clok1966
Well-known member
Dash Repair on the cheap
My dash was cracked in several spots, many tabs where gone and some peices where actually missing and the dash rattled horribly when i drove. So this weekend I attmpted to fix it. After tearing it all apart i bought some Sig CA-Medim glue. You can get this stuff at model plane stores. I have a friend who flys models alot and have used the stuff on some high stress plastic repairs and it holds well. I bought some fiberglass cloth-medium. This is also at the hobby store. If I did it over I would use the heavy (medium was pretty light stuff as its for planes). This stuff is pretty easy to work with, its a glue much like crazy glue, but it has a accelerator that makes it dry almost instantly when its sprayed on the glue (acclerator is in small spray bottle). I took a dremel and roughed the areas around the repair so the CA Glue has something to grip. I also did 99% of my repairs ont he back side so it wasnt noticble. I also went to the local Office Supply store and bought a Plastic wastepaper Basket, this was used for broken tabs and missing spots. its slightly thiner then the original plastic. I cut peices and fit them, if it was too thin, i just put two pieces on top of each other to get the correct thickness where it mattered. once the pices where cut and tacked with glue in place, i put fiberglass cloth over it and then dripped the glue on it (it wicks through the cloth easy) and then used the acclerator on it, instantly cured and dry to touch. this project took me about 10 total hours, take dash apart, cut and shape peices (my dash was bad) then glue and so on. I let the stuff cure overnight (not sure i needed to but it was dark anyways when i finished). I installed it all Saturday morning and drove the car all day, the dash was pretty close to rattle/sqweek free. I wasnt sure it was worth it, but I can say haveing all screws holding and the plastic ridgid again my car is almost quiet inside. I did have several screws that where missing and I replaced those too (that was probebly 50% of the battle right there). I have no idea how this will hold, but right now im very happy I did it. Unfortantly now my insdie is quiet enouhg i can hear all the rattles outside, so thats the next project. i wish I had taken some pictures now (Will on my next repairs). here is a link to the glue I used. The thin, medium and heavy is the viscosity, i think medium would work on most repairs as it flows well, thin may be to runny, and heavy is ahrd to get to wick throuhg Fiberglass cloth very well. There may be better stuff out there, but my total cost was about $10 for glue and $4 for the wastepaper basket.
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexText/FSIGCA010.html?E+Sig
Clok
My dash was cracked in several spots, many tabs where gone and some peices where actually missing and the dash rattled horribly when i drove. So this weekend I attmpted to fix it. After tearing it all apart i bought some Sig CA-Medim glue. You can get this stuff at model plane stores. I have a friend who flys models alot and have used the stuff on some high stress plastic repairs and it holds well. I bought some fiberglass cloth-medium. This is also at the hobby store. If I did it over I would use the heavy (medium was pretty light stuff as its for planes). This stuff is pretty easy to work with, its a glue much like crazy glue, but it has a accelerator that makes it dry almost instantly when its sprayed on the glue (acclerator is in small spray bottle). I took a dremel and roughed the areas around the repair so the CA Glue has something to grip. I also did 99% of my repairs ont he back side so it wasnt noticble. I also went to the local Office Supply store and bought a Plastic wastepaper Basket, this was used for broken tabs and missing spots. its slightly thiner then the original plastic. I cut peices and fit them, if it was too thin, i just put two pieces on top of each other to get the correct thickness where it mattered. once the pices where cut and tacked with glue in place, i put fiberglass cloth over it and then dripped the glue on it (it wicks through the cloth easy) and then used the acclerator on it, instantly cured and dry to touch. this project took me about 10 total hours, take dash apart, cut and shape peices (my dash was bad) then glue and so on. I let the stuff cure overnight (not sure i needed to but it was dark anyways when i finished). I installed it all Saturday morning and drove the car all day, the dash was pretty close to rattle/sqweek free. I wasnt sure it was worth it, but I can say haveing all screws holding and the plastic ridgid again my car is almost quiet inside. I did have several screws that where missing and I replaced those too (that was probebly 50% of the battle right there). I have no idea how this will hold, but right now im very happy I did it. Unfortantly now my insdie is quiet enouhg i can hear all the rattles outside, so thats the next project. i wish I had taken some pictures now (Will on my next repairs). here is a link to the glue I used. The thin, medium and heavy is the viscosity, i think medium would work on most repairs as it flows well, thin may be to runny, and heavy is ahrd to get to wick throuhg Fiberglass cloth very well. There may be better stuff out there, but my total cost was about $10 for glue and $4 for the wastepaper basket.
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexText/FSIGCA010.html?E+Sig
Clok
hnoes
