s30zgt Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Over the weekend I decided it was time to replace my destroyed dash with one a bit more complete i picked up. After inspecting the new dash i realized there was quite a bit of rust on the metal frame (not really surprised, got it for cheap). My old dash was destroyed by the previous owner when he tried to remove the dash only to have the skin of the dash broken into 3 parts leaving the existing frame which is in good shape with no rust on it. I have searched for a long time on various Z site about swapping dash frames and came up with little. Has anyone ever tried to remove the skin of one dash and move it to another frame? Would it be better to clean up the rust as best as I can, spray rust encapsulating primer and hope for the best. I feel a bit leery about bolting a rusty frame to a rust-less firewall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritrebor Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 When I was redoing my dash I removed the metal frame from the foam dash to work on it. Just be careful not to bend the foam as it is brittle. Be sure to remove all the screws holding the foam to the frame and it should pop out. Proceed at your own risk. lol ritrebor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 (edited) Do you remember how many screws there were? Any adhesive connecting the skin to the frame? Edited September 11, 2012 by s30zgt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritrebor Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 No adhesive on frame. Don't remember how many screws but there was a lot. When I reinstalled it on the frame I only used about 3 or 4 screws because I found using all the screws cracked the foam. Just used enough to hold it to the frame as once it is installed it isn't going anywhere. ritrebor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaY Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 (edited) When rebuilding my dash, I removed the foam outter cover from the inner support frame. Luckily for me the metal was not badly rusted and I was able to wire brush or sand off the surface rust. I then drilled the frame with holes anywhere the foam shell touched it. Next I used a panel bonding adhesive (like they use in body shops to rebond skins etc.) and glued the foam shell to the frame. Now my dash is SOLID. This is when I did all the crack fixes, I even sanded flat/even the previously warped areas, as now the dash is solid enough that it wont move. Edited September 11, 2012 by AkumaY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Thank you guys for all the info. I will try to swap the frames this weekend. Now I wont have to worry about how I was going to swap the vin plate too. Ill try to document it for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 Hey guys. Ive been doing a lot of thinking about how many screws to use to prevent cracking. Are the cracks happening due to where the frame screws to the dash skin and the flex forces are acting upon those points causing stress on the dash skin? Would distributing the forces more evenly across the dash skin alleviate some of the stress the dash takes? I am thinking if you use something like a hook and loop fastener (velcro) on places with the most surface area and only screwing the frame to the thickest parts of the dash skin would help. I know this is simply backyard engineering and would probably do more harm than good but would love some insight into this theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritrebor Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Mine wasn't cracking where the screws were. I figured it was just the general stress of it being bolted to the frame was causing the cracks. Once the dash is in the car it won't go anywhere as it is held in place by the gauges and the other pieces bolted to it, and the A pillars. ritrebor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Ran into a bit of a snag today. I had finished removing the dash harness and glove box but as soon as i removed the glove box i noticed that the dash skin vinyl was glued to the frame in several places. So should i go ahead and pull up the vinyl from its glued surface and swap the frame or what i have been doing prior which is sanding down the rust and spraying it with rust converting primer (http://www.krylon.com/products/rust_protector_rust_converting_primer/). Would pulling it up just accelerate the vinyl peeling away from the underlying foam? I should be able to reapply adhesive to keep the vinyl down on the new frame right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Does anyone know if anyone actually make a replacement for the stock dash. Not just a cover but like descibed above. Ppull the old cracked dash material off the metal frame and replace with a new one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsonian Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Just Dashes will peel off the old foam and vinyl and apply new what is used in modern cars. Get ready to pay an arm and a leg though. I was quoted $1500 and up to $1700 to add another gauge or two about six months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 I'm gonna look at it again over the weekend. I'm leaning more to just leaving it as it is as I dont know how much more adhesive I'm gonna encounter and risk doing what the original owner did and snap the dash skin. Would you guys recommend spraying over the rust converting primer with a rust preventive paint like rustoleum to protect the non rusty areas the rust converting primer doesn't convert? Also is there any possibility of fumes being given off by the paint filling the cabin on a hot day? ... I think I might have talked myself into just swapping the skins as the last thing i want is to poison myself with paint fumes, I got enough exhaust fumes as it is. If I end up cracking the skin I'll just get a full dash cap for the time being until i am ready for a full dash resto. For future reference, who has the best fitting dash cap? Ive seen a few msa one and they look good but i know there are a few other companies that make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s30zgt Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 another quick question. Does anyone have any suggestions on what type of adhesive to use to bond the vinyl to the metal frame? This is what i was planning on using http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-Industrial/Adhesives/Product/Catalog/Detail/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GJJ60IS8FSO6Q3GD3000000_nid=LF2HQTN0TTbeZ0RH29HR0Lgl . I know some glues can react with the plasicizers in the vinyl and this one says it is safe for vinyl. Has anyone used this product before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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