To start this off, I did do a search on dashpad repairs, and what I came up with is that:
1. Most people spend $150 to get a new one every 2 years
2. The rest try the crappy kit from Autozone that makes it obvious you did it yourself
3. A few people have done other things but didnt really tell about it.

A few people talked about getting a carbon fiber or fiberglass mold made and going that route, but I don't think anything ever happened. Is it because it was to expensive? Because I can't see the fiberglass materials costing over $150... maybe the time, but someone must be able to do this stuff. I was also thinking that maybe the cracks could be melted or filled with whatever, sanded smooth, and then use a spray on truck bedliner to paint it and give it some texture. Seems to me it would come out rather well that way. Anyone else have any ideas? My pad has one long crack and a couple chunks off of it, so one way or another I am at least going to atempt whatever the best idea that comes out of this thread is before i spend $150 on a new one that will last a couple years. So lets hear your ideas.

 

who needs to get a new one, when their are plenty of used ones that have nothing wrong with them going for like 60 - 80 bucks.

 

It would be very easy to make a mold off of a good dash pad. I've got all the materials & tools to do it, and have done it for a couple of other parts already. I wouldn't want to have an accident and ram my face or other body parts into shattering fiberglass though. Safety-wise, you should probably stick with the normal dash pads...

 

ive seen people use carpet on the top of it... kind alooks cool and covers all the cracks.

 

Yeah thats called a dash mat. $29.99 at Autozone, Kragen and Pep Boys.

 

what about the dash caps that JC whitney sells. Have any of you tried that?

 

The caps from JC Whitney are $130...little expensive if you ask me. There has got to be a under $50 solution for this.

 

I used the repair kit. It looked horrible. It cracked immediately. I don't know what else to do. I have looked around here for a junker dash, but all that is around here are camaros. Their dashes won't fit my trans am. Too bad for me...

 

82-84 or 85-up ?

i have one of each good used for sale just like alot of other ppl do,
theres plenty of them laying around everywhere, theyre easy to find, but not for trucks and caprcies and stuff, they never crack in the F bodies around here, just in everything else, the truck ones really fall apart, they crack and split and peel up so badly, i cant recall ever seeing a cracked third gen dashpad ever

good luck

 

Right now I'm experimenting the carbon fiber idea. I have just went to the junk yard this weekend and got some bezels and interior pieces. I also purchased some carbon fiber material- this is not like traditional carbon fibering- much like fiberglassing. But this is more of a overlay kit. For my supplier / maker I'm told that you can't tell the difference between this and the real carbon fiber. By doing this it would be much cheaper than getting a new one and better looking than a "do it your self job". It has a exterior life of three years. And it comes in several colors.

 

Sorry I spelt so many words wrong I'm tired and have been listing auctions on eBay all day!!