repairing cracked dash...

[draggin95niss]

just curious what others think about this...im wanting to repair my cracked dash and paint it, my question is should i epoxy it together while still in the truck so evrything stays in position or should i pull it out first? the mounting points in the defrost vents are broke out completely but still there so the dash kinda bounces on bumps and is getting worse as time goes on...jst wanting sum input from others...im thinkin to repair it still installed but maybe sumbody else more experience with it....

 

[great white]

Google for "gm rattlestop".

Epoxy your broken pieces back in and install clips.

Done.

If you do it "in place", tie a piece of string through the bolt hole while you set it with epoxy.

The cursing will be long and loud if you slip and drop the little piece of plastic down the defroster vents.....

 

[bluex]

Rattlestop can be found here....

http://walkingjdesigns.myshopify.com/products/dashboard-reinforcement-kit-gm-trucks

 

[draggin95niss]

i want to glass and paint my dash so those clips really wont work for me....besides i can make them...thanx tho....

 

[eric.s.t]

if your going through the trouble of pulling your dash out, i would just replace it. It would be easiest way to fix it. You'll be able to the work you would like on the dash without spending time fixing it. Just a thought.

 

[great white]

Remove and replace are your only viable options given the new info.

Plastic will eventually re-crack without additional reinforcement.

 

[BHBurban]

I don't think epoxy will work in you case, as the the dash has no porosity, and is probably impregnated with silicone based chemicals (armor all, etc.) It would eventually crack. I would use some thick viscosity cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) and accelerator from a hobby shop.

Replacement is the better alternative.

 

[dkennedy]

I don't think epoxy will work in you case, as the the dash has no porosity, and is probably impregnated with silicone based chemicals (armor all, etc.) It would eventually crack. I would use some thick viscosity cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) and accelerator from a hobby shop.

Replacement is the better alternative.

CA (super) glue is my preferred finish for my duck calls, pens, and other small wood turnings so I use a lot of it, and IMO would be an even worse alternative to a plastic epoxy due to it's brittleness. With that said, between all of the flexing and the extreme temperatures the dash would be subjected to, an epoxy would not be a permanent fix either. It would suck to spend the time and effort repairing and refinishing the dash only to have it re-crack.

 

[draggin95niss]

just tryin to save sum cash instead of buyin a new dash which was my last resort....what about plastic welding from the back? ive repaired tons of panels that way in the past at work....but they didnt seem to be so brittle....

 

[draggin95niss]

ive started to epoxy it already so hopefully it will hold together for removal and ill try to plastic weld it...guess worse case i can built a custom dash....or transplant a sheet metal dash in...dont really wanna get that far into it but it always seems to end up that way...