Well it finally happend.. The infamous dash crack has struck my car. I went for a drive today to finally fill up the gas tank and wash it for storage. I looked at the dash and there it was! Cracked!
I need to purchase a 00+ Cavalier dash core that is graphite in color. Must be in PERFECT condition.
Let me know if anyone has one!
BeardLife /
Club Awesome Reject Blog
i am the first one to understand (and undertake) these kinds of fixes to make it back to just like stock.
however, coverlay is selling their dash fix piece for a discounted price currently (they were a month ago when i checked anyway). maybe something for you to look into as either a temporary or even permanent fix.
if you do get a good one anyway i suggest leaving the dash to frame support bolts below the defrost area a tad loose. and throw some dynamat under that area as well. this is what i did and so far so good..... *knock on wood
Trailer Queen corvette wanna-be with 40 coats of wax and powdercoating that soaks in.
If this was just my daily driver and not my nice car I would do the overlay. Its a great idea but I don't think I can live with myself if I just cover up the problem.
Plenty of foam and dynamat will be installed while its torn down.
If I cant find an entire dash by spring I will do the coverlay for temporary fix.
BeardLife /
Club Awesome Reject Blog
Junkyards are full with the dash piece.
i fixed mine... plus it looks so much better sanded smooth... all you need is fuser plastic weld black and a saudering iron.
This is how bad it was... yes thats a piece of it on the floor
After using the fuser black, i decided to use a tube of fuser red to build it up and stregthen it... this is before sanding
My buddy sanding it, with my 93 cavy in the background looking very sad!
Finished product
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, January 17, 2010 1:17 PM
Man, My white 97 still hasn't cracked *knocks on wood* lol
~2014 New Z under the knife, same heart different body~
______________________
WHITECAVY no more
2012 numbers - 4SPD AUTOMATIC!!
328 HP
306 TQ
WHITECAVY wrote:Man, My white 97 still hasn't cracked *knocks on wood* lol
I've been knocking of wood for years! Always proud mine never cracked. Though mabye the GM 3point convertible strut brace helped just enough to keep it from cracking. It hasn't cracked fully yet and its barely noticeable but i wanna nip this in the butt asap!
Thanks for the info Speedline. I will take that idea into consideration. I wouldn't mine having that entire section smoothed out anyways. Would go well with my stereo bezel gauge pod setup!
BeardLife /
Club Awesome Reject Blog
Has anyone noticed if this problem was fixed in 03+? Mine has not cracked and I don't recall ever seeing a 03+ that has.. I know GM Made some changes to the interior in 03 like the a pillar interior piece etc so maybe they did something about the crack too? Just curious sorry to thread jack jay.
No worries man. Thats a very good question though. I am curious as well.
I'm pretty sure Hoffa's dash is cracked and he's got an 04. I think.
BeardLife /
Club Awesome Reject Blog
it seems as though 95-97's get lucky and 03-05's get lucky. my dash came from a 95 with 120k on it, it was mint.
ive seen A LOT of 00-02's with cracked dashes. no idea how or why.
Trailer Queen corvette wanna-be with 40 coats of wax and powdercoating that soaks in.
i have the 3 point convertable strut tower brace and mine cracked in two spots... the dash is very brittle, you can snap pieces off of it as if it was a potato chip.
The best way to fix it is to pull the dash, set up your work environment where the dash is supported on the sides and not down the middle, but still giving you access to the top and bottom of the dash (this should push the crack together, you do not want to repair it with any space between the crack as this will widen your dash). Use a saudering pen to melt the plastic back to one piece, the best method here is to dig craters that do not go all the way through and push the melted plastic all through the crack trying to make it as smooth as possible. then apply the fuser black to the top and the bottom of the crack and about 3 inches of either direction. Once dry, sand smooth. I would then lightly sand the remainder of the top surface of the dash and apply the fuser red to the entire top surface about 1 - 2 mm thick, this will strengthen the dash so that new cracks do not form. Sand the entire top surface smooth and prime. If you dont see any signs of reaction, go ahead and base and clear the dash...
the fuser black runs about $40 - $50 ish and the fuser red runs about $30 - $40 ish and your local paint materials shop
i believe the company that makes it is named "Lord"
z yaaaa wrote:it seems as though 95-97's get lucky and 03-05's get lucky. my dash came from a 95 with 120k on it, it was mint.
ive seen A LOT of 00-02's with cracked dashes. no idea how or why.
Cheap plastic and over-torqued bolts from the factory mixed with convection heat through the windshield
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, January 17, 2010 5:34 PM
My 98 cracked last year. Only thing that has somewhat saved my 02 is that it never leaves the house and it spent some time without a dash in it.
OP, I wish I was as anal as you...no homo
Dynamat you say Brad? My dash is cracked in 2 places, but what do you expect with a 104k daily driver with all solid/poly mounts. Ill eventualy replace my dash, I need to start weeding out the gay tan pieces lol. Ill take note of the dynamat and bolt tightness, thanks!
lol i have no idea if doing that stuff will actually help but it sounds good!
i always thought adding a front stb would solve the issue... obviously not.
Trailer Queen corvette wanna-be with 40 coats of wax and powdercoating that soaks in.
I always praised the GM brace for saving my dash. Guess it just took some cold weather! oh well.
Leaning towards a coverlay at the moment. Sad to admit it though. There is a laundry list of crap I wanna take care of still.
BeardLife /
Club Awesome Reject Blog
like i said its mainly due to GM's use of ultra cheap plastic... with the exception of some lucky few, most will crack... even under the coverlay... strengthening is the only solution to guarantee no cracks ever again...
i have a 01 cavi dash core here
i have a 97 thats mint and the car is totalled but my 01 (w/eco swap) is cracked all to hell....... lol but i dont really care at the moment im doing engine work first. aiming for engine to be built by bash but my income is killing me and my loans for school.......
I'll take your old one, LOL, Texas heat has totalled @!#$ mine couple with the million miles.
I have a perfect condition one in my garage. Sold the car it was going on before i did it. If you want it just make me an offer and come scoop it up.
