How I fixed the cracks in my dash.

[Brandon_Lutz]

Brandon, could ya please show a link to that dash cover? I'm in need of one myself, thanks!

I got mine here from this Ebay Link:
Dash Cover

Here is their official websites GMT400 page: Dashskin

 

[TechNova]

plastic welding didn't work because you have to match the type of plastic exactly, even with nitrogen.
Alot of automotive plastics are a blend, even the ISO code doesn't always tell you what garbage is in the mix.
I have used alot of hot staples, never thought to use them on an interior.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

Update time:

Had a buddy come over yesterday and we installed the new dash cover. Just pulled off the weights, clamps and etc and checked the fit. I'm really, really, really pleased with how it looks. It looks factory again. I would buy one of these again in a heartbeat just over how well they fit.

Install was simple, follow the instructions and clean your dash surface well to strip any oils off of it. I used Windex and a microfiber cloth. Then make sure the back of the dash cover is clean of dust and and apply 100 percent silicone in the areas included in the instructions that come with the dash cover. (The silicone is also included) I had extra silicone so I put some extra in some spots not required, just to make sure it stayed down.

I only deviated from the instructions in one area. Because my original middle vents were gone, the caps center vent grille really had nothing to rest on/support them. So to address that, I took some small stick-on felt pads, drilled a hole in the center of them for the screws to pass through them and stuck them to the bottom of the dash caps screw hole locations. This took up the gap between the bottom of the cap and the metal bracket underneath and allowed the cap some support for the vent area.

We put the cap down, made sure it fit like it was supposed to, clamped and weighted it down and waited for 12 hours to pass for the silicone to dry. Overall, super easy install that is done in minutes. It takes longer to prep the dash and to apply the silicone than it does the actual install. Here are the results as of 8:15 AM. Ignore the cup holder over the glove box, I have not pushed it back down yet for the tabs to lock it in.

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[John Young]

Wow…that’s really nice work. I have a few small cracks in my 93 that I might try with this…I’m always afraid of them growing larger. Fortunately mine has been mainly garage kept so it hasn’t suffered the rash of the the southern sun!

 

[BuiltToWork]

Wow! Looks Great!

 

[Pro439]

I wish they made the whole thing as I have 2 of these trucks planning on getting a 3rd and where the screws go into the defrost vents well I hope they fired the goof that came up with that idea. Whatta cheap setup. 3 screws in the weakest area of the dash duh? The 2 trucks I have have small cracks on a corner but not in the same places and like was said trying to use an epoxy is about impossible as you really don’t know what mixture they used for the plastic. I try to use a sun shield when the sun gets so it’s hot. They should’ve left the vents in the kick panels IMO. My buddy had a new truck. I absolutely hate the divided front seats. The split bench is the best and they don’t bother my back. The ole lady has Toyota and I can’t stand to sit in those seats for more than an hour before it starts messing with my back and legs

 

[Pro439]

That looks awesome by the way. Wonder how long it will stay that way

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

Update on this project. It has been over a year and through one of the hottest summers we have had in a while in Louisiana, everything has held up great.

 

[bigbluesquare]

Update on this project. It has been over a year and through one of the hottest summers we have had in a while in Louisiana, everything has held up great.

Your write up has inspired me to do this to my new tahoe I just picked up