It's a little ahead of schedule, but I decided to go ahead with the dashcap install. It's in a big box taking up lots of space in the parts pile and I'm sick of looking at the cracks in the old one.
I studied the supplied instructions and Eric's write-up. The only place where Eric and the instructions differ is where to apply adhesive. Eric put some 'in the middle', Dashcap says to only put it around the edges.
I ordered a painted piece and managed to choose the wrong color. I used about two rattle cans of an old paint code. This is before getting the interior parts color matched and some paint mixed. The rattle can doesn't quite match the dash so I might end up repainting the cap.
The dash warped and cracked so that might account for my troubles. The cap didn't seem to fit like I'd hoped during the test fits. Eric mentioned there would be some tpuppies needed but I couldn't figure out what would need work during the test fits.
After test-fitting, I taped paper to the pad where tape would hold down the dash. I took some 100 grit sandpaper and smoothed the high spots, vacuumed then wiped down the dash with acetone and let ventilate overnight.
Today, I wiped down the dash with a blue glass cleaner and let air out. I roughed the underside of the borders, and applied the silicon.
After setting the pad, and taping it down, I wedged cardboard and towels beween the dash and windshield, then went to supper.
Untaping and untoweling, the dash looked pretty good, so in went the speaker grills and the problems. The edges of the speaker opening closest to the windshield need to be trimmed from corner to corner. The left side needed just a little tpuppies, mostly around the right front corner. The right speaker hole needed almost .25" removed, and might need more. I'll know after the glue dries.
I've had my dash cap on for about a year and a hlaf,but have never bonded it yet.I really need to get that done.
My grilles went right in....The side air vents needed slight tpuppies and the autolamp sensor needed some as well. I actually cut out all the bad/high spots/cracks in my dash before I laid the cap on. I glued the middle and edges.
Having used silicone for 25+ years, I would never attempt to put a dash cover on without any in the middle. It just won't lay right. You have to remember that silicone basically dries within an hour, depending upon atmospheric conditions. It fully cures overnight. Once silicone is stuck in place and fully cured, it's not going anywhere. It has the ability to flex with heat and cold but it generally anchors itself very well.
However, it can be removed with little effort. You can always reapply it where needed. Our 1985-88 dashes have a nasty hump right over the instrument cluster that seems to be a factory defect. If your dash is already cracked there, a little more smashing in of the dash in that area can only help the overlay lay down better. But silicone is going to help the dash overlay stay stuck to the dash and not rise up from heat expansion. I've heard of that happening...Paul, was it you who had that happen? Somebody's overlay warped pretty badly.
As for the tpuppies...that should always be done before it's permanently applied. Some require tpuppies, some don't. The write-up on my site was done using my old '88 Blue Max. That particular overlay needed about 10-15 minutes' worth of tpuppies and test-fitting, especially around the speaker grilles and side window demisters. The one for the convertible required almost no tpuppies, just a snippet out of the leftmost driver's side edge near the A-pillar. It just depends on the manufacturer.
Anyway, t3skidoo, I hope yours came out alright and I'm sure we'd love to see photos of the final product.
:punchballs:
Right in the line of sight of the driver too - do I ever hate that defect...
:punchballs:
Thanks for the responses. I'll be posting pics next week (sorry, I'm having problems with the time-space continuum). It does look a lot better than I expected, except for one thing (see bottom).
Eric, the reason I mentioned the difference in instructions is because mine say the warranty isn't valid unless it's installed properly. I basically agree with you, my instinct would be to put a few squirts of stuff in the middle. Was wondering if anyone has had experiences one way or another.
So the dash looks good except for one thing. The one thing others here mentioned. The dash seems to have developed a camel's hump above the instrument cluster. The dashcap went on fine, so that wasn't an issue, the foundation is. With the instrument panel bezel mounted, there's a gap big enough for me to see between them. It isn't huge but it's there. I can't think of a way to change that. Maybe a turnbuckle mounted horizontally and ancd into the underside of the dash and left there permanently?
The biggest problem, the hump over the gauge cluster. Also note the defroster register has a little gap at the top (shadows tend to exacerbate how bad it is).
The main defroster vents don't look so good but I think maybe some mesh would take care of that and maybe look better anyway, not to mention being a little safer. The right side window defrost register is worse than the DS.
Another shot of the hump over the cluster and some gaps around the speaker covers. Those gaps aren't really noticable from the driver's seat, but the big hump really is.
I'm wondering if Vinnie doesn't have the right idea, let the cap sit in the car for a while, maybe the dash and cap will get cozy. Also gives you time to see where there might be issues.
Hmm....that all looks about what I had. The pass. side defroster vent is just like that in the convertible. I don't know if you can see it (or the hump) in this photo or not:
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/2007_conv01.jpg)
But yeah, it's about "right" for a dash cover. That overlay really seems to amplify that hump, though. It kind of looks like your center cover (auto dim) is funky too.
I'm taking photos of the convertible tonight and will get some better shots similar to what you did, and post them here.
Also, this thread should be moved to the Interior section. But we'll do that once we've resolved the issues...it can stay here for the time being, it's not hurting anything.
None look all that bad for a dash cover. I wonder what just Dashes charges to refinish a pad?
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
Eric,
I haven't tried to put the auto dim cover on yet, so not sure how it fits. The gaps around the speakers are probably because I didn't get the cap on there snugly enough.
Is there anything that would be suitable to act as a filler, eg a 'dash bondo'?
The hump is more pr0nounced, but I'm pretty sure that's because of the dash, not the cap. It's enough to see between the facia and pad. Was wondering, do you think a heating pad, some weights, and a few weeks would fix the hump?
Thanks for the evaluation.
ProTouring442,
There isn't a pad. You'd have to pull the entire dash and have it recovered or rebuilt as the case may be... which I might do one of these days.
I got quoted close to $300 about 7 years ago from a place near me...
FWIW here's how my "hump" stack up...It's subsided a little. That was about an hour after install.
(http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18696&stc=1&d=1235316740)
Alright, I got some photos tonight. They're really high resolution so you'll see every detail.
Links:
Photo 1 - Top Center Cover (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap060.jpg")
Photo 2 - Top Cowl Defroster, Pass. Side (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap061.jpg")
Photo 3 - Side Window Demister, Driver's Side (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap062.jpg")
Photo 4 - Center Panel Bubble 1 (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap063.jpg")
Photo 5 - Side Window Demister, Pass. Side (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap064.jpg")
Photo 6 - Center Panel Bubble 2 (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap065.jpg")
Photo 7 - Hump 1 (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap066.jpg")
Photo 8 - Hump 2, Detail (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/dashcap067.jpg")
The original dash had zero cracks; it was practically perfect. I just chose to cover it due to the color change; it was easier than pulling the dash and painting it.
But there you see the overlay in all its glory (and all its imperfections).
what's really strange is.....
my original dash has a hump in the center too. Wonder if they took a mold of a humped dash to start with.
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/cougar%20before/IMG_2833.jpg)
Eric, those are good pics. They pretty much are same as mine. I trimmed the leading edge of the speaker cutouts so the grills sit flush.
Interesting about the hump. Maybe they did start with a flawed original.
If I am going to be happy with mine, something's got to be done about the gaps around the registers. Any suggestions? As for the hump, not sure yet.
Eric, looking at that pic of the hump. It's exactly like mine on the edge against the cluster bezel.
I'll try to get a better pic of mine tomorrow.
The first cover I used on the old '88 Blue Max was from dashtops.com.
It required a lot of tpuppies around the speakers, the center panel, and the side window demisters. Also, there was tpuppies needed on both sides by the A-pillars.
The grain wasn't super deep and looked very natural, similar to the factory grain.
The one on the convertible is from dashcap.com.
Virtually no tpuppies was needed anywhere, except by the A-pillars.
The grain is pretty deep, as seen in those photos. It's not factory but it is very nice and has a good tactile factor.
Only real problem: it's short on the driver's side...not a problem if it's black, but if you're doing a color like I did, you'll have to paint part of the side of the dash first.
Also, the gaps around the side window demisters became pretty apparent...I think it's in their mold, personally.
I installed both covers the same way: lots of clear silicone, phone books on top for weight, tape to hold down the corners, and matchbooks wedged in by the windshield.
Overall I give the dashcap.com one the top ranking for grain and ease of installation.
However, the dashtops.com one still gave a better fit after all the tpuppies.
If I were to recommend one: dashtops.com
That being said...yes, I think the hump is in the original dash mold. I don't ever recall seeing a 1985-88 car without one. What I cannot remember is if that was there when the cars were new. It's possible that the defect came out over time.
I peeled the dash back as one would for a heater core swap...
I believe it came that way. I remember picking up friends and waiting while pressing it down, wondering why it was like that.
That, and wondering why the latch on the glove box was bright red an a darker red door.
But you gotta love the car for all those quirky things.
That Dashcap does have a very nice grain but I have yet to see any good pictures of the Dashtops one. Soooo, anyone up to the task?
One thing about the Dashtop version is that it appears to be longer on the DS. The dashcap I have is .25"-.5" short of being even with the bottom edge of the instrument bezel. If it were just a bit longer it would match better on the side, and look better IMO.
here's my dash hump. Not as bad as the tops, but still drives me crazy to look at straight on.
Not so noticeable from the side though
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/interior/IMG_5583.jpg)
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/interior/IMG_5586.jpg)
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/interior/IMG_5587.jpg)
My stock dash has the same hump (it's actually a bit worse). I guess I'm not the only one.
I decided to pull the cap and reinstall it after doing some mods. I'll post some pics after the glue dries. In the mean time, wish me luck!
good luck
Tried a couple of things, so success, some failure, some problems.
Success - the local big box hardware store supplied some window screen which I glued to the back of the cap. The gap between dash and cap no longer is visible. w00t.
Failure - the gap is still there, despite massaging the top of the dash and using some weights at that point.
Problems - The PS speaker opening doesn't quite match (esp the lower left corner) so it looks kinda py. The windshield defroster registers don't match the side window registers, yet still look like .
Question - Are there grills to fit into the center defrosters?