tackling my dash cracks.

[eurotrashedE21]

i cant stand dash cracks and after searchin finding a crackless dash isnt easy so i took it upon myself to get mine looking as best i can. what i started with 2 part sandable epoxy filled the cracks and scraped excess away with razor blade sand it until amost all extra is gone tryin to reveal as much as possible the original veins finished result after using dupli color vinyl dye. this is a close up and these 2 are under a fluorescent light to try and show the crack. dash is actually not this shiny, just reflection off the light. the absolute best i could get it to show up with the light at just the right angle.

[Rickysbmw320i]

Holy sweetness!

Nice Job

[jrcook320]

very nice job. Beats the huge $$ for a new crack free dash. Added to faq.

[TheNeek]

You're my hero. I will do this IMMEDIATELY when my car comes back from paint. Thanks for adding to the FAQ Josh, this one is surely a gem.

[ross1]

Big improvement, congratulations.

[320iCar]

wow very nice job. well done

[DEZIAC]

damn, I was always a sceptic of these kits, but know I'm completely sold. Good Job!

Which kit did you use? I've never taken the dash out before, is it a big ordeal?

[eurotrashedE21]

this wasnt a kit. just some 2 part epoxy i had and i used dupli colors vinyl dye. the dash came out fairly easy. few things that tripped us up were the speedo cable to the back of the cluster and then the 2 screws inside the vent control knobs. be careful as if you pull without finding them you will break them.

[Rennsurfer]

VERY nicely done! I echo what DEZIAC posted... please share. Thankfully, my E21 dash is pretty good shape due to being garaged all of it's life. But I need to do the epoxy thing to my wagon. It has two cracks that I don't dig. Like Bimmers... way too expensive to replace. I'd much rather do what you did.

[TheNeek]

this wasnt a kit. just some 2 part epoxy i had and i used dupli colors vinyl dye. the dash came out fairly easy. few things that tripped us up were the speedo cable to the back of the cluster and then the 2 screws inside the vent control knobs. be careful as if you pull without finding them you will break them.

Think you could fire a shot of your removed dash and indicate where the attachment points are? I'm still wondering if I'll remove my dash or not to do this.

[jrcook320]

It's super easy with the windshield out. there's a stud on either side close to the a-pillars, 2 push-in tabs toward the middle that just snap straight down into the body, and the brace above the glove box.

I swapped my dash, including pulling and re-installing the windshield, in one evening after work. I drove the car to work in the morning.

[Bimmerevsalot]

Wow, that repair does look great!

Not to heist the thread... but I've been kicking around the idea of covering my dash with something like leather or alcantara - a'la expensive Italian cars...

Anyone done this?

What do you guys think?

[Jester323]

I've thought about the leather idea too, but it will take a bunch of trial & error to the get the gauge cluster, heater control panel, vents, etc. to fit right afterwards, so you would need to remove some material from these areas prior to the overlay.

I had a couple of small cracks start in mine & I filled them with black RTV silicone with excellent results.

[3BMW3]

Looks good, but I think you'll find that the cracks will come back fairly soon. Not as big as they were before, but they'll be back. The problem is a two part epoxy has no flex in it. As the dash goes through heating and cooling cycles, road vibrations, etc., the dash will flex and move around the rock hard epoxy - and the cracks will result.

(Ask me how I know, lol).

[eurotrashedE21]

this is flexible epoxy my friend. this isnt my first rodeo

[dhlthr]

Good job! I once took lesson on vinyl/leather repair, we use to use spray grain to achieve texture over the repaired area before dying. Here is a link showing this.
http://www.leatherrepairkits.com/ind...products.shtml

Also on hard surface that need grain you can actually use superglue, you sponge in on lightly but with rough texture and then sand flat, low areas will be the vain. Also the rock chip paint works well this way. Spray far away and you will have small pebble texture. Spray closer and bigger texture. You always sand between coats to flatten tops. I believe I still have some old VHS tapes showing how to repair items. I'll see if I can get them on my computer and youtube them.

[jrcook320]

I've thought about the leather idea too, but it will take a bunch of trial & error to the get the gauge cluster, heater control panel, vents, etc. to fit right afterwards, so you would need to remove some material from these areas prior to the overlay.

I had a couple of small cracks start in mine & I filled them with black RTV silicone with excellent results.

I did the exact same thing. I have about a 1/4" crack starting at the corner of the gage hump that is almost impossible to see now.

A friend of mine had a local upholstery guy cover the dash in his 944 with marine grade vinyl. To get vinyl to fit a multidimensional dash he sewed the seams, al la bmw m6. It looked awesome enough that I was going to have him do my old cracked dash someday. Then the poor guy had a heart attack and died.

[dblsprt68]

Very COOL! I'll have to do this on my car too!

[pthm]

sweet the only little cracks on my green cars dash are tiny. so I think I am gonna do it to it once its all finished

[HenryHide1886]

It's super easy with the windshield out. there's a stud on either side close to the a-pillars, 2 push-in tabs toward the middle that just snap straight down into the body, and the brace above the glove box.

I swapped my dash, including pulling and re-installing the windshield, in one evening after work. I drove the car to work in the morning.

Pulling the windshield is not necessary to remove the dash. You just have to remove the center radio paneling and glove box. Then just search out the nuts and voila. I have done it twice now at the junkyard. Once the nuts are off you just have to lift up and the dash pops out. Shouldn't take much force.

[B6 532]

Is it necessary to drill little holes at the spots where the crack ends to avoid future cracks at the borderline ? Basically the way you do it with sheetmetal.

[jrcook320]

Pulling the windshield is not necessary to remove the dash. You just have to remove the center radio paneling and glove box. Then just search out the nuts and voila. I have done it twice now at the junkyard. Once the nuts are off you just have to lift up and the dash pops out. Shouldn't take much force.

Pulling the dash with the windshield in place is easy. Putting it back in with the windshield still in is possible, but not so easy. I've done both ways, I prefer to pull it, but I have a soft & pliable new windshield gasket so it's not difficult.

[joeworkstoohard]

looks good, have to try it

[tribri]

I think the pics links are broken.

[pommeree]

I think the pics links are broken.

Yep.
Now shows only two black doors and a vandalized hood.