Now I know at some point I might get blasted for this, but hey its just a cracked dash anyways, right. Step one: I got rid of all the loose plastic that was chipping off, in order to make the area as flat as I cold. Step two: Sand. I used some; here it comes,,,,, some BONDO MAN!! LOL. Anyhow, the bondo helped to fill in the cracks pretty well, But When I test painted, the lines cold still be seen. I sat on it for a while, thinking. Step three: Its just a cracked dash right? So I tried it. Yep. I used drywall spackling. Go ahead, lol at me. Just head 1,000 people at once, "WTF"? Well it cleaned up the lines pretty darn good. Oh ya, if you guessed im poor, then your right lol. Step four: Primer, Then paint,= one can each. I am posting a pic of the parts car, with the same cracks mine had. Only thing is on mine, I got lucky and the crack went to the vent, not the grill. Enjoy fellas. All in all I would say that I have about $20 in this "new" dash, & about 2 hours.

More pics.

Just a thought. You may want to go over it with some satin clear. It looks glossy in the pics and may cause quite a bit of glare in the middle of the day with the sun shining.

i have to admit, that looks damn good, if/when mine starts to crack i'll give that a try

i consider myself lucky though, my 86 iroc has the original dash uncracked

Looks good. Nice job!!!

Def looks a lot better. I second the dull up that paint a little. On my old dash I sprayed it a glossy black and it was rough dirving in sunny conditions

it looks great. i wonder how it would hold up to direct sunlight and high temperatures. youre def. on to something with this.

I won't knock you for using joint compound... that's kinda what it's for. My only concern would be that it isn't flexible enough and might crack or separate under the vibration of driving. Only time will tell. I wonder if a flexible urethane repair kit would be well suited for this kind of repair.

Thanks for the comments, and tips guy's. I am hoping the shine will go away a little. The paint was only 2 hours old then. Takes 48 hours to fully dry.

I did also think about the sunlight making it crack more, & im sure it will happen. Only unknown is when. For now I am enjoying myself, trying to find a way, to have something I can be proud of. I cant afford a new pad, & the cap, or cover is not an option.

I am going to set the dash outside in the sun today for a while to see what happens. I will let you guy's know. I hope for some of the shine to go away, & no cracks lol. The paint was put down with two thick coats, & it is for out doors too. So I am expecting it to be ok. Crossing my fingers.

just a tip, always do many thin coats of paint rather than 1 or 2 thick coats. You'll get more consistant coverage and avoid drips/ thick spots when it's done.

OK, well its done now. The only place it looks strange is where the patch was more smooth from sanding. I brought it in a little bit ago, and its still has a pretty big shine. Birds must not like it. They dumped on it twice lol. At least the paint was dry. Well I will see how I like it. May end up putting a cap over it. The caps just cost too much, for what they are.

I'm impressed. I hope that holds up. Don't touch it! lol.

I agree with the satin black to dull it a little.

Nice work, man!

Thanks man. I do want to coat it with another color. I have the texture right now with the hammered paint, but its too glossy. I tried the straight paint once before, & it looked no worse then a new dash right from the factory. Only thing was the patch was too smooth. Ill post pics.

I don't see it holding up. You're not using a flexible material to repair it. And there's no 'structure' in the stock dash pad. It's foam, covered by vinyl, yes? There's no strength in it. You'd have been better off wrapping it in fiberglass, or recovering it.

I see it cracking, particularly if one of your friends gets in and leans on it or something stupid like that.

Mathius

What are the chances of high humidity causeing the joint compound to start molding?

it does look good though.

Well its sealed with primer, & now, 5 coats of paint, so I don't see mold being a problem. Give me an hour or two Ill have new pics.

This may be dumb, but I wonder if caulk would work? It can be sanded down of you work with it enough, and it's also flexible and paintable.

the dash is pressed sheet metal covered in foam on the inside if im not misstaken

Ya I think your right. I remember seeing some metal, But its been about two years since I put the bondo over it.

More pics, with the new color. Im stuck guys. It hides the patch better with the hammered paint, but the color is just not right. Oh well. Sorry about the crap pics. I will set it in the sunlight in a couple days when the paint is cured.

Looks good and if nothing else you took "only a cracked dash" and made a good learning experiment for later. And on top of that you have at least a good temporary.

maybe that you have the basic form back you can wrap it in vinyl.

it looks pretty good to me. And yes, there is a fairly thick steel plate to give the dash pad it's structure. If it's too shiny, just top coat it with satin black spray paint or vinyl dyle that you get in an aerosol can. I used VHT brand satin black vinyl dye in a can on my molded door panels and the rubber handles and it's held up very well over several years. I also used their plastic paint in a spray can for converting interior pieces from tan to satin black. The key is to prep the surfaces well by scrubbing them with a degreaser like dawn dish soap and a soft nylon bristle brush and rinsing well afterwards.

My original idea was to wrap it in suede leather, but what are the odds in getting the corners just right. Its not worth all that work if its not perfect, plus the leather would have to cost at least a bill. Hate to scrap any unique idea that allows me to "screw the man" all the while, looking good in doing so, but I would rather stop taking risk, & just fix it (with a cap).

But its not over yet. Its not on the car yet. May be fine just like it is. Ill have to drive it a few days with the dash on to see if it gets on my nerves. At any rate its better then a cracked dash lol.

Sounds like you know what the deal is with this stuff. Good info. my prep work was sanding, blowing off with compressed air, then damp rag wipe, then rubbing alcohol then primer. You think that it would be ok the way I did it?

i have thought of doing the samething with the cap and all but i've never seen how they've looked. If you get one shoot some pics.

Wow dude not bad at all Heck, I'd do aything to save a few bucks lol. Great job. Props

that sounds like a good prep for paint if it were a metal surface, but i'd worry about the alcohol drying out the vinyl even more, leading to future cracks.

looks great!
i might try that on mine one day, i've got a huge crack in the same place... but until then, i've got a dash cover.. :/

For future reference SEM makes a texture paint that is similar to the original pattern. Not exact, but close.

You can actually do a good repair using fiberglass matte / resin or kitty hair in the cracked areas and then going over with some body filler until smooth.

After your happy with that, spray the complete pad with a good high build primer, then resand

Then spray it with texture paint and a coat of SEM landau black color coat.

It'll be hard versus the stock having a padded feel....but it's actually look almost original and should last.

I did this on a S10 dash to fix the cracks, but I covered it in tweed instead of recoloring it.

Well just a heads up on the dash. Do not do it the way I did it lol. The dash is alive and moving now. Its not looking very good. It was worth a shot but just learn from my mistake, & dont do it. I will post pics some time today.

I was just about to ask about any other ideas. Thanks for the info. Should they have the the SEM at a automotive paint store? Although the info would be good to have, but I can not buy anything else for this car right now. Thanks to my 2 year old headliner costing me $80 to get redone.

ooooh.. thanks for the heads up!

K, here's the ugly. Did this once before, so I added more compound. Thought it was good but no, IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! This car hates me. Seems like it will never be perfect, until I buy everything twice. I am leaving it for a while. Been looking at the car, with no dash for the last two years. Tired of not having one.

ouch.... i guess you're just going to have to suck it up and buy a new one.

its like doing a wall - you have to wait until it is completely dry and then do a light sanding - and more than likely it will dimple in or change.
with any spreading crack you need to stop it at both ends with a round hole or something like that.
but it looked good for a while.

New one? Never. Ill get a cap first. Im not done yet. I just need to take a break. My Gpa died two days ago so I have to drive to Arkansas to stay for a few days, so when I get back its on.

So you think that putting it in the sun shrunk it? I have been doing interior paint on houses and apartments for 4 years now, but its not the same as a dash that's black, & sits in the sun. I did give it three days between coats. At any rate I think the compound was just not the right idea. Back to the drawing board, again. I will keep you guys up to date as I go.

well I have a extra pad layin around im goin to try this and see how it goes. yours looks pertty good tho.

Cool. Good luck with it. Let us know how it turns out.

do NOT put the satin clear it will eat the paint right off trust me did it to one of my rims the other day and i have been working for 2 days to get it all off it turned the paint into mush