Hey guys! I've been trying a little dash experiment and it turned out so well I thought i'd share in case anyone else would like to give it a go:

My dash is a disaster so i got one from the wrecking yard that was in pretty good shape with no big cracks and just the speaker holes starting to break through.

Here i've already sanded off the vinyl grain texture so that there's no obvious difference between the smooth bondo patch that i'm going to put over the holes and the original texture (sanded down to 150grit)


next up, i wrapped some cardboard in plastic


and taped it to the outside of the dash:


i sprayed the holes from the inside with foam sealant and spread it around a little with a plastic putty knife


when it cured, peeled off the cardboard and ready for bondo


bondo'd and sanded


primered


here it is still wet...i used SEP's colorcoat system


and here it is mostly dry...free of holes that could break in the sun and end up looking terrible


i have to say i'm pretty happy with the results. The sanded dash definitely looks more "modern" than the leather texture but I dont mind that. I definitely prefer it to the speaker holes. Especially since there's no speaker under them.

 

Where did you get the foam sealant, I have never heard of it. I would like to try this project.

 

foam sealant is just stuff like "great stuff" that you can get at home depot or lowes...i actually prefer the DAP latex version though because it cleans up in water

 

Looks amazing!
I want to try this myself now
thanks for the great post!

 

thats sweet.thanks for the tip.i was tring to think of a way of repairing mine.i like custom look.

 

the only note i have is that by the time i sanded down the vinyl texture, and considering how non-flexible the old vinyl was given that it was over 20 years old, i probably could have used regular spray paint and not busted out for the colorcoat. that said, it was a great product.

 

You deserve to be proud about that Em, It looks great!

I'm impressed!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

SWEET!!! Most excellent post!

 

Exactly what I am looking for on how to fix my boys dash. Great job and great post.

Dave

 

Em, I just thought of something. If you keep up the good advise, you essentially could put Uncle Stosh out of business. I never thought expandable foam and bondo would work together so perfectly. Kind of like the do it yourself white gauges or how to fix a broken factory tach or modifing a newer mount for piller gauges (using bondo) or just diagnosing drivetrain problems. All just a constant inflow of fantastic knowledge, that is why I love this 80-86 site. I guess there are the do'ers in this world, but I think we have the lions share, for there seems to be a pile of them here.
All of You Keep Rockin' On!

 

It'll never happen......

Great job on the dash Em. Now I know what to do with the couple of dash pads that I have that have some minor cracks in them.

I wanted to fill my center speaker hole as well, but was not sure how to go about it.

I'd like to see how the bondo holds up with the sun beating down on it. Hopefully, it won't shrink and crack.

Good job!

 

Looks very good em! I hated my speaker area on my truck so i cut out the old cracking speak holes. Than i place a wire mesh over it to help protect. Looks alright but yours looks great.

I plan on doing this here in the future actualy.

But i have one question. You said you sanded it down. Did you just sand the plastic covering smooth? The only reason you did that was just to make it smooth all over correct? Thanks!

 

You did good!
My trucks dash looks like crap, maybe I can try this.
Most of the time I try interior work, I end up like this

 

thanks <b>guys</b>! It was a good test-case. Hopefully, as stosh notes, it'll hold up in the harsh sun. I'll keep you posted.

i sure agree with that <b>LN150</b>. There's so much knowledge and creativity on this board. I love being a part of it.

that's correct <b>fordnfishin</b>. i just sanded so you wouldnt see any difference in the textures of the smooth bondo patch and the stamped-on original texture of the dash.

oh and we all know that <b>no one will ever put stosh out of biz</b>...ha! he's the master! but maybe i'll be able to keep paying back all the great help i get here with some stuff i learn and make m'self

 

This is my summer project! Sweet!