and the high spots that I knew were contacting the cap. After that I put a few dabs in the shallow in between the foam holes so that it would help keep it from distorting. I slid the cap down over the dash. I only needed a couple of clamps to hold it since I sanded the pad to fit. I pushed the cap down in the low spots so it would make contact with the glue. When it springs back it will hopefully have a ribbon of glue between the dash pad and cap. The glue has a 7 minute work time so you need to have everything well rehearsed. After about an hour to dry I then methodically worked my way around the rest of the cap glueing things in position. I masked off areas of the dash that weren’t covered. Pay careful attention to the glove box area. I didn’t and my glove box door is now a very tight fit. No problem as it’s non functional but if I wanted it to work I would have had issues. You need to pull the cap outward as far as you can to have enough clearance. So now you have the basic adhesion done. Now you are going to glue ALL the edges. This is where you decide how well you want it to look. I was really nervous about the gauge pod areas warping over time and ending up in the sight line of the gauges. I took a heat gun and a pair of heavy gloves. I heated the plastic that fit poorly and then shaped it against the dash pad with my gloved hand. This is really tricky. You go from not hot enough to disaster in the blink of an eye. After I was done shaping I went around and glued most of the edges. More on that later. So now that all your edges and high spots are glued you have a dash cap that is theoretically under little or no internal stress and held in position with the old dash. The problem is that you now have hollow areas that have little or no adhesion, plus there will be a temperature differential between the bonded areas and the hollow areas. Can you say “air gap”. Time for the foam. I used low expansion window foam. It seems to be the right choice. It stays soft like the original pad. It also has a bit of adhesion going for it. Not much shear strength but every little bit helps. Position the dash with the gauges facing up so that extra foam falls away. Gravity is your friend. I would shoot the foam in one hole and watch for it to appear in one of the vent holes. I moved from section to section. Don’t over do it as even the low expansion foam expands quite a bit. If it has no place to go then it may distort the dash. I found that if you kept the fill holes clear of foam then it allowed the still expanding foam a place to go. That may just be a guess though. After the foam dried I noticed a huge improvement in the feel of the dash. It felt solid with almost no discernible hollow spots. This is why you seal every edge. Time to finish. I took the remaining glue and used it as filler to build up the areas I wanted to feather in. I sanded them with 80 grit. Most of the areas I was working get covered so I wasn’t too worried abut it being perfect. If I was trying to do a flawless job I would fill the areas and then use the SEM texture spray. That stuff really works well. I cleaned off the dash and sprayed it with SEM trim black out of a rattle can. Looks great. Do’s, and don’ts. When working with the glue and foam where multiple disposable gloves. This way you can use them like tear-offs. Make sure you mask off areas that you don’t want glue on. It’s much quicker to mask stuff off than it is to try and sand it later. Be careful with the gauge areas of the cap. They are thin and fragile. Remember to drill the foam holes before you mount the dash cap. I didn’t think about foaming the dash until after I had bonded the cap. It limited me to only being able to drill a few holes. You can scrape extra glue off with a thumbnail for about 20 minutes. Also sand the glue as soon as you can. It’s soft and will cut like buttah. Be really careful with the foam. It can get out of control really quickly. Don’t foam it and go to lunch. I thought it was done expanding and I looked over and I had a new area growing. The SEM trim spray is lacquer and really susceptible to moisture. It will blush really badly if it’s too humid. Ounce it blushes it can be a real PIA to get it right. Here is the finished product installed in the car. I’m really happy with the results. It’s the hot season in Florida so I’ll update the thread in the fall. I daily drive the car and it’s parked outside in the sun. I do use a window shade most of the time. Derek
×
×
  • Create New...