I've joined the dash repair club now twice, and here are the results of my latest efforts. In '08 I decided to repair the cracks in the vinyl pod and dash in my 86.5, and began by removing the aftermarket covers that had been cemented on. What a mess! I did my due diligence on RL and following the practices suggested here came up with a reasonable repair. The only thing that didn't immediately work right was the paint I used (SEM) to finish the pieces- it was just way too hot when I sprayed (well over 80). But OK, at least no cracks. For a year, and then they reappeared. So almost exactly 5 years later I decided to redo the job. This time, hopefully, with better results. I reasoned the first repair failed because there was not enough material to form a durable surface, although the fiber-filled polyester resin I used filled the cracks OK. This time I decided to bond a new "skin" to the surfaces that would last. I thought about heat-shrink dacron, fiberglass, and xynole, but settled on good old fiberglass non-woven roving in a lightweight version and polyester resin. Here's a after/before pic of the pod. This is after the first repair, starting prep for the new work:



The dash was in similar condition. Here are pics of the pod and dash after application of the mat and resin. Following this was the usual multiple application of lightweight filler and resin and sanding to get the surfaces ready for flocking:





The defroster vent holes on the dash were the hardest part of the job. I took multiple applications of material and filing/sanding to fair those holes so they looked right, and I'm still not entirely satisfied.



Then the fun, i.e. flocking began. I used a hand pump to spray the flock (I got all the materials from DonJer Products Co., and used their Suede-Tex for this job. No affiliation etc.). Spraying is messy, and you use many times more product per square inch than what actually adheres. This means you recover and reuse the excess which requires some kind of hood to collect it. Here was my setup:



I should note, too, that last July I did a trial run on the cassette box lid to see how this material would hold up. I picked that piece a) because I needed to repair it and b) it would get more wear than any other part of the car I would flock. Greasy elbow, spilled coffee, etc. It turned out to be more durable than I expected, although I will likely reflock it next year if I stick with this scheme. The dash should fair even better, since it gets almost no wear.

Some pics after flocking show how it turned out:







Note that I left the face of the pod unflocked, to match the console and glove box lid. I resprayed all those surface with a light coat of SEM vinyl paint which worked really well this time. I figured flocking everything would make the interior look something like that of a house of ill repute...

And finally everything (sans glove box lid- under repair when I took the pic) in the car (and note those cunning gauges!):



I know this isn't exactly to everyone's taste (heck, it isn't exactly to my taste, for that matter) but until I can afford to do a Fraggle and get a nice Rob Budd dash it will do nicely. I just spent 3 very pleasant days behind the wheel, 1275 miles, and having a rebuilt suspension and a redone interior made those hours very pleasant indeed!

 

You are an excellent flocker... yeah, yeah, excellent flocker, yeah.

Looks good and should cut down on the glare!

 

I like it.

Are there commercial flockers?

 

The results look very nice Martin. Did the console lid clean up from grease ect? I also like that you will have zero glare from dash.

 

that looks great,
thanks for sharing your craftsmanship with us

 

Yes, you can find some about 85 miles north of Vegas. Very good at flocking.

 

Very nice!

 

Wow. Very nice indeed

 

Holy flock!

How does it clean up?

 

that's flocking awesome....

 

That is really nice! I especially like the pod with the vinyl on the front and flock on top. That would be too addictive for me—next I’d be doing the headliner, and then the pillars, and then… Anyway, great job

 

The consistency is perfect, looks superb.

 

Very nice job Martin.

 

Looks real nice Martin,
thanks for posting.

 

Gentlemen! Thank you all for your positive responses! A few specific replies:

Actually, one of the goals was the glare thing...

Dang man, I was gonna say "Yeah but I forgot her number..." Too old and slow I guess...

I'll pull the lid and clean it and post pics. It ws an important goal for me (reduction of glare).

Stan, thanks for the compliment,

So far so good, but I'll post a pic or two to show how the cassette lid held up.

"Too addictive..."???? That would be your avatars IMHO... Then again, maybe I'll flock the tires....