dash pieces restoration....

[John P.]

Hello,
I am no where near working on the interior but I have all the original parts the dash board door panels and the instrument piece and the glove box piece, My question is I want to keep these original pieces but there are a few issues with them

The dash board has a crack on the passenger side about 2-3 inches long anyway I can fix that?

And the door panels on the bottoms the vinal has pulled away from the staples and a few places are torn slightly.
There is also a chunk out of the drivers side door panel about the size of a dime..

The dash pieces look brand new except for some rust on the back metal supports

Do you all think these are salvaglble?

[Jack H.]

Re: dash pieces restoration....

Miracles can be worked by those who specialize in vinyl repair (maintain restaurant seating, Etc.). I've had original interior pieces repaired so well you can't see the original damage, but it can be a consignment affair.... You give the pieces to the vinyl restorer, he sees if he has appropriate texture mask in stock (if not, he orders using a small sample clipped from a backside surface-could be a 3-week lead time item) then does his 'magic'.

This isn't always a quick/cheap route. Typical Shark dash with major split(s) can run $125 or so to repair, but you do retain the original pieces and save a few $$$ compared to reproduction items.

One word of caution, the reason vinyl interior components chip, split, crack is they're outgassing, losing plasticizers, and becoming hard/brittle. An invisible repair is just that (a 'fix') -- it can't turn back the hands of time an make everything fresh/new again! Sooooo, when you go to install a repaired trim part that has to flex/bend to fit into place (e.g. the Shark upper dash), be REAL careful handling it or you'll simply generate a fresh/new split....

[Wayne P.]

Re: dash pieces restoration....

Johnny,
I would look for good used or just replace except for your dash pieces that aren't cracked. Dash pads are still pretty easy to find. The door panels are another concern.

[Bill C.]

Re: dash pieces restoration....

Try Dr. Vinyl a national franchise. Good luck

[John P.]

Re: dash pieces restoration....

Thanks guys,
The big thing Is if I can keep the originals and get them fixed for X amount of dollars vrs buying new it will help with the budget and I will also have the originals and I like that idea

johnny