Dash/interior Re-vamp

[Dat260Z]

Hey Guys!  I have a late 74' 260z that I am working on at the moment. I am in process of cleaning out the engine bay for paint and i decided to pull the dash so i can get rid of all of the ac/heat components , possibly some new guages (or clean up the stockies and replace bulbs with LED's)  and mainly to weld up all of the holes on the firewall.  I figured i would post my progress and share my experiences along the way. Any input is appriciated!

 

First i pulled the seats:

I really need to get some new covers or get these dyed back black. I have had these in my car for a couple of years as a daily and the southern sun really takes its toll on the black! They are also a bit wide for a s30 z, just in case anyone was wandering. I had to bang in the trans tunnel a bit so the shoulder wings wouldnt slam up against the door panel..they still rub a bit on the door panel/lock area.

 

Next was the steering column:

Piece of cake! 10 mins and it was out! I took the steering shaft out last week though, so the hard part was overwith.

 

 

 

Next was the dash itself. It wasnt as bad as i thought it would be...6 bolts on top and 6 on the bottom( i think) and it rolled right back. I disconnected all of the harness that i could see before i rolled the dash back, and got the rest as i saw them. (it would be much easier with another person helping)

 

 

My z had a dash cap on it when i bought the car 6+ years ago, and i never really bothered with in until now because it was my daily driver.  So now im curious whats undernieth the cap....  ill post photos as i dig!

Edited April 4, 2014 by Dat260Z

[OldAndyAndTheSea]

Sweet!

 

Yeah, pulling the dash is always super scary, until you do it, then you wonder why you even worried. It was way easier than I expected too.

 

 

I'll be watching for the progress,

[Dat260Z]

This is what I found under the dash cap! Long road ahead ..I think I will be repairing this..keyword..think

 

 

[rnye]

Oh man.. That looks awful!  Good luck!

[Dat260Z]

OKAYYYYYY!  So i got around to working on the dash this week and here is what ive done so far.

 

 

I Vee'd out the cracked areas.

 

 

 

decided to peel off all of the OEM dash plastic that covers the foam.

 

Picked up some 3M Panel Bond. This stuff is SUPER strong ! and its expensive, $45 per tube, and it uses a special gun to push it out of the tube. it comes with a mixure tip, it mixes the hardener with the epoxy itself.  I bought 2 tubes, i hope that is going to be enough.

 

 

I applied the first coat of panel bond. This is mainly to fill in all of the cracks in the dash. It needs to sit overnight to cure so I will smooth it out tomorrow with 40 grit sandpaper and apply the 2nd tube over the entire dash similar to a glaze. This is to seal off the foam.

 

 

 

The reason I pulled the dash in the first place was to remove the heat-AC components  and weld up all of the holes on the firewall, so here is a before pic of both sides.

 

 

[David Morgan]

I thought mine looked bad. hope it turns out. I never heard of 3M panel bond so i was not sure of what to use. I have two extra dashes and was thinking about trying some truck bed coating on one of them. this stuff is pretty durable. Has anyone tried this? i am keeping mine black but for someone wanting different colors that is also possible because it can be bought clear and tinted with a small amount of paint. 

[socorob]

That panel bond stuff dries pretty hard.Better be careful sanding or all the foam areas will show as depressions.