Hey all,
I've been messing around with my 69 Old 442 for about 13 years now. Finally made it to the interior and I'm pumped. Unfortunately the dash pad I picked up several years ago was damaged in storage. Did my best, but I'm not too satisfied. It cracked almost all the way through and has a nice dent on the front. Anyone have any ideas what to do or if there is somewhere I can send it to fix it up? Heard about Just Dashes in CA... not sure I can survive that kind of bill at the moment tho. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

James Mac
1969 Oldsmobile 442 custom build
NJ

 

Hi James,
I came across this page online (I have no affiliation with the company):
https://www.polyvance.com/Repair-Cracked-Dashboard/
I'm not quite sure what you mean by ,"cracked all the way through". I'm looking at the dash as having the vinyl outer, rigid foam underneath that, on top of a plastic frame. If this is just the outer vinyl cracked, I would think you could put a narrow groove in the vinyl (down as deep as the crack goes) with a dremel-type tool, fill it with the above-mentioned (or similar product) and make a reliable repair. The trick may be reproducing the vinyl, "grain". The above web page mentions a spray-on texture product. I have also considered using an old, textured plastic interior piece to press into the filler material as it is setting up (although I haven't used this method).
As far as the ,"dents" in the dash, I would first try a hair dryer to warm the areas and see if they will relax out to their original shape (of course, take it easy not to overheat the area...a heat gun might be too much). Maybe a piece of duct tape on the dash (as long as it can be removed without further damage to texture) or small suction cups pulling forward will help the dents come out.
Of course I don't know the level of your build or skills, but I think a decent, lasting repair could be made with these methods. Good luck with your project!
Mick

 

Awesome. I'll take a look at that stuff more in depth later. I should of attached a photo of the back earlier. The plastic cracked as well and I used plastic weld with stainless mesh. I'm hoping the heat works for the dents, I could probably live with the dash for now since I wont see the top too much. Thanks for the reply and tips Mick.

 

There are 4 options:
1. Vac formed from Just Dashes $$$$
2. Buy a good used one. $$$ (good luck!)
3. Grind, epoxy, polyester fill, polyethylene 1/8 foam, sand, spray with Landau top adhesive and use Apollo 4 way stretch vinyl to do it yourself $$
4. Buy a dash cap from The Parts Place Inc and silicone it on. $

I've not seen anyone post the results of the dash cap, but I have used on other cars and they look great compared to a cracked dash. They would tend to warp a bit in 110F summers, but always returned to shape in cooler temps. Note that you might have to do a little smoothing of the dash before installing the cap.

I need to send my 68 dash to Just Dashes. Maybe we could send both and ask for a volume discount. :-)

 

It sounds like it'll make it to Just Dashes one day... just not this day hahah. I've seen one or two within a few hours of me, but my attempts to reach out for more pics hasn't been answered yet. 3 sounds like a good option... just not sure I trust myself with all that. 4... nope hahahah I can't get myself to do.
I'm open to trying to get a better rate with Jist Dashes any way possible, but sounds like they have the market cornered on this xD.

Thanks Bry

 

They are slowly working up a quote right now. I'll ask what the price is for a two-for. Doesn't hurt to ask.

 

Quoted $950 + $70 return shipping. Black, no paint. No discount for two at a time.