Cheap dash repair alternative

[z2go]

More evidence that this repair procedure works. Only thing I changed was the type of texture I used, only because SEM texture wasn't available. Used some stuff made in Canada called SureTex, worked very well. I'm extremely happy with the results.

[Fauxre]

Fauxer, any updates? I'm starting on my dash and would like to see where yours stands at this point...

 

 

The thought did cross my mind. However, I figure I'll just trim the plasti-dip from the gauge cup area if need be when I install them. HOPEFULLY I won't snag an edge and start the peel. I'm hoping to spray it soon, but as damn cold as it is, and the way this stuff lays out, it needs to be warm. I'm actually gonna do it in my living room...... lol I'll lyk how that turns out.

 

Hey Guys,

Any updates on the dashes? How did the plasti-dip work out SunnyZ? Anyone have pics?

Edited May 31, 2011 by Fauxre

[het976]

I did this repair...it started cracking almost immediately and gets worse daily. I may not have done it correctly, but I followed the steps and used all SEM products. It looked great when finished. Having said that, the cracks are hairline, but growing, but still MUCH better than the starting point which was as bad as the dash in the first pictures.

 

Worth doing and maybe you will have better results, but don't be surprised if your results are like mine.

 

In retrospect, I would put more of the flexible filler in and less of the foam. Like make a channel so the filler can be thicker. Reality is there is a lot of flexing that goes on with these cars. One crack started while we were installing the dash.

 

Picture below is after about 100 miles of driving.

 

 

 

[240zip]

The following instructions detail the surface prepping and refinishing of plastic dash

panels and metal console covers. This also details the supplies needed to complete the

process.

 

These instructions were detailed in a post by lars from the Corvette Forum.

Thanks for the great info lars.

Having seen some pretty rough-looking Corvette interiors, and some rougher-looking

Corvette interior repair & refinish jobs, I thought I'd put together a little how-to on

making your black plastic panels look better than new again.

 

Supplies needed:

 

All supplies are available from most automotive paint supply stores. I have had very

good luck with the PPG stores and dealers.)

 

• 
   
  
• 1 qt can PPG Silicone Remover
  
• 1 qt can PPG Wax & Grease Remover
  
• 1 aerosol can SEM Original Trim Black Trim Paint (part # 39143)
  
• 1 pt bottle SEM Plastic Prep or SEM Vinyl Prep (part# 38348)
  
• 1 kit SEM Rigid SEM-Weld II plastic repair compound (part # 39508)
  
• Lint-free paper towels (available in big, cheap bundles at the paint supply store)
  
• Tack clot
  

h

 

The black plastic dash and console panels in your C4 are not bare plastic. The are

coated with what GM calls "Dulso." This is what gives them the unique satin black

appearance, but it's also what makes them difficult to keep looking nice: as you rub and

clean them, the Dulso wears off, leaving shiney plastic areas. The Dulso also stains if

you spill things like acidic soft drinks on it, like Mountain Dew. A good refinishing

process is certainly needed.

 

Before starting an interior refinish job, you need to be aware of the single biggest

problem with interior parts: Silicone contamination. Interior "care" products, such as

Armor-All, Son-Of-A-Gun, and others, contain HUGE amounts of silicone. Once this

has been sprayed on interior parts, it is extremely difficult to remove. Silicone is a

painter's worst nightmare: even the slightest amount of silicone will cause primers

and paints to "fisheye," separate, and loose adhesion. Not good. In order to do a good

plastic refinish job, we must first address preparation and silicone removal.

Silicone cannot be removed by sanding or abrading (like with a Scotch-Brite pad or

SOS pad). In fact, any attempt to sand or abrade the parts to clean them will embedd

the silicone into the parts, and you will be doomed to failure. DO NOT sand the parts

before doing a good cleanup on them.

 

First clean the parts in hot water with dishsoap in it. Use a sponge (something

non-abrasive) and put some effort into it. Rinse them off and dry them. Dump out the

contaminated water and don't use it again on the parts. I have an automatic parts

cleaner at my house: my wife thinks it's a dishwasher, but I know it's an automotive

parts cleaner. Just turn the drier heat "off" before running your plastic parts through

it. I leave the heat "on" and put it on the "potscrubber' cycle when I run rods and

pistons through it (I don't understand why this upsets my wife: don't they advertise

that these machines remove caked-on grease…?).

 

Next, use your silicone remover, following the directions on the bottle. You will

soak a lint-free paper towel, wipe once in one direction, flip it over, and do it again.

Then throw that towel away and do it again with a fresh one. If you wipe back and forth

with the same towel, all you will do is smear the invisible silicone all over the parts

with no gain. So do the one-wipe thing and use up some of those cheap towels you just

bought. Once you've done this several times to all the parts, give them a wipe-down with

the grease and wax remover, using the same technique.

 

The parts should now be about as contaminant-free as they're going to get. If they

have nicks or etched-in imperfections, you can now use some sandpaper or Scotchbrite

to smooth them out. If they are cracked or damaged, clean the damaged area with the

SEM Plastic Prep and use the SEM-Weld II two-part plastic repair kit to fill the damage

and sand it out like body filler. It sands really nice, and is easy to form. If you sand the

parts, make sure that the parts do not have a finish any coarser than a wet 600-grit

finish when you're done: anything less (even wet 400-grit) will leave visible scratch

marks in the finished product. If the area has large cracks around the screw holes, the

SEM-Weld II can be used to fix this as well. Using this two-part plastic repair

compound, you can grind out the cracked area of the panel, and using the SEM, bond a

plastic doubler to the back side and fill the front side with the SEM. Then sand it

smooth and re-drill and re-countersink the hole

 

Final prep step is to clean the parts completely with the SEM Plastic Prep or Vinyl

Prep. This stuff actually slightly softens and dissolves the surface of the parts, and

makes the surface "fuse" itself to the paint you will apply. So don't rub aggressively

with these prep products: follow the label directions and give the parts a gentle

wipe-down. Rinse with water. If your parts are perfectly prepared, the water will "sheen"

off the parts and will not separate or "break." This is known as a "water break free

surface condition," and indicates a contaminant-free, clean surface. Dry the parts.

The SEM Trim Paint is actually an exterior trim paint product, but it works perfectly

on these Corvette plastic parts. Lay out your parts and lightly go over them with the

tack cloth to remove any dust or particles. Apply the first couple of coats of paint very

light and fairly dry, in a criss-cross pattern to assure coverage. Observe if you are

getting any fish-eying or separations. If you are, the areas that are fish-eying must be

coated with VERY light and VERY dry coats at first until they are covered with the paint,

allowing the paint to dry between these coats. Be patient. Don't try to cover it all with

a big wet coat at first. Once you have complete coverage with your light mist coats and

this has dried to a tack-free state, lay down two medium, even coats. This will give you

a perfect, even, beautiful sheen to your parts.

 

On some dash panels, there are area which are made of a rubber or viynl surfaces.

The flexible, rubber-like or vinyl surfaces can also be refinished. You want to prep them

the same, and use the vinyl prep stuff listed above. But instead of using the aerosol trim

paint referenced, you'll need to use the PPG Vinyl Dye for these parts. This dye is much

more flexible than the paint for the plastic parts. The PPG Vinyl Dye comes in pints,

quarts or gallons, and you'll need to shot it through a paint gun. It's really great stuff.

SEM also makes a vinyl dye that's equally good. Your paint supply store should have this

stuff in stock, and they can mix it to any color you want if you need something besides

black.

 

On the metal parts, you should degrease and de-silicone as with the other parts,

then wet sand with 600 grit on a rubber block. The paint in this article is actually an

exterior metal trim paint, and it will work very well applied directly to the metal cup

holder lid, and other metal console surfaces, with no primer.

 

Install the parts back in your Corvette and admire how good of a painter you are!

For additional info on SEM products, or for a distributor near you, contact them at:

SEM Products 1-800-831-1122

 

Son-Of-A-Gun and Armour-All both provide great looks at a cheap price. If you've

already hosed your interior down with it, you may as well keep using it. However, after

refinishing your dash and console, you're looking for something new, there is a fantastic

new product out. It's called 303 Products Protectant. It provides much better UV

protection than the silicone products, and it does not contain silicone. It still needs

to be cleaned off thoroughly before painting, but it cleans up with much less work.

 

303 also makes an incredible fabric protector that they developed for the Porsche

convertible tops. It can be used it on fabric interiors. Unfortunately, the 303 line

can only be procured from area dealers.

[ritrebor]

I did this repair...it started cracking almost immediately and gets worse daily. I may not have done it correctly, but I followed the steps and used all SEM products. It looked great when finished. Having said that, the cracks are hairline, but growing, but still MUCH better than the starting point which was as bad as the dash in the first pictures.

 

Worth doing and maybe you will have better results, but don't be surprised if your results are like mine.

 

In retrospect, I would put more of the flexible filler in and less of the foam. Like make a channel so the filler can be thicker. Reality is there is a lot of flexing that goes on with these cars. One crack started while we were installing the dash.

 

Picture below is after about 100 miles of driving.

 

 

 

 

 

Did you use all the sheet metal screws to mount the dash to the metal frame?

Since the foam dash is old & brittle it puts too much pressure on it and it cracks.

I found the key to only use 2-3 screws around the bottom to hold it to the frame as it is not going anywhere once it it mounted.

Stopped my cracks.

 

ritrebor

[het976]

Yes, I put it back together with all the screws. I will go pull a couple and see how it progresses. I have a new dash with no cracks, but it is a lot of work to switch them out. Thanks for the tip.

[SUNNY Z]

Hey Guys,

Any updates on the dashes? How did the plasti-dip work out SunnyZ? Anyone have pics?

 

DO NOT USE PLASTI-DIP.

 

lol that was a bad, time consuming decision.

 

here's the dash as of now:

 

 

 

as stated, leave a v in the foam to cover with the plastic filler. I ended up using some bondo on mine (see build thread in gen 3 v8) it'll probably crack, but we'll see!

[Challenger]

Any update to this? Is everyones still cracking? Ill look into the screws to see about removing a few. Seems like allowing it to expand and contract would be great.

 

I still have my dash out and I couldnt stand the way the dash cap looked. Im gonna look at doing something like this on mine. I wonder how hard it is to cover these with some sort of fabric after filling the cracks...

[ritrebor]

Been about a year and a half and no cracks yet. Isn't running yet so it hasnt been out in the sun or have body vibrations.

 

ritrebor