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Dashboard Repair or Bad Dash!! Lay Down

11/27/2006


Been knocking down the to do list on my recently revived gray 96. The 
dash kinda reminded me of a wing on a ricer it stuck up so much. 
Something must be done! 

1) I started the car and set the defrost on max fans and 90' - I 
wanted to soften the dash by getting it heated up. I left the car run 
for 20 mins - half hour or so. The windows were hot to the touch when 
I went to work.


2) I gently rolled back the dash cover to expose the metal shelf under 
it. I used the same glue that I use on valve covers - Permatex Ultra 
Gray sensor safe. I put several beads of glue on the steel shelf. 


3) I smooshed the glue around as best as possible to get even adhesion.


4) While the car was heating up I grabbed a piece of sheet metal - 
fairly rigid but not impossible to form by bending over my knee - and 
bowed it to meet the curve of the dash. I used 2 small "C" clamps to 
gently apply pressure, out towards the ends, of the steel plate.


5) The piece I used was about 2" wide by ~2 ft long. I overhung the 
dash cover on the ends but the middle went in towards the windshield a 
bit.

6) View through the windshield 


7) Top view of the clamp showing the overhang.


8) The curve of the clamp plate wasn't absolutely perfect so I shimmed 
out the loose spots with several business cards. If you look under the 
edge of the clamp you can see some of them. 


9) After view. Dash pad sits nice and flat.


After I pulled off the clamp there were some creases in the dash 
cover. I ran up the defrost again and reheated the car for the same 
20/30 minutes until good and toasty in there. I shut off the car and 
kind of rubbed out the creases by pushing back and forth on the dash. 
The creases probably would have come out on their own but I didn't 
want to wait to find out. 

-- Eric Lehmann 
97 Ebony 42k Welded - With the Angels Now so that I don't have to be. 
Long Live the Garage Queen ! 
96 Medium Willow Green Metallic 103k Resurrected, Welded 
96 Rosemist 72k 2006 Best Of SHO, Popular Vote, Welded 
96 Medium Graphite 120k - Resurrected, Welded 
97 Pacific Green - Parting this one Out 


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