How To Repair Crack In Vinyl Dashboard

When restoring older cars, it is oftentimes too expensive to replace a cracked dashboard. And, that is assuming a new dash lath is available. In cases where new parts are as well expensive, likewise difficult to find, or incommunicable to find, you volition need to restore what is already in that location. The padded dashboard on this 1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser is a skillful example.

Step one

As you can see, this dashboard has a hole that needs to be repaired. Near old cars and some new cars have dashboards made from vinyl over urethane foam. Over fourth dimension in the sun, the vinyl gets brittle and the dash board gets cracks. Many newer dashboard don't accept any foam at all. Instead, they are made from injection molded TPO or ABS. Only, these dashboards can also get cracked or get holes from exposure to the sun.

Step 2

Utilize 80 grit or 180 dust sandpaper to bevel into the damage. Brand certain that you sand out any dried-out and crusty foam, too.

Step three

Melt some of the polyurethane welding rod into the void that was created when you sanded out the crusty, dried out foam. The urethane rod is very flexible and closely simulates the urethane cream. Turn the temperature all of the mode up and the melted rod come up out bubbly. Some of the bubbles remain encapsulated inside the polyurethane and simulates the cream fifty-fifty more. Overfill the hole slighly. You will be sanding it downwards and it is improve to overfill slightly than having to find out that you need to cook more polyurethane rod into the pigsty afterwards y'all accept sanded it. Important NOTE:If you accept one of the newer dashboards that don't have any foam, y'all may skip this step.

Footstep 4

This is what it looks like later on filling the pigsty.

Step 5

Utilize lxxx grit sandpaper to sand the urethane level with the surrounding surface area. The urethane is very stretchy and elastic so, if you use really short strokes when you lot sand, it may just stretch dorsum and forth rather than getting footing abroad. A proficient manner to prevent the back-and-along stretching is to put your thumb on top of the sandpaper over the area that yous need to sand. Then, pull the sandpaper while maintaining downwards pressure with your pollex over the urethane.

Step 6

This is what the damaged surface area looks like subsequently the urethane welding rod was sanded down.

Step 7

Mix some Padded Dash Filler with the cream hardener according to the instructions. Utilise a spreader to employ the Padded Dash Filler to the damaged area.

Footstep 8

Allow time for the Padded Dash Filler to cure. Sand information technology smooth starting with 180 dust sandpaper and then 320 grit sand paper.

Step 9

This is how it looks subsequently sanding smooth the Padded Dash Filler.

Stride 10

Spray on Flextex VT. You lot may want to spray the texture coating on something else first. You volition become dissimilar size texture depending on your spray gun settings and how much you reduce (dilute) the Flextex with lacquer thinner.

Step 11

Sometimes, the Flextex may get piddling "nibs" on it that can easily be knocked off past lightly scuffing the surface with a scuff pad.

Pace 12

This is what it looks like. Of class, Flextex is black. If your dashboard is black, you are finished. If not, you are going to need to put a glaze of paint over the peak of the Flextex.