Richard Daugird

I want to change my interior from saddle to red. I have heard mixed opinions about dye, but I am going to try it. My dash has a small crack, is this repairable, considering I want to dye it red?

Easy Mike

You may be able to close it up some with super glue, but it will still be visible, regardless of the color.

Richard Daugird

Yeah I may just have to live with it until I get a new pad to the tune of $400.

Alan 71

Hi RD,
While super glues tend to be able to adhere to many if not most materials
I've been unable to have any success using it on splits like you show that are on the dash panel and door panel vinyl.
What will make a repair more difficult to do satisfactorily on your pad is that it's in such a visible location and the light hits it full on as your picture shows. So even a lingering scar will remain visible.
If someone knows something that actually works I'd hope they will post their method…. with pictures.
The 'vinyl repair kits' that I see and have tried depend on 'regraining' the vinyl repair which I've found unsatisfactory too.
I hear about the interior repair services that are part of used car prep, but don't know what kind of success they have with a split in vinyl that's this old or what the cost might be.
Sorry
Regards,
Alan

Rotonda

This crack will always be somewhat visible, but you can seal it and lessen its visibility by using some of the "5 second plastic repair" recently advertised all over TV. It will adhere to vinyl (CLEAN WELL BEFORE APPLYING) and cures immediately using included UV light. It is quite thin so not too much will show on the surface and the quick cure means that you can hold the split together with your fingers for best positioning. Other items:
1) You can apply multiple coats (cure each before applying the next) if you need to build up area.
2) You can sand repair using 400/600 wet paper.
3) The material takes interior dye well.

7T1vette

Yes, it's repairable. And if done correctly, you won't be able to see the crack when you have recolored the dash.

You first need to clean the dash to get rid of all 'protectants' , oil, grease, dirt, etc. You will need to do this prior to recoloring, so you might as well just do it once. After it is dry, wipe that area down with a clean microfiber cloth dampend with lacquer thinner. This is just to assure that ALL contaminates are off that surface around the crack.

Next, put some blue painter's tape along both sides of that crack. Get the tape as close to the edge[s] of that crack as possible and rub it down well. Mix up a bit of JB Weld 2-part epoxy and let it set up for about 15 minutes. Then use a toothpick to get a bit of epoxy on the tip and work some down into that crack so that both edges of the crack have epoxy on them. You also want to get some down deeper into the crack so that the surface material will bind back down to the substrate (underneath) once you have done all the epoxy work.

Now, very carefully, remove any excess epoxy on the 'topside' of that repair, making sure that the inner edges still have some on them.

Finally, use more blue painters tape to run across the crack...starting at the ends and working inward to the middle...to bring the crack back together and to get that surface shaped back to original state.

Let cure for at least 24 hours. If you are in cool weather, you may want to wait 48 hours. When cured, peel off the blue tape. Don't pull it "upward", but pull the ends back over themselves to you are pulling parallel with the surface. That way, you won't have much upward pulling on the repaired surface. With all the tape removed, you may have a bit of a raised seam at the joining of the crack surfaces. Use a sharp X-Acto knife/blade to 'shave' that excess back down to the surface. If you need to do a little finish sanding of that joint to get it smooth with the rest of the surface, do so; just go gently with it so you don't scuff the areas around the repair. If you want to go 'overboard', you can use a needle to etch in the surface graining so that it matches really well.

Now, you can give that area another light wipe down with lacquer thinner dampened cloth and it should be ready to shoot.

Richard Daugird

That was an excellent description. Almost as good as a video.

7T1vette

Repairing interior pieces is not "brain surgery"; it just takes some detailed inspection, careful reasoning, and common sense. {That last item seems to be in limited supply, these days....} Most all of the interior pieces are a plastic or fiberboard substrate with a vinyl cover bonded to it, or a solid plastic part. Both are colored with a vinyl dye coloring agent (NOT regular spray paint). The subject of vinyl interior parts is very 'foreign' to most folks {just like vacuum operating systems}, these parts are simple and can be repaired easily if there is not a lot of damage or severe cracking.

Study the individual part to see how it is put together. That will guide you in how to repair it. Your primary concern is how to re-bond components of the part back together so they will last. So a little research into what materials are used to construct them will determine what adhesives, etc. can be used to make an effective repair. In general, epoxies, polymer fillers, and contact cements do pretty well with the plastic parts in most 1950-1980 auto interiors. Some layered parts use some foam-type bonding materials that degrade over time and can make it difficult to re-bond parts if that deteriorated product is not removed and replaced in the area of the repair.

But, making your own repairs to OEM interior components is by far the best choice when restoring a classic car's interior for the following reasons:

- it is MUCH less expensive than buying 'new' aftermarket pieces;

- NONE of the aftermarket parts fit as well as the originals and they usually require some amount of "adjustment" to get them to fit well;

- your interior can remain "original" as you are only repairing/refreshing it.

- you get the satisfaction of making your interior look as good as new AND...you did it yourself!

P.S. I highly recommend that you use SEM liquid recoloring dye that is mixed to your interior color code or matched to a part of your choice. Spray can dyes are very "iffy" in my opinion. Many of them are simply 'paint' with a different label. Even SEM spray can product don't come out as well as their liquid dye sprayed on interior parts. And, spraying SEM dye is E A S Y. It is much easier than using most canned spray paints. If you would like more specific info on where to get SEM dyes or how to spray them (inexpensively), send me a PM>