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More on dash crack repairs...
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Posted by RayF (more from RayF) on Mon, 14 Mar 2005 08:53:58 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Silicone gloss is quite noticeable..., RayF, Sun, 13 Mar 2005 19:22:31
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Looked back and even with Search I can't find what I thought I posted re dash cracks so guess I wrote it and never hit "Post" or something. Or else it's on the Detail bulletin board - - yeah, that's it. But for those on this BB, here it roughly is again:
One thing I thought of too late is to drill a small hole at the ends of existing cracks to serve as a stress relief and stop them continuing, as is done on cracking steel etc.
I stuck a blade in the cracks and crushed back some of the foam inside to let my filler (epoxy mixed with a touch of black artist's paint to get color right) key to the dash better. It seems to set up and bond fine even with the little bit of paint in it.
The edges of the cracks tend to curl up and I didn't try but recommend hitting them with a heat gun to bend those edges down flush with rest of dash before doing any filling.
Need to fill in steps because it's hard to get enough epoxy in at one time.
I used a flat toothpick to pick up and place epoxy. Keep excess off rest of dash. I used a rag or paper towel with paint thinner to wipe it frequently as I worked.
Wiping with thinner just as epoxy is setting dulls the gloss. My plan when I've placed enough is to try to fill just to top edge and dull by wiping, but any that gets overfull or dries glossy, I'll sand with extra fine sandpaper.
I don't expect a miracle, just better than the silicone I tried first.
I'm doing this on a spare dash I pulled at a junkyard so can get at it and control things better than installed in a car.
Another possibility is fill with epoxy to near to top, then use one of those plastic repair kits with graining paper and a heat iron to do the top layer.
Read a post asking about vaseline as preventive dash treatment, and the guy who posted it got hooted off the Detail board, but I think he had an idea that might work. I'm not big on chemistry but think that most plastics contain an oily component (called a plasticizer) that's sort of like the moisture in a kitchen sponge. Dried out, plastic is brittle, but with plasticizer in it it can stretch and flex. Sunlight and age and air oxidize the plasticizer, and cleaning and coffee spills wash it out of the plastic, and then under heat stress you get the cracks.
If you apply vaseline like a "mud mask" facial and leave it on for a day or so in sun, then wipe and clean the surface with a mild detergent or soap and water, I think it might slow or prevent cracking and not make too glossy or oily a dash.

posted by 70.16.9...
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