85 chevy pickup dash

[doctrdoo]

has anyone covered their dash with any material instead of dash caps? it seems that i haven't read anything good about dash caps on this site. i know my dad and i covered the dash from an old 74 ford maverick that i had in black vinyl  awhile back and it looked prety good.just a thought.

[VileZambonie]

I have done it. Nothing I ever did seemed worth the effort for the end result. I just bought a new GM dash pad for $250 bucks and it's looks and fits beautiful!

[Z28 c10]

I did mine with soft vinyl. It only cost about $50, all material included.

 JayTater

 Z28 C10

Edited by: Z28 c10 at: 9/24/06 4:18 pm

[doctrdoo]

Z28 c10-thats along the same line as i was wanting to do with my dash. how did you do it? was there an article that you followed?what kind of prep work did you do?sorry about all the questions but it was a while ago that i helped my dad recover 1 and i dont remember how we did it. any help and suggestions would be great.

[Z28 c10]

Start out with about 40 grit paper and get real good around the instrament cover area. Afterwards, wipe it off with some denatured alcohol or simalar solvent. Shoot the vinyl and the dash with a GOOD quality contact adhesive and let them both sit to dry for about 10 or 15 minutes. Start applying the vinyl at the front ( defroster area) then work back, use a heat gun on low heat setting, or a good hair dryer on highheat setting to stretch the vinyl around the deep curves. use a peice of 1X3 with a small pad on it to press the vinyl to the dash. You could also use a Bondo spreader, just don't pull too hard or the vinyl will rip when it's hot,

 JayTater

 Z28 C10

Edited by: Z28 c10 at: 9/24/06 9:56 pm

[doctrdoo]

thanks Z28 c10 for the info. what about cracks in the dash?i know that you need to sand them down, but what about filling the cracks in? i've heard of filling them in with bondo, caulking or sealant.any ideas on this? thanks

[123 pugsy]

The material at the cracks always curls upwards ,so you should cut out both sides of the cracks at a 45* angle with a utility knife. I've used bondo on a beater truck in the past and it held pretty good.Should be fine with vinyl covering it.