How To Repair a Cracked Dashboard

When restoring older cars, it is often too expensive to replace a cracked dashboard. And, that is assuming a new dash board is available. In cases where new parts are too expensive, too difficult to find, or, impossible to find, you will need to restore what is already there. The padded dashboard on this 1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser is a good example.

Step 1: As you can see, this dashboard has a hole that needs to be repaired. Most old cars and some new cars have dashboards made from vinyl over urethane foam. Over time in the sun, the vinyl gets brittle and the dash board gets cracks. Many newer dashboard don't have any foam at all. Instead, they are made from injection molded TPO or ABS. But, these dashboards can also get cracked or get holes from exposure to the sun.		Step 2: Use 80 grit or 180 grit sandpaper to bevel into the damage. Make sure that you sand out any dried-out and crusty foam, too.
Step 3: Use Plastic Welder to melt some of the polyurethane welding rod into the void that was created when you sanded out the crusty, dried out foam. The urethane rod is very flexible and closely simulates the urethane foam. Turn the temperature all of the way up and the melted rod come out bubbly. Some of the bubbles remain encapsulated within the polyurethane and simulates the foam even more. Overfill the hole slighly. You will be sanding it down and it is better to overfill slightly than having to find out that you need to melt more polyurethane rod into the hole after you have sanded it. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have one of the newer dashboards that don't have any foam, you may skip this step.		Step 4: This is what it looks like after filling the hole.
Step 5: Use 80 grit sandpaper to sand the urethane level with the surrounding area. The urethane is very stretchy and elastic so, if you use really short strokes when you sand, it may just stretch back and forth rather than getting ground away. A good way to prevent the back-and-forth stretching is to put your thumb on top of the sandpaper over the area that you need to sand. Then, pull the sandpaper while maintaining downward pressure with your thumb over the urethane.		Step 6: This is what the damaged area looks like after the urethane welding rod was sanded down.
Step 7: Mix some Padded Dash Filler with the cream hardener according to the instructions. Use a spreader to apply the Padded Dash Filler to the damaged area.		Step 8: Allow time for the Padded Dash Filler to cure. Sand it smooth starting with 180 grit sandpaper and then 320 grit sand paper.
Step 9: This is how it looks after sanding smooth the Padded Dash Filler.		Step 10: Spray on texture coating. You may want to spray the texture coating on something else first. You will get different size texture depending on your spray gun settings and how much you reduce (dilute) the texture paint with lacquer thinner.
Step 11: Lightly scuff the texture coating with a scuff pad to remove any high spots. Sometimes the texture coating can be a little bit rough after it is applied.		Step 12: This is how the dash pad looks before the top coat is applied.
Step 13: A topcoat was applied to match the original color.		Step 14: Here is the finished dash repair and restoration. As you can see, the dashboard looks great. Now, for the rest of the car.

Winter Car Care | Part 1 - Before Winter Storage

If you are taking your vehicle off the road for winter there are a number of things to do before you lock the door and walk away. If you simply let your vehicle sit in the garage for six months, you may return to a dead battery, a damaged engine, ruined tires and a rat's nest under your bonnet or other problems from disuse.
Here's a list of important steps to take before you store a vehicle. Taking these precautions will not only ensure that your car starts when you return to it, but also ensure that its time in storage doesn't shorten the life of its components.
There are several tasks that need to be tackled now before the car is in position in its winter resting place, because once the car is out of sight it can also be out of mind and these jobs will be forgotten.

Part 1 - Before Winter Storage

1. This is the time to give your car a thorough wash and clean using a high-pressure hose  to remove accumulated road dirt from the underside. A steam clean under the bonnet wouldn't go amiss either and will aid inspection and repair of faults that you can attend to in the winter months. After this thorough cleaning, leave the car for a couple of days to allow all the water to drain away.

2. It's also a good idea to deal with any stone chips on the bodywork at this time before rust develops. The Langka chip repair kit makes this a little easier. Rust spots should be painted with Rust Cure.

             

3. Check all lamp assemblies for water or condensation on the inside. If in doubt remove lamp lenses (if possible) and dry out the interiors to prevent long-term condensation of bulb holders.

4. Now is the time to change the oil and filter - before you put your car away. Old oil containing acidic material can damage the engine. Use an oil drain extractor  to remove the old oil and replace with a quality oil such as Millers (all engine oils) and you may find a wrench strap handy for the filter removal.
5. Fill the fuel tank with fresh fuel. Condensation in the tank is a problem in stored vehicles, and it is widely suggested that you fill the tank completely in order to avoid any empty space where water can accumulate and cause the tank to rot. However, the petrol can become "gummy" over time, so it is useful to add a fuel preservative (which should also be used for lawn mowers and other seasonal garden equipment).
An alternative course of action is leaving only a small amount of petrol in the tank, adding stabilizer to it, and upon return to your car -- add fresh petrol to mix with the older stuff. But this needs the addition of Tank Safe to reduce the possibility of corrosion in the fuel tank.

6. Drain and replenish the cooling system with the right proportion of water and anti-freeze to cope with the coldest days of winter. Check with our antifreeze tester. Good antifreeze contains anti corrosion additives and older cars should use Bluecol not orange OAT products.


7. You have the choice of putting your classic car up on blocks or to leave it standing on its road wheels. If it's simply winter storage it's probably easier to leave it resting on its wheels as this will enable you to roll the car out on to your drive-way give it an airing from time to time. If you choose this course it's important to overinflate each of the tyres a few pounds per square inch above their normal pressures (using mini air compressor or tyre inflator) to reduce the flat spot. Check with a tyre pressure gauge.

8. Use a grease gun to apply grease to all grease-points on steering, suspension and driveline.

9. Smear grease onto steel brake and fuel pipes to reduce corrosion.

10. Apply a fresh coat of underside anti-rust preservative like Dinitrol (S307 and others)
 

11. Drain fluid from the screen wash pipes and jets and empty the reservoir. This not only prevents frost damage, but also the forming of sediment in the fluid as it stands.

12. Wax/ Apply a good coating of Blitz wax polish to the bodywork, but don't polish it off (when you put the car back on the road another coat of wax and elbow grease will restore the shine).

13. Polish chrome-work and cover with either lacquer or a generous coating of wax or Vaseline.

14. Clean and vacuum (Wet or Dry Vacuum/ Interior Mini Vacuum Attachment Kit) the interior extensively, being especially vigilant about all food scraps and particles; these can attract small animals. Removing the carpets for heated indoor storage will prevent them from becoming musty

Part 2 - At its winter resting place (To Be Continued...)

REVIEW: Dinitrol 6030 Metalised Body Filler

Special thanks to Mart and his Mustang - 1966 coupe V8 289. Thank you for sharing your review to the Frost community.

(Visit the original blog at http://onemanandhismustang.com/ )

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Dinitrol 6030 Metalised Body Filler

£20 – £30 for 2kg paste + 50g tube of hardener.

   

Background:

Bit of a stupid statement really. I suppose the only way I can give background is on the choice I made. I long time ago I had an old Audi 100 Avant (early ’80s), that went rusty on the aerial mount on the front wing. I purchased the Isopon P38 mix. Again it was mix it up and fill it up job. Yeah it worked but the rust came back trough the filler and sort of fell out the hole along with the rest of that part of the wing. Yes I did use rust treatment, Halfrauds own version, it was rotten as the wing and didn’t work obviously. I swore never to use Isopon again. I was looking on the net and there is much talk of the wing in a tin, Bondo. I have tried to get it here in the UK, without success and keep being pointed to the over priced Isopon. I use Frost for my restoration products and they had a few fillers on there. Dinitrol 6030 Metalised Body Filler (it will just be called Dinitrol going forward, I really can’t keep typin’ that little lot out). I spoke to Frost and they assured me it was good. I looked everywhere for reviews and nothing. So I decided to bite the bullitt and get some, was it any good?
There was no box, just the what it came in, a box with a lot of other stuff. There was the tin and there was the hardener shrink wrapped together. The size I got was the 2kg tin, I’m not sure if there are other sizes, but I reckon I will need this little lot for a start. Price, yeah it’s quite expensive but on a similar cost to P38. Now the book of words (or instructions) for this are impressive, it’s a two-part polyester vacuum processed product. What that means is it should be smooth and no pores (air pockets).

In the box:

There was no box, just the what it came in, a box with a lot of other stuff. There was the tin and there was the hardener shrink wrapped together. The size I got was the 2kg tin, I’m not sure if there are other sizes, but I reckon I will need this little lot for a start. Price, yeah it’s quite expensive but on a similar cost to P38. Now the book of words (or instructions) for this are impressive, it’s a two-part polyester vacuum processed product. What that means is it should be smooth and no pores (air pockets).

Dinitrol paste	Dinitrol back	Dinitrol hardener

Mixing:

Opening the tin will great your nose with that classic epoxy resin smell. Next was the colour, I say that because I was not sure what to expect, it was silver in colour. I expect the high levels of aluminium in the past had something to do with it! The surface had a little oil separation which was soon sorted out by the stirring of the paste until it had all gone. The consistency of the past is fairly thick, but not thick enough to support the applicator on its own when there is a little amount in the mixing tray. I use old take out plastic trays which are perfect for the job. I have used this one before and it still has the old batch of  filler stuck to the bottom of the plastic. Now this tray was non treated and shiny. The relevance being that I tried to crack it off the plastic to get a clean surface. That were not happening! I tried with a pallet knife, same, I couldn’t get it off. This made me smile as things were looking good from about two months ago where I used it on the headlight buckets. I purchased a set of three spreaders or applicators to use. The tiny ones are useless and give an uneven spread on larger surfaces. Treat yourself to a decent set.

needs a mix for the seperation	fully mixed paste	mix tray - not the old filler that I tried to get off! It was stuck solid on the bottom

Take out an approximate amount of the paste required into the tray, and seal the tin back up. Next take the hardener and apply a small amount to the paste approx 2%. Not enough and it will take days to dry and remain sticky and clog the sander up. Too much and you have about two minutes to use it. The correct amount will give you six or seven minutes of mixed tub life to spread it. The hardener is bright pink to go with the silver paste. Any more colours and Andy Warhol could create the next best thing!

paste amount	hardener	mixing

Mixing in the paste still stays as silver. It does not change consistency at all. It just feels right like how a good paste should be, if that makes sense. Now get this: according to the book of words (instruction guide), this filler is able to fill cracks or dents to a depth of 10mm in vertical panels. Now if you have a dent that bad you should be banging it out to start with.

Application and Spreading:

Lifting the paste out does not drip or string away from the applicator. Placing it on the surface you are able to spread it with incredible precision. You can make it as thick as you like, or as thin as you like. There are no bubbles to burst, just a nice smooth creamy feel to it. You would think that with all the aluminium in their that it would be granular, but it’s honestly not, the eyes deceive you. I have gone a little over board with the application on the pictures here as I am also doing this as part of my Bumper Stone guard work which can be found here. The reason for the mess is to show how it works on the sanding and the results.

Dent from spanner?	Application	Dent filled
All over the dent	Stamp marks from the underside	Stamp marks being covered
Stamp filled	Super fine fill

 Sanding:

When you sand this stuff down it is so easy. The sander will touch the filler and it goes away to an ultra fine white powder. This will sit in any low spots and show you where they are. If they are to low leave and apply a second coat. But, if you get this right, you only need to apply lot. Am I mad to say that? Nope, look at how I layered the filler on, just to prove the point I didn’t spread it out to well either. You can get it ULTRA fine while spreading, so fine you can see through it as the picture shows. They say you can start sanding after twenty minutes in ideal conditions. I left mine overnight in the utility room and sanded the next day. Perfect results.
Out came the Dewalt sander (review here), I will let you into little tip I have for you;
I keep my discs in a tub labeled up, so I don’t mix them up and I know what is where without having to huint for them. I found this tub in a stationers for a less than £1 on offer. I thought I would give it a go for that price. The dividers are card thats all. 10 mins to knock up and plenty of time saved. Or am I sad, maybe OCD?? let me know with a comment
The sanding started with the 180g (grit), and done a quick run over the worst parts. It soon took it down to a workable level.Tip: The powder does tend to be so fine it will sit on the disks and fill them up. I use an old wire brush just to brush the build up off, which comes of real easy and then I start again.
The filler does not eat away at the discs and a constant changing of discs is not required. I then went up to the 240g and then the 320g. At this point running your fingers across the surface and it feels like glass. I mean its smooth. Yes there was a bit of bare metal exposed and there was a depth of filler. This is to level it all out. I got that result in about an hour!

first pass with 320grit, mirror finish	320grit on stamp

Results: 

How can you measure the results? Does it fall out or crack? Does it shrink? Does it sand?
The filler does not shrink, It does not crack and it sands smooth. I mean real smooth. The fact that it feels like glass and that is with only the 320g must say something. I have 400g to use as well but I didn’t need it. I will use that on rubbing down the high fill primer.  I mentioned that I could not get the previous use of filler of the bottom of the tray from plastic. I twisted it, bent it and chiseled it with a spreading knife, it stayed on. Under normal circumstances I don’t expect this stuff to crack peel or fall out. I have used it previously on my headlight buckets and they stayed in the shed over the -16deg we recently had weather wise. They are still as good as the day I put the filler in.
I love this stuff, I would serious recommend that if you want a quality filler, this will not let you down.

Rating: 10 out 10

What did it look like with the primer? Like new, thats what I looked like!

Second thin coat of high fill primer	What dent?

How to clean the soft top with Renovo products

Convertible Car Care Products

3 steps to make your soft-top like NEW with RENOVO  Renovo products are water based in order to be entirely kind to your soft-top (Souces: Renovo recommends)

		FABRIC SOFT TOPS		VINYL SOFT TOPS
STEP1: Clean your soft top		Ensure that your soft top is completely clean and free of any previous applications of water-proofer by applying Renovo Soft Top Canvas Cleaner (U213) according to the instructions on the bottle; then allow to thoroughly dry. As an approximate guide there will be two to four applications in a 500ml bottle; this will depend on how dirty the Soft Top is and how liberally the Soft Top Canvas Cleaner is applied.		Ensure that your soft top is completely clean and free of any previous applications of water-proofer by applying Renovo Vinyl Soft Top Cleaner (U211) according to the instructions on the label. The solution can be left to work for several hours or further applications may be used if the top is particularly dirty! As an approximate guide for an average size convertible top there are one to three coats in a 500ml bottle this will be dependant on the size of the Soft Top, how liberally the product is applied and how dirty the Soft Top is!
STEP 2: Revive the colour of your soft top		When the soft top is dry, apply Renovo Soft Top Reviver (U214/U215) according to the instructions on the label. Reviver should be applied out of direct sunlight. Colour depth will increase according to how many coats are applied. As an approximate guide for an average size convertible top there are two coats in a litre bottle and one coat in a 500ml bottle. It is important to allow each coat to dry completely before applying further Reviver.
STEP 3: Protect your soft top from the elements		When the convertible top is completely dry apply Renovo Ultra Proofer (U217/U218) according to the instructions on the label. Ultra Proofer should be applied out of direct sunlight. As an approximate guide for an average size convertible top there are two coats in a litre bottle and one coat in a 500ml bottle. It is important to allow each coat to dry completely before applying further Ultra Proofer. We recommend that you re-apply Ultra Proofer at approximately six monthly intervals to maintain optimum protection!		When the soft top is completely dry apply Renovo Vinyl Ultra Proofer (U212) according to the instructions on the label. Allow the Vinyl Ultra Proofer to dry completely before taking the car out in wet weather! As an approximate guide for an average size convertible top there will be one to three coats in a 500ml bottle; this will again be dependent on the size of the Soft Top and how liberally the product is applied. We recommend that you re-apply Vinyl Ultra Proofer at approximately three monthly intervals to maintain optimum protection!
STEP 4: Clean and polish your plastic screen		Apply Renovo Plastic Window Polish (U219) at regular intervals to restore and maintain the clarity of cloudy plastic screens. As an average guide there will be a few applications in a 50ml bottle and hence several more in the 100ml bottle; this will depend on how opaque the screen is and how liberally the Plastic Window Polish is applied.

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