reno928s

Few days ago I purchased a product from Permatex called leather and vinyl repair kit. Tried it and it worked great. First I cut little pieces of cloth about 1/4 inch and inserted it into the crack using a thin spatula. Then I filled the crack with the bonding filler. Becareful, just inside the crack. Let it dry for about 4 hrs. Then I used the color filling glaze. In the final step I matched up the pattern paper of your dash and applied heat. It actually worked. Brst 12.50 I spent. Sal

rgs944

Thread revival. There is not a lot of information on filling cracks in the dash that I found with my search. I recovered my pod and really do not want to tear the car further apart at this point. I have cracks coming out of the vents and a 1 in. crack near the glove box. Anyone have suggestions on what products to use for best results?
I imagine the hardest part is getting the texture to match for blending.

dcrasta

Wow. I wonder how that worked out. Must not have 'caught' on but for a low budget temporary fix I wonder how ugly it looks in the daytime..

LeRox

Sal,

Did you take any before/after pics you could share.

Thanks in advance.

NoVector

Wish I could help. On my 84, I could never find anything that would last long term. in addition to the Permatex in the OP, I must have tried 3 other different glues, aquarium (silicone) sealer, window caulk, etc. None survived the expansion/contraction of the dash. I ended up doing the whole dash and pod with angel hair bondo and then the SEM texture spray, but even then, the bondo began to have hair-line cracks after a couple years. For a vinyl dash, I think the best cheap alternative is the plastic dash caps. To do it right, Paul Champagne or Rob Budd.

77tony

There are about 4 different versions of this Permatex product. Could you please supply a part number of the kit you used, and post some pics when your done? TIA. 77Tony

86'928S MeteorGrey

I've used this kit too. Bought it at a Pep Boys. Made by Permatex. Came with a little soldering iron type unit with a round attachment about 20mm in diameter. It actually did a pretty good repair on a black vinyl dash. If you only have small hairline cracks this kit can actually work wonders. The wide, uneven cracks can be filled too, but the repair kinda sticks out like a sore thumb unless you do a really spectacular job matching the color, and do a good job cutting raised/warped areas down so the repair will be flat and smooth. The texture patches are placed over the final color application and the iron is placed over the patch which sets the filler and applies the texture. If its done right, when you peel off the patch, the added material blends right in with the dash. I'd correct any cracks, then install a fabric cover to prevent further cracking. I've used the carpet type covers before, with so-so feelings about the look, but I've discovered, and have been using one of the "Dash Man" "black suede" pod and dash cover sets that areairmail able on Amazon. I love the way it looks and fits. I would likely install one even if I had a brand new leather dash just to keep it safe.
http://http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1383226

danglerb

Something about the 70's and 80's they just didn't seem to know how to make a dash that lasts, and least not in the California sun. I am sure there are great solutions, what we all endlessly quibble about is the cost, and pretty much nothing cheap seems to work well for long.

I don't think anything vinyl or leather is more than about a 5 to 10 year fix, my 81 was pulling up the leather by 87, not much, but a clear start and it did get goop fairly regularly.

My hope is that somebody both good and reliable comes up with a long lasting way to remake the factory dash in modern materials, not just cover it.

Maybe at the various Shark events this year we will see more recovery efforts, more Alcantara etc.?

h011yw00d

The one guy in Nashville that knows 928s got his start recovering dashes that were pulling up while still under warranty. There's always a silver lining I guess.

+1.

jeff spahn

When I do recover, it will be alacantra

Preston2207

Bump. I have an 85 928s and it has cracks all over the dash. Has anyone came up with a cosmetically pleasing fix? Or are the pods the best way. Also if I get a pod cover how hard is it to match the interior color? I have a dark brown. Or should I leave the pods black?

Hilton

From memory, if you do a search for "polyester glaze", there's a post by Bob Budd which shows dash prep including warping and crack repair before covering with leather or stitched vinyl.

edit: Here it is: the product is "SEM Flexible Polyester Glaze".

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-box-door.html

I bought a tube of the stuff recently and will be using it on one of my dashes before recovering as its warped slightly above the glovebox and I want a straight shut-line

Preston2207

Thanks Hilton. I found another one that deals mainly with the pod and dash! Thanks though!
Here it is incase you want it.
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...repairing.html

AirtekHVAC

I have not tried it yet, but I bought some stuff on Amazon...my plan was to repair all the cracks, then coat with a plastic-dip type product....some guys on the 911 forums had very good results......when I do it, I'll post in my #30 thread.