Dash Pad repair

[blancojp]

Hello All!
I don't know if there is interest in learning on how to repair your dash pad on a GT. The dash on Stealth is pretty bad and we will be restoring it the next week or so.

If there is interest, I will post step by step what is required to bring your dash back to life.

[tomking]

Yes the community is very interested in dash pad repair as most of us have the issue in front of us. I know I do, so please do post it.

[roosterrusek]

Ummmm....Bring it on!

[BobCGT]

Sounds like a winner to me !

[West Coast GT]

Originally Posted by tomking Yes the community is very interested in dash pad repair as most of us have the issue in front of us. I know I do, so please do post it.

Some feel the pun is the highest form of humor. Good one. Discreet too.

[tomking]

Originally Posted by West Coast GT Some feel the pun is the highest form of humor. Good one. Discreet too.

sometimes I do it without even trying!

[baronbors]

Please- please show us how do it with out having to remove the dash- that I would pay big bucks for

[jerseydave]

That would be of great help and could in a long run save people $$$$

[tomking]

I for one would not want to attempt leaving it in place assuming it involved sanding/painting etc. Pulling the dash is really the least of my worries; granted it is a PITA but so is trying to do all that finish work in the car and having all the dust everywhere. I am assuming again.

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by tomking I for one would not want to attempt leaving it in place assuming it involved sanding/painting etc. Pulling the dash is really the least of my worries; granted it is a PITA but so is trying to do all that finish work in the car and having all the dust everywhere. I am assuming again.

There is no way you can do this while the dash sits in place. The interior will get all mared from the sanding and painting. But if you feel brave, you can try it while the dash is in the car.

I will be posting the procedure in the next few days but it is very simple.

1) You need to purchase a bumper repair kit from NAPA or equivalent.
2) Purchase two spray cans of bedliner coating.
3) Purchase one or two spray cans of vinyl paint that matches your interior color.

The object of the game is to repair the damage while allowing the dash to remain flexible. The rubber bumper repair kit does just that, repairs the damage and it is fully flexible better than silicone or epoxy coatings. The bedliner paint blends the repair to the actual dash while giving a slight texture to match the existing and to maintain flexibility. We do it to most cars with odd shape dashes and always a winning result.

Stay tuned.......

[B-townOpeler]

I would love to see how it is done.

Primarily because i have now spent probably over 15 hrs attempting to do the same with mine using what sounds like a similar procedure. What I have found is that it is Very Diffucult, read; nearly impossible, to grind down 40 year old brittle vinyl and feather edge the maybe .125mm thick edge of it, after the upcurved section has been ground away down to an area that is back to the proper contour of the dash, of course. If you are lucky you get about a 2mm wide feather edge for the flexible bumper repair material to adhere to and if you are even luckier you manage somehow not to sand through it while evening things back out again. With all the sanding the "Good" areas (especially near the edges of the cracks) are getting sanded even thinner and are even more prone to cracking. I have finally come close to getting all the cracks out and not finding new ones the next morning that somehow magically appeared overnight. I have put down probably 15 or 20 coats of the flexible vinyl paint and am Praying that it will somehow hold that paper thin 40 yr. old brittle vinyl beneath it together (for more than a summer) after I reinstall the dash while pretending that I am attempting to diffuse a nitro glycerine bomb all the while.
So yeah, Another take on it would be nice. Maybe somehow I will be able to save myself some grief next time around.

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by B-townOpeler I would love to see how it is done. Primarily because i have now spent probably over 15 hrs attempting to do the same with mine using what sounds like a similar procedure. What I have found is that it is Very Diffucult, read; nearly impossible, to grind down 40 year old brittle vinyl and feather edge the maybe .125mm thick edge of it, after the upcurved section has been ground away down to an area that is back to the proper contour of the dash, of course. If you are lucky you get about a 2mm wide feather edge for the flexible bumper repair material to adhere to and if you are even luckier you manage somehow not to sand through it while evening things back out again. With all the sanding the "Good" areas (especially near the edges of the cracks) are getting sanded even thinner and are even more prone to cracking. I have finally come close to getting all the cracks out and not finding new ones the next morning that somehow magically appeared overnight. I have put down probably 15 or 20 coats of the flexible vinyl paint and am Praying that it will somehow hold that paper thin 40 yr. old brittle vinyl beneath it together (for more than a summer) after I reinstall the dash while pretending that I am attempting to diffuse a nitro glycerine bomb all the while. So yeah, Another take on it would be nice. Maybe somehow I will be able to save myself some grief next time around.

First I believe you need to take a big breathand calm down, patience can be rewarding. Se the results below on a typical dash repair, judge for yourself what the end result is.

[wrench459]

Very timely post JB
I'm getting ready to pull the front glass out to change the rubber.
What better time... to fix the dash without removing it.
Now would be a grrrrreat time atleast for me.

[neuropel]

There is an exhaustive thread on this technique on the Alfa website:

Great Dash repair for under $30.00!!! - Alfa Romeo Bulletin Board & Forums

I tried it on my manta and it looked awesome initially, but then I had the main crack show it's ugly head again over the winter in PA (a hairline crack). I used the 3M flexible bumper repair epoxy - a two part kit you can get at parts stores. It remains flexible after it sets. Others swear by this method and say that it holds up in all kinds of weather (some excellent before and after pics at the Alfa site). I think mine cracked again because I may not have given the filler enough time to fully gas out(?). Plus it was REALLY hot and humid when I did the work. I'm going to sand it down and give it another shot. The end result DOES look good. The bedliner makes a good textured finish and the vinyl paint holds up well. It was my first time using the filler - my advice would be to use it liberally, spread it well beyond the margins of the cracks, and then sand it down smooth and flat. If anyone took a close look at my dash at Carlisle you saw the results.

Todd K.

[luch1]

My problem is there is a bit of a dip or bow in my dash right in the middle. Otherwise it is very good condition. Not sure if it was caused by heat or what. Has anyone had this problem and is there an easy (ha ha) fix.

I will keep watching!

[neuropel]

A quick search revealed this thread on the topic from last summer:
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/2b-seat...dashboard.html

Two methods were discussed - one with the bedliner trick, the other utilizing diluted caulk.

Todd

[opelnut10]

Originally Posted by neuropel A quick search revealed this thread on the topic from last summer: http://www.opelgt.com/forums/2b-seat...dashboard.html Two methods were discussed - one with the bedliner trick, the other utilizing diluted caulk. Todd

I used the bedliner method to do my GT dash, the only thing I did different was fill the cracks by using a hot glue gun and allowing it to set up for about a week to cure good. Shaved the cracked area with a razor blade (take your time) and then sanded smooth and cleaned with a good solvent. I shot it with spray-on bedliner and allowed that to cure a couple of days then added another coat. While my GT is garage kept and diven only about 1500 miles per year it has held up very well for 2 years with no sign of cracks "seeping back to the surface. I think taking your time and proper perp has everything to do with the final result (IMHO)

[neuropel]

Originally Posted by opelnut10 I I think taking your time and proper perp has everything to do with the final result (IMHO)

I agree. I think the trick may be to let the filler fully cure for a week or so. You're covering with a thin layer of bedliner that likely expands and contracts at a rate different from the filler underneath. In warm weather, the thin crack that reappeared in my dash actually closes! I'm going to clean it up and try again - one of the good things about this method is that it's cheap and easy to re-do!

Todd

[blancojp]

We have tried several methods and the only one that actually lasts is this one. The trick is not to rush the repair and to make sure no air bubbles are trapped inside.

You will also need several grits of sand paper, starting with #80, the #160, then #320 and finally with #480 or greater. We also use a grid style sanding screen that is used to sand down plaster on sheet rock which gives you a great grainy result. We sand the primary with #80 and after all is even, we coat and sand as required. Once the repaired area looks like a finished dash, then you continue sanding increasing the grit while providing a coat of bedliner spray. We do use one coat of clear as final coat prior to start laying down the color, this seals the repair with flexibility and avoids the usual returning vains when the dash expands under heat.

[GTRoy]

blancojp, great ideas thanks. I have never repaired a dash but have repaired 100s of bumpers/bumper covers, so let me put in my 2 cents worth.
1/ different bumper repair materials are available for "rigid" and "flexible" bumpers, and adhesion promoters are helpful/essential to make repair material stick to some parts being repaired.
2/ heat guns (like high powered hair dryers) are used to shape/reshape flexible covers and might help to force dash material to curl down where it is curled up at cracks, then repair material has more surface to adhere to. A good patch is like water in a low spot in the road (spread out), not like water in a pot hole (sharp edges). Note: I have not experimented with Opel dash, only repaired (non-Opel) bumpers, but if I can find a cracked dash I will play around with it.

[blancojp]

Well, today I got a call and I will be on my way to Vancouver next week. I hate so say this but I will have to postpone the repairs until I return.

[ungermm]

Originally Posted by opelnut10 fill the cracks by using a hot glue gun and allowing it to set up for about a week to cure good. (IMHO)

I like that idea for the smaller cracks. I think the bigger ones are probably easier with either the bumper filler, caulk or the spray/injection insulation foam technique. In some cases where the crack is small or the sides bow up, I found it better to make a wider V cut into the crack and then fill.
Jerry

[edbama2]

I will need to try this on my dash. Looking foward to it. I hope all is ok blancojp.

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by edbama2 I will need to try this on my dash. Looking foward to it. I hope all is ok blancojp.

All is just fine, just the type of work I do requires attention once in a while.
When I return I'll take care of the dash, the A/C and the wiring stages.

[blancojp]

I started on my way home today so I should be ready to attack the dash problems in the next few days. We are going to repair the existing dash and maybe make a few modifications to accept the tweeters and also the new A/C ducts that we are going to install.

I am now down to two Opels since the Animal was sold to a gentlemen in Texas. I believe he will enjoy the car as much as I have and will get the car back to full time road status.