Hey All.
I recently suffered a mild interior car fire, which I have cleaned up and Im now rebuilding the car. Only, all of the parts that I haven't removed from the car (Dash, Console, Door Panels) they're all scarred and I've tried cleaning them but the color is warped a but (from heat probably). I also cant get them to shine like they once did. Instead of getting an all new interior, I'm thinking of doing something different.
I'm going to be building a custom enclosure for 2 15" subs where the back seat-back used to be and an amp rack where the seat bench was (maybe, or the trunk) and im going to cover the whole thing in a black suede cloth. (I saw some suede in a mustang, forget what model, but it was sexy).
Since I need to re-work the dash, Id like to match it to the rest of the car. Does anyone have any tips on what to do as far as covering the dash goes? I also am sorta scared of the air bags, how do you remove the passenger cover safely, so I can cover that too?
Also, this project might be taking me a while to complete, and I'll probably remove the dash from the car to do it, but I'd need to know if you can drive the car without the dash in it?
I read the other thread on this topic, and got some of the info there, which was informative and Ive already contacted a few members on the site about it. I'm just looking to get all the help I can, you guys have helped me out a LOT in the past, and its appreciated. I want to have all the know-how in my head before I start ripping the car apart, know?
thanks for any help!
Matt Linke wrote: I also am sorta scared of the air bags, how do you remove the passenger cover safely, so I can cover that too?
Also, this project might be taking me a while to complete, and I'll probably remove the dash from the car to do it, but I'd need to know if you can drive the car without the dash in it?
Just remove the top vinyl dash pad, the airbag cover is attached by a few screws/bolts whatever you wanna call em and also some glue, just removed the screws and use some force and just pull the cover off, it's easy. And yes you can drive without the top dash pad and radio bezel on. You might wanna keep the gauge cluster in there tho
Ps. If you don't want the airbag going off for whatever reason just remove the airbag fuse on the driver's side of the dash
Sounds a bit less intimidating than i originally thought. Thanks!
Oh and yea, i DO like to see how fast Im going and everything, the cluster *might* stay
Matt Linke wrote:Ps. If you don't want the airbag going off for whatever reason just remove the airbag fuse on the driver's side of the dash
the fuse out wont totally drain it of juice. not that taking the dash pad off is gonna deploy it, but safest bet is to remove the fuse, disconnect the battery for 15 mins. and pump the brakes to completely drain the system
and Matt, for re-covering, everyone will say to use spray adhesive, but ive tried everything and anything and the best ive found to use is contact cement. either paint it on, or spray it on thru an old paint gun. let it get tacky on both surfaces then connect the 2 surfaces. guarantee you'll never have loose fabric like i get with anything i spray with any spray adhesive. just my technique. and lets just say my dash, doors, headliner, rear deck, trunk setup have all be wraped in 4 or 5 different materials, lol
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, April 30, 2007 9:09 AM
I dont have a sewing machine or anything, But at the place where I work, theres a store thats all about sewing, and Im getting rather friendly with one of the managers there, she would probably be able to help out.
Thanks for the input sndsgood, I never thought about that at all.
Oh I didn't know it was a sunfire *gotta stop assuming everything is a 95-99 cav lol* but I'm sure the procedure to remove the top dash and whatnot is prettymuch the same, or else one of those 2 fellas would've corrected me.
joey youre post wasnt there when I was replying.
I was planning on using some kind of cement, Ive had no luck with spray adhesives in other applications. I was going to ask the company that I get the fabric from what they think, becacuse it is suede that I will install, and I dont want it to look bad or bleed through or anything.
thankyou for the advice tho!
ya, suede can be tough depending on the backing. most dont really have a backing in which case u very well may see some bleeding. im actually planning on doing a test panel hopefully this week sometime with no backing suede and contact cement. ill let you know how it turns out
Sweet, someone else with suede!. I ordered 2 small swatches of it from fabric.com (i dont know how big they are) and I emailed them asking what I should use as an adhesive, but I havent gotten a reply yet.
Its the Microsuede that fabric.com sells, thats what I might order, unless you can find a better material for the job. let me know! thanks!
i picked up my suede from yourautotrim.com
the contact type cement is generally thicker and less likely to bleed thru on the suede. if heard if trying to wrap your plastic interior panels its best to spray the panel with an adhesion promoter before you try to glue it on but i havnt tried that method myself yet to verify how well it works.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sndsgood/ https://www.facebook.com/#!/Square1Photography
so what kind of contact cement (brand) are you guys buying and where are you getting it from?
i got mine from the local home depot/lowes/etc
i just get whatever brand i can find
