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How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:56 pm
by BOBLOOK
Can't remember the author :(

Like many cars of this age the dash had some nasty cracks in it from years of life.

What I did about it

(1) Removed dash, its not that difficult.took about 20-30min

(2) removed out existing cracks in foam/vinyl with a utility knife to give putty more to adhere to.

(3) filled cracks with a two part plastic resin (blue) This is an industrial product designed for making casting molds. you could skip this step, it was just my first attempt at a fix. it was too runny to fill the way I needed.

(4) filled the cracks with SEM polyester putty ($25) see pic (5) SANDED......(6) repeat #4 and 5.......and again......


(7) sand and lacquer thinner the whole dash

(8) now I had the problem of the repaired areas being smooth and the rest of the dash having the vinyl texture...a paint job at this point would make the repairs show very badly. so i fogged the whole dash with automotive undercoat ($5-10). holding the can back about 2-3feet and making even passes.

(9) once achieving an even surface finish I painted over this with SEM flexible paint ($10) see pic.

(10) Done! Looks great, seems fairly durable. I just have to see how it holds up in the hot summers and cold winters.

Keywords: fix, cracked dash, dashboard, old, repair, repaired, paint, 1982, 82, corolla wagon, 3TC


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Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:54 am
by mikealike
i need to do this to mine!

Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 11:21 am
by BOBLOOK
mikealike wrote:i need to do this to mine!
Oh let use Know :D

Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:23 am
by kevneverlast
Looks good in the pictures good job. I saw they sell the mold that you can just glue on. I would rather save the $100 and do the way you did looks good

Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 4:38 pm
by BOBLOOK
kevneverlast wrote:Looks good in the pictures good job. I saw they sell the mold that you can just glue on. I would rather save the $100 and do the way you did looks good
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1262&start=10#p13532

Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 8:15 pm
by rolla_rage
kevneverlast wrote:Looks good in the pictures good job. I saw they sell the mold that you can just glue on. I would rather save the $100 and do the way you did looks good

Hey kevneverlast, after the fix I posted here failed over time (see link that BOBLOOK above, and pic below) I bought one of those as was VERY dissatisfied with the fit/look. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

I did however find a local upholstery shop here that did an awesome job for a very reasonable price. Worth every penny! Call Jose at: Mario Bros Upholstery 2406 Eagle Ave Alameda, CA 94501‎
(510) 523-7551

I even had them cover my wheel and custom console (yeah, the cup holder is a climbing chalk bag:).

-J

Re: How I fixed my cracked dash in my 82 Rolla Wagon

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:50 am
by BOBLOOK
awesome Look doest they have an internet site ?