dash pad restored--tutorial

[cameoWS6]

I thought my 1978 Trans Am dash was hopeless.  As I pushed on the cracked top, two brittle areas opened up to about 8” in length.  But, using Roadking77’s posts on this forum as my guide I was able to restore this dash.

Cleaning the dash began with 90% rubbing alcohol, followed by Upol wax and grease remover.  Then a hot water Dawn Powerwash scrub and rinse using a 3M gray fiber pad.  Dashes get treated to a lot of Armor-All and silicone so don’t skimp on the cleaning.

Pushing on the dash revealed brittle areas and opened the cracks.  Fortunately, the foam beneath the covering was soft and intact.  A sanding drum on the Dremel beveled the edges.  80 grit scuffed the areas where filler would be applied.  It might not be necessary but I wiped on a vinyl prep just before applying filler to ensure adhesion.

[cameoWS6]

I cut Fibafuse mesh drywall tape in a patch to cover the entire open area, overlapping the edges.  This is the mesh tape with NO adhesive.  Think of it like rebar in concrete, a reinforcement.   Then I mixed a golfball size batch of Polyvance 2050-9 flexible filler and pressed this into the foam, working it under the edges of the damaged area.  I then pressed the Fibafuse tape into the wet filler and layered more filler on top of the tape, overlapping the edges.  This forms a thin layer of filler that will cure in 20 minutes.  Initially I sanded with 80 grit.  I then applied multiple thin layers, block sanding with 220 grit to level the surface. Treat the filler just as you would Bondo on body work, using X motion to eliminate waves.

Mask anything you haven’t removed from the dash.  I found it easiest to just remove everything.

After sanding the dash surface and patches to 400 grit, I wiped vinyl prep only on the original dash material (not on the Polyvance filler), then sprayed with SEM Flexible Primer Surfacer 39133.  You may not need the primer but it’s a surfacer that fills imperfections like sand scratches and it sands beautifully, allowing one to block sand to a truly even surface.  Then apply the SEM 39853 Texture Coating; experiment first to establish the distance and movement speed that will give the texture you want.  This is an art but note that several parts of the dash have different textures—the ashtray, glove box and lower panels are not quite like the larger dash area.  I dusted on the texture from about 18”, not allowing the spray to flow on the surface.  When the texture is dry the surface can be evened out with a a very light 400 grit sanding.  Then I experimented with a small area painted with the SEM Color Coat.  If the texture had been too coarse I would have re-done it.  The Color Coat moderates the surface texture a bit.  I did not texture the entire dash, just blended the repaired areas with the existing grain; for example on the passenger side I brought the texture down to the grab handle area as a natural transition.

[cameoWS6]

Finally, apply SEM Color Coat.  Don’t forget to prep and paint the glove box door, ashtray and lower panels.  The SEM Color Coat applies easily and is durable.    The SEM 39853 texture is black so heavier top coat color is needed for hiding if your interior color is light.  I topcoat with the SEM low luster clear as it looks right.  If you have the GM Camel Tan interior like I do, the SEM 15173 Camel is a perfect match.  Color Coat can also be applied to metal and I used it to refinish the steel top portion of my dash.  SEM has instructions and videos on these products; check out both YouTube and the SEM site.    If you use all of the products described, you’ll have about $120 in material costs but compare that to a $1000 rebuild or a less attractive dash cap. 

I've included pics--if you download and enlarge you can really see the texture in one of the macro shots.  The dash looks great now and no one would believe that this is not a brand new dash.  Thanks again to Roadking77.   

[b_hill_86]

That’s pretty impressive. Thanks for taking the time to explain and photograph.

[cameoWS6]

Thanks.  I just finished this yesterday in an attempt to beat the rain here in WA.  I was painting outside.  Honestly, I did not expect this to turn out so well which is the reason I jumped on here right away before I forgot some details.  I was intimidated by the texture process but that was easier than expected.  I think even the most perfectionist Pontiac guys won't notice that this is a resto.  Here's another close up of the texture transition. Phil

[roadking77]

Beautiful job!
I am not trying to take anything away from the excellent work you did, but I have told many people before that its not all that hard and worth trying yourself if you have a bad dash. It just takes a little time and a skilset to do the filler work. The one I did for my black car is still holding up well after at least 8 years, maybe more. I have one I started and stopped midway through on the shelf in the barn and it still looks like it did when I stopped working on it a couple of years ago. So I feel confident those products will hold up over time.
They may not be 100% perfect this way, and someone like just dashes will do a pro job with vacuum forming but for the end results and the price, this technique is hard to beat

[Wallington]

Looks good, the texture is neat. Hopefully it holds up. Many of these style of repair jobs when checked back a later on have already failed.

[roadking77]

Ben, did you read my post?  I have repaired several dashes (and a console) with this method. I have one in my 77 that gets regular use that still looks like the day it was finished. Been on the road for about 8 yrs now. I have one in the upstairs bedroom just because and it still looks perfect. Another I started and am about half way through and again 2 or 3 years on still looks like the way I left it.

[Wallington]

Yep, and great to hear. Many aren't. Although naturally they tend not to give updates, just when you ask.

[cameoWS6]

8 years is a pretty good record for the repair.  I think my original may have cracked somewhere around 8-10 years.  It was roadking77's comment on how durable his dash repair has been that encouraged me to give it a try.  I do believe that the weakness to this approach is the age and brittleness of the original dash, so who knows if it will fail elsewhere?  I will say that the SEM flexible repair material seems like it is tougher than the original dash, after all they use it on urethane bumpers.  If it fails I'll jump back on the thread and update.

[roadking77]

I will ad, the first couple of dashes I did I did not use the fibre tape. I was concerned with the 'cold joint' between the new material and the old material. That part has still held up over all this time. I only started using the fibre tape on the last couple of dashes and the console I did. Like Cameo said, it will act like a re-inforcement and it will also sand away to nothing if an edge becomes exposed.
All this talk has me wanting to get the dash off the shelf and finish it up!

[cameoWS6]

Roadking:  you should do it.  I'm sure that your past experience will make the next dash even better than the others.  And won't take long.  I know that I agonized over each step and spent way too much time with the long board; after all these dashes weren't very straight to begin with.  I bought my 78 new in 78 so I saw the flaws as-delivered.  But the TA dash and interior are a definite eye-catcher worthy of restoration to a high level.  The only downside of  doing another dash is the cost of that tiny can of SEM filler.

[roadking77]

Yes, the filler is not cheap for the amount you get. I hope you did not waste any. With bondo (actually rage gold) that I buy by the gallon there is always a bit of extra that sets up before it can be used. I probably waste 1/3 of the total can. With the padded dash filler I only mix up about a golf ball size at a time and make sure I put it on quickly. I try to have zero waste with that stuff.