well the title basicaly says it all.

it used to be covered up by a dash mat.. but now everytime i take off even remotly fast the mat comes flying off towards me. not good.

so i drove around for a while with the cover off.. but i hate to look at my dash. (see pic)

any ideas on how to fix it?

swapping dashs would be my last option coz ive heard it a pain in the ***, and any Rx-7 parts are hard to come by around here.


-Cheers

 

HOLY **** man. That is one bad lookin dash. Your car looks really good on the outside though. Do you think double sided tape would work? Thats what was on mine before I took it off. Maybe spray adhesive would work too for keeping it on. Just spray it on the cover and give it a good stickin'.

 

Ouch....worst case I've ever seen...it may be a major pain, but I'd definitely consider taking a weekend to replace it with a better one. The steps have been detailed here already, just type in "dash" on the search engine and good luck. Short of that, I'd tape down some plastic sheet to catch all the crap and peel off all the dead vinyl and foam. Then I'd sand down to metal, spray some 3M adhesive (tape off the window area, too before all this...) and lay down some thin foam like fabric stores carry. Let it all dry for a day and then spray it all again with 3m and lay down some new vinyl that you also get from that fabric store. Use a two part, flexible epoxy glue to hold the edges on difficult curves and you have a cheapie recap that should last a while....

 

How about an $86 molded cover? Not the cheapest route, but would look new.

http://www.coverlaymfg.com/

 

Ians - yeah i tried double sided tape for a while, but it just didnt stick.. too much crap on the dash i spose

stevan.. they look pretty good.. cept they only come in LHD.. bugger..

i was thinking of going down the route that mar3 described.. but instead of putting vinayl back on get some of the marin grade (really tuff, wont fade in the sun) short black carpet (my interior is mostly black) and putting that on there...

do you think this would look good? i had it on my old car (a 323) and it was pretty schweet.

mar3 - would what you say work with the carpet idea?

thanks for the help.. hope i can get rid of the disgrace soon

-Cheers

 

man, that dash has already fallen off its last legs. You just have to muster up and replace it with another. I replaced my brown 82 dash with a 85 gsl-se dash...it was a bit of a pain, but the end result was definitely worth it. Just take your time. It also helps if you have access to the air vents etc from the dash you are swapping because they varied a bit from year to year.

Pretty much, you have nothing to lose! Your dash is a pos, and it can't really get any worse. Find a good dash and just go for it. I also found that the cheap black spray-on interior paint found at auto-zone and other auto parts places works really good (just in case you hate brown and other non-black colors as much as i do). Our dash in the rally car has endured quite a bit so far, and there are no scuffs or scratches yet.

Good luck!

--Lyle

 

replacing the dash aint no big deal...its easy...it will take you about 3 hours to get it off the first time, but it should take you 45 minutes to put it back...there are just like 18-20 bolts you have to deal with...

 

Bolox

Finding a good 2nd hand one is the way to go. I got a good one a couple of weeks back from a junker at Rotomotion -$30.00. The guys there said about 2 hours to remove, but I did it in around an hour armed with the the '82 parts catalog and a screwdriver with a flexible extension that can take a 10mm socket. I need to find the time to take my cracked one off now.

Go for a later model - they are the same to 85 in oz, if you can. Just be careful not to twist the dash taking it out, as you may end up putting a crack in the new one if it's at all brittle. DOH!

http://members.cardomain.com/ozrotors3

 

Eww! One word: Penicillin.

What kind of women are you carrying in your car? Or is it leprosy?

Get one from a junk car. There are a couple places that can fix them properly, but cost is not worth it while junkyard available. On the replacement, use a good UV blocking treatment (not armourall) on the plastic to prevent recurrance. And wear rubbers from now on.

 

To do it right, it will take a bit longer. It is no slam dunk.

 

Just my opinion, but carpet only belongs under yer feet and maybe, just maybe, on the bottom 1/4 of a door panel...I wouldn't even use anything resembling fuzzy carpet on a sub-box, but that's just me...

 

Either find a replacement or remove the dash and see if someone can make a fibreglass replica. (it would be lighter. )

 

If you have someone make a replica remove the dash or pick up one from the junk yard. Then have them build on the original metal backing it will help everything fit together nicely.

 

i decided to go the cheap *** way for the moment (i hate being a student )

i got all the foam and vynal off yesterday

all thats left is to get the new foam and vynal back on...

any one have any ideas on how to mould the side air vent souroundings and such?

and ill be posting pics of the process when i've finished

-cheers

 

send your dash to this place! www.justdashes.com

they did my rhd dash (it looked like yours!) now it looks brand new!!

cost me $550.00 and worth every penny!!

 

Here's my write up on how to replaces dashes in the US 81-83 FB's. http://milisake.com/dash

Short of that and what you're already doing, you could always just fiberglass it and sand and paint it up, even fiberglass in a gauge pod for some extra gauges

Edit: Oh yeah, my 6-8 hour estimate is for doing it for the first time and documenting the whole thing. Plan on 3hrs at least though as mentioned.

 

For the side vents, cut the hole smaller than the opening(square or round, series 3?), and heat it with a heat gun, then use a taperd tool (found or fabbed)to push the vinyl into the opening, with enough excess to glue to the backside.
You may have to cut some slits in "it".
Or just cut some slits in it and pull it through and glue it.
I'm not really sure, I did my door panels, and they came out OK.
I used contact cement.

 

Rip all the old **** off, right down to the bare metal. Then polish it!!! lmao...

Good luck man. Must be someone that makes a molded cover for a RHD car. I had one in my old Z and you couldn't even tell, looked brand new.

 

I put a dash cap on mine was fairly easy to do. I'm not sure it would work on whats left of yours.Good luck!

 

Good God, man... lookathat **** you got !!! Since you're none too picky, hell, get a LHD one and cut out for your friggin' gauges and steering column tight outa the bloody glove box !!! Rather the postman look than that of a bleedin' leper !!!