sippelcj Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 (edited) Thought it might be helpful to post my experience and some lessons learned after just completing a restoration on a cracked dash. I found a lot of different methods/tutorials online and it was hard to tell which of those methods were best long term. Heres where I started: Crack Filling At first I cut out and filled the cracks with fiberglass reinforced bondo, but when moving the dashboard around I saw that the dash flexed enough to create some new hairline cracks. So If you are going to bondo any of the cracks, it seems absolutely necessary to skim coat the entire upper dash if you want to ensure it doesn't crack again. Also, my dash was pretty badly damaged so it was a good idea to cover the entire top in bondo anyway, as it would likely just crack again in the future. I also experimented with plastic welding (I used cheap off the shelf plastic welder from Harbor Freight) and for smaller cracks this method seems superior to bondo filling. It was able to flex with the dash so I would expect it to much more durable. For smaller cracks and a dash that doesn't have a brittle top this seems like a superior repair. I followed a process similar to this: https://www.polyvance.com/video/dashboard-repair/cracked-dashboard-repair-padded-dashboard However if you have many large cracks it will be extremely time consuming and probably not feasible to plastic weld every single crack. A ton of cracks, and the "skin" on the top was very brittle in some spots. Initial crack cutting and filling Coating the entire dash Many rounds of sanding and coating and sanding and coating to get to a nice smooth surface. Take your time and look at any reconstructed curves from every angle to make sure it matches the existing shape. I can't understate the amount of time it takes to get this step right. I painted it black mainly just to give it a uniform color to see any final issues. Flocking Prep From the start I planned on flocking the dash, and even though the flock has a lot of texture to it you still want the dash to look completely uniform before moving on. Any slight variations in texture could show through after flocking. Glue Application Highly recommend a helper for this. I applied with a combination of a brush and small roller which worked well. I could have sprayed it but was concerned with getting good coverage in the harder to reach areas. I also experimented beforehand with trying some other glues, but the flock-it brand glue by definitely seems to be the way to go. 3oz of flock may not enough for a full dash unless you want to try and reclaim it in the middle of the coating process which I wouldn’t want to mess with. Flocking Application The instructions say 10-15 minutes working time but the glue stayed very sticky for much longer than that. I started rushing a bit trying to apply as fast as possible and It seemed completely unnecessary. I think it would have been better to take time and focus on an even application. The glue took a long time to fully cure, It was tacky for days and took about a week to fully harden, so I would plan on letting it sit for awhile. After flocking, the charcoal grey which matches very well to some other charcoal grey microsuede I am using in the interior. Installed in the car Also flocked the inner cower trim to match Feel free to ask any questions, hopefully this helps someone going through the same process! My full build thread here: Edited June 8, 2023 by sippelcj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.