Mags

I just bought a 1988 Convertible, 5 speed, targa / convertible, 85K on engine. I love it, I picked it up a couple of hours ago. Its absolutley beautiful.


have some questions.

1. Interior rattles, mainly dashboard and door panels, and some coming from the rear interior, at all speeds. What will it take to fix them?

2. Have any of you paid to have your entire dashboard and door panels replaced, or taken apart to fix you interior rattling problems? If so how much did it cost?

3. What is the "most common" cause of the 2nd gen interior rattles in your experiences in relation to the dashbboard and door panels, how did you fix them?

4. If any of you own a 1988 convertible, have you fixed your rattles originating from the targa and or leather top? How much did it cost, for those of you who paid to have it fixed.

I am unable to fix these rattles, personally, due to certain lliving restrictions and I would like to "take it in" to have it fixed. Where can I take it to have it fixed, or rather, what type of establishment did "you" take your 2nd gen to have the interior fixed?

Thanks in adavance...(This is my first 2nd gen)

Liquid Anarchy

iTrader: (2)

2 things I've seen done to fix rattles.

1) for panels, put a dab of silicone caulk in all the screw holes, let it dry, THEN screw it in.

2) for large cavitys (dashboards) get some greatstuff expanding foam, and spray that in there. should stop the rattle dead in it's tracks.

Those 2 helped me in my Bronco II w/ a competition stereo in it. So it'll probably take care of most of your problems.

Just a little input. ~Colby

Icemark

As far as the dash, there should not be any rattles. If there are, then there are parts that are broken or mis-installed. I would expect the cost just in labor to replace the dash would be around $300 to $500, but a body shop specializing in theft repair would probably know for sure.

Door panels are often loose screws, or a missing liner. There is a plastic liner between the inner door metal and interior door panel. Its common to see shops doing stereo or window work forget to put it back in. If it is missing, I recommend getting a couple of sheets of closed cell polyfoam, (the type used for installing laminte/pergo style floors). It is designed to act as a noise deading substance, as well as a vapor (read water) block. Being light weight as well, it is ideal for replacing the missing poly liner.

For the targa section:
There are a couple of plastic washers that tend to break on the targa top where it meets the rear roof section. With those gone you will get some rattles whenever you go over bumps. I just hand make a replacement out of some thin lightweight soft plastic (like the kind that is used for soda bottle tops) and shrink tube them on. That will stop the side to side rattle of the targa to the roof.

I own an 88 'vert myself, and would not pay a shop to do anything but perhaps replace the top. Anything else is very simple.

Mags

This is why I dig this forum.

thank you for the helpful information.

I'll see what I can do, or come up with.

Again, thanks.

M.

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

Spraying some brake anti-squeel on the backside of dash parts works wonders to stop rattles.
Someone was probably behind that dash hence the reason it rattles, maybe a heater core was replaced?
I have 2 88 verts, and neither one rattles.

zelgadiss-san

hmmm.. here's an interior problem I have, maybe you guys can help me fix it. My instrument panel surrond thing (the piece with the wiper/headlight switches) isn't attached on the bottom due to the tabs that you screw it into being broken off. I still have the tabs, but what would be the best thing to use to reattach them? I've tried rubber cement/epoxy but it didn't work... maybe it was the heat, but I'm not sure, I'll try it again unless anyone can give me a better option

Icemark

The tabs on the dash that the screws screw through into the speed nuts right???

On those when I have broken them, or found them broken, I get a piece of backstrap (from a aftermarket radio) cut it about a half inch longer than the tab was.

Then I screw or pop rivet it into the dash so that it replaces where the tab was.

Attach the speed nut that was on the tab, onto the new peice of back strap, and you are ready to screw the guage cluster bezel/trim back on.