More room in the garage; little by little getting your space back! I understand about the awkward / uneasy with the other couple, and maybe next year will have a better party. When we were kids we never had a big party like kids today, usually just invite a couple of neighborhood kids over for cake and ice cream. Then in the 90's when my kids were little it became a big thing, at least by our standards. A few boxes of pizza and a sheet cake. Of course that not be big by todays standards, you have to decorate everything and have a "theme"

I started the dash panel job on my 85 Mustang yesterday. I ordered a new tach with shift light, a new GPS speedometer, and a new temp gauge, along with some other stuff I'll need like wiring block, etc. Just clean up and organize the wires better so it's not a rats nest. The panel came out in 2 pieces, and no I didn't magila gorrila it; it was already cracked from before. I have a facebook friend who I have never met in person before, he is an AF vet and friends with Joe & Bev plus another mutual friend, but he lives in the area and has a 3D printer, when I asked for recommendation for where I could have one of these 3D printed without the factory holes, but with holes where I want it, he said he would be happy to help. Only thing is, at 27 inches across, his machine is not big enough. So will have to split it somewhere and print 2 pieces. I'm not sure the best way to do that but I figure he is the master I'll just be the helper.

 

As for the "awkward / uneasy" I dont think that will ever go away as there is a story made for TV behind her, her ex now husband again and me, as said TV story

For the party I dont think they wanted anything big but Logan wanted to go to a trampoline park for the party as part of his present but when the place said 15 people min. that was out so dont know what is happening now.
They dont have a grill yet so cant have a cookout on the deck and being Logan has school during the week and my medical thing Thru / Fri and the show Saturday that only leaves Sunday and I dont know when my ex and her husband are heading back home to FL. But I am not going to worry about it other than Logan missing out

On the dash over lay the only thing I will point out is the main dash openings as they will dictate, most of the time, where the gauges go unless it is open like my Javelin was.
The Javelin was open where the main gauges went and they were in a pod bolted to the main dash frame.

So I had to make something that the new aftermarket gauges would fit in and then bolt it to the main frame but still be able to put the overlay on to look factory.


Overlay with factory wood grain

Woodgrain removed and set into place on dash

What do you do when no one makes the woodgrain or the Alum turned inserts for your dash? You make them out of silver carbon fiber.



What factory looked like

Yes a lot of work just so it looks factory, close to the Alum turned, till you look closely.
Dave ----

 

I like how you did that, it came out fantastic. But how do you cut perfect circles?

Most of the structure behind has been removed / cut out, except for the area where the dash vents go. It's all pretty much open back there.

 

Forgot to add this to my post earlier. Neither of the doors on my 85 Mustang closed properly, they left a gap. Both sides were missing that bushing that goes on the thingy. Also the passenger side of the 83 F100 was missing the bushing. I had already stole both good ones off the 81 parts truck and used them on my 69 F100 a couple of years ago. Someone somewhere had said you could use 1/2" PEX for a bushing and I had a piece of scrap, so I cut off some short pieces. Works great and closes properly now, although given the weight and the force of closing a door, I am not sure how long they will hold up. I did have to slit them to get them on.

 

I dont remember how I did the cut outs on the carbon fiber sheet as it was so long ago.
Where I bought the sheet I think said how to cut it depending on how thick the sheet was as you could get it in different thicknesses.

I think I used the wood grain as a pattern to mark it and cut it under size and then used files and sandpaper and fitting it to the panel till it fit.
If you have ever messed with fiberglass insulation carbon fiber is just as bad. I can tell you it was slow going as not to mess it up or I would of had to buy another sheet.
When I get into something like this dash or the bed floor on the pickup, fab work, I enjoy it and just forget about everything else.

On the door latch pins someone on 1 of the Ford truck forums said to use the PEX and think I passed it on?
It looked like the flat washer could be removed and if so hen no need to split the PEX to get it on the pin.
I do know some of the washers do not come off so you do have to do like you did.

I met up with Dale and Niki? does he have the blue Mustang? at C&C in Garner.
They had a pretty good turn out, more than I have seen there before.

The president from the Mustang / Ford only club that holds a show at Ting Park in Holly Springs was there and told me about the show this year if I could make it as I could not last year.
Turns out I cant again as we are hosting Selma Rail days Oct 4th and had to remind Niki. I felt bad as I took a first with them when I was asked to come many years ago and was a nice show.
They are like us and they give back but they do law enforcement and Vets and I knew that from the show I went to.

I also passed on our Decon Jones show to a few people be nice if they could show up.
Dave ----

 

I know who you are talking about from the Mustang club, his name is Aris. He was at Waffle cruise in last week and chatted with me for a good 30 minutes or so.

The washers on all the trucks were removable, but on the 85 Mustang one was not, so I just switched it with one from the parts truck. On the other side, it had a stack of hardware store washers on it, so I swapped it with the remaining one from the parts truck. Even with the washer off it was too tight to slide the PEX on so I split it to push it on. Later I saw someone say that you can just pound them on with a rubber mallet. I will try that next time if I need to replace them.

I made a big boo-boo when trying to install the GPS antenna for my speedometer. I didn't realize I would be hitting the windshield when putting a screw in here. So that looks like a costly mistake!



The dash was probably a better place to begin with.

 

Sucks about the windshield. I guess it couldn't be glued to the windscreen like a rear view mirror?

 

Atis did say he talked to you at the Waffle cruise.
I wish I was better with names / faces. If I dont deal with a person a lot I tend to forget them

Dose suck on the glass.
I cant remember where I have the one in the Javelin if it is even "bolted" down yet?
I now know what not to do
I want to say they wanted it up high and I figured velcro it to the roof then put the head liner in place and never see it.
But I am vary far from needing to think about it
I dont think it picks up a signal when inside the garage but dose when out in the yard from what I remember when moving the car.

Mary & I went to dinner at my sons and to be with grand son on his birthday had a nice time.
The other grand parents where not there so was not any uneasiness.
I was told they dont get going till like noon and then cant make up their mind what to do.
I also think they (step father)) did not want to be there when I was and that is ok with me.

I did take a few more things from my garage that would fit in the trunk without getting too dirty.
Maybe next week I will load up the pickup and take a ride down to "unload" more stuff.
He will not be there so I can sneak it in and let him deal with it like I have
Dave ----

 

James I don't think glue would do the trick, I think maybe 2 sided tape would do it but I would have to cut off that metal mounting tab in order for it to sit flush if I did that. Oh well I have said many times, the only way I learn something is the hard way, and this is a good example of that.

Dave being on FB has that advantage of me seeing his profile picture every time he posts something so eventually names get ingrained. But that can work both ways, like that guy Hunter with the beautiful red & white 1955 Dodge. on FB he goes by the name "Cooter" which I guess started out as either a Dukes Of Hazzard joke or a bet to see how far he could get using that name before getting flagged by a sensor. Before you know, I forgot his real name and started calling him Cooter at the car shows.

Both of these panels on top of the pile started life red, the one that is cracked goes under the steering column. It came out in 2 pieces when I removed the screws so I think it was probably already cracked. It looks to be done with gray vinyl dye which has held up well. The other is the passenger side kick panel, looks more like black spray paint which was cracked and peeling in a few places. I put it in the dishwasher to let it get blasted by hot soapy water and a good portion of it peeled off. The under column panel came out looking the same, just cleaner. If you got any tips for removing paint from plastic let me know, I am kind of afraid to use oven cleaner in case it might damage the plastic itself. So I'll just give it a once over with sandpaper first but I can't do too much or else it will lose all the surface texture.

 

John, I asked my buddy who is into RC trucks (rock crawlers). He said soak it in rubbing alcohol then gently scrub with with a sponge. He also said oven cleaner will work on really tough paints/stickers. Spray it on, let it sit. Gently scrub it with a sponge. Repeat. He also said you could try nail polish remover if the paint is rattle can or flakey but it's not as good at penetrating as the other two.

His advice not mine. Use at your own risk. I did look it up and it seems like a common thing.

Good luck.

 

I figured oven cleaner is the strongest, so I tried that last night. But not wanting to let it damage the plastic, I decided to only let it sit 15 minutes before washing it out. It got some but not all. Maybe 1/4. I think next I till try alcohol or acetone and do a little scrubbing like your friend said. An old tooth brush or the scrubbing side of a sponge. Loosen it up that way. I picked up some dark gray vinyl paint at the auto parts store so after get this regular paint off I can do it over with something that will stick better last longer and look better.

 

I would worry about melting the plastic with anything but rubbing alcohol.
Acetone and nail polish remover I think will hurt the plastic if left on it too long.
Maybe if used kind of dry on a sponge / rag so it just hits the paint and not sit on the panels to "work" the paint might work?

I dont know if a citric base paint remover would hurt them or not?
I tried on the trucks bezel that had 4 layers that held it together and it took the paint off but also made the plastic a little soft but because they were broken I was not too worried.

On the part under the column I would not worry about removing the paint if it is not flaking off like the other panel, just spray over it should be good.

I know SEM has a spray that promotes paint to stick you use before the color coat I dont know if will work with other brands of paint or not?
It is used to keep the paint from peeling off like you have I used it on the pickup think on the dash pad.
You use this because you cant sand the textured panels without hurting the texture.
SEM also makes a textured spray but when I went to use mine the 2 cans would not spray. I have them for a few months and I could not remember who I got them from to get new ones.
So cant say how good the texture is. I have looked into maybe using truck splatter paint as it has a texture or in the hardware store I seen a sand type spray paint used for flowerpots that might work?

To repair the panels I have used https://www.plastex.net/
with great results both on the Javelin to rebuild the dash bezel mounting flange and a crack in the main dash frame and the pickup door panels.
The door panels was just a fast fix and a quick spray with SEM to look better. If I knew they would be on this long I would have done a way better job.
I need to get more of the liquid one day as I still have the powder part.
That is one reason why I have not fixed the A pillar moldings for the truck.

BTW Plastex has little silicone sheets you can heat up, hot water, and press into texture then put the plastex on top of it to get the texture.
I have used the sheet but more for a forum like used for cement when repairing the bezel, tape also worked good for the forum.
Just 1 area I had to fix


Dave ----

 

So that white block in your pics, you heat it up and put it against the plastic, and it forms a mold to the texture? But how do you transfer that to the new piece?

Out of everything I have used, the acetone / nail polish remover worked the best at softening up the old paint. I was very careful when I put it on and scrubbed with a little brush that I was only seeing black and gray come off, and not any pink or red. It did a good job of loosening things. Some areas thicker paint than others so I have to go over it again.


I repaired both with fiberglass and they seem to be holding up.



The under column piece still looks decent, no color ever flaked off. The only problem was my repair was not completely smooth so I had to sand it there to get the edges closer. It still won't be perfect but for sure it will be good enough, and feels pretty strong.


I have this can of adhesion promoter for plastic, I've had it for a couple of years and it's halfway used up, but I can't remember exactly what all I have used it for. But for the most part anytime I need to spray something that is plastic or vinyl I put this on first and let it dry for 20 minutes before painting. Then for the vinyl dye I just ran by O'Reilly and picked up some gray, this shade seemed to be a good match for the current color.

 

The white block is not the silicon sheet / block they are dark gray.
The white is so you can see where it needed to be repaired and after the repair. I think I also used it as part of the "cement forum" to build that wall.

I did not think of this before but Plastex is kind of like using super glue and baking soda.
The glue is the liquid and the Plastex is pretty runny where super glue you can get as a jell.

The soda is the powder. Now the Plastex you can get in white or black, I have only used the black, and I have not used the super glue and soda.
When I was looking to do this I could not find super glue in large containers only to little ones you find in the hardware or food stores. I did try the hobby store in FV but he only had the little ones.
The large ones I had for RC racing, used to hold the foam inside the tires and tires to the wheels, was dried up I did not think to check with Hobby Lobby for the larger ones

I have been thinking of using fiber glass on the A pillar moldings like you did for your parts but the same reason why the brake booster for the Javelin has not been sent out, lazy

If you have had good luck with the primer and paint being different brands and not have any problems great I just dont like to mix & match as some dont like each other.
Dave ----

 

Ok now I understand, that white was just for contrast so I could see the black plastic and the repairs more clearly.

I did all this work on the passenger side kick panel and never once (until today) thought about checking the drivers side. It looks like paint and is flaking as well. I have to remove the kick panels to run a speaker wire so while they're out I might as well take care of this.

Same with this piece. It mounts on the dash above th glove box door, it's in good shape but that circle annoys me. I guess at some point a previous owner had something glued there and no amount of scrubbing or cleaning has taken the marks away. So I'm going to recoat it at the same as the others.