Adebowsky@cox.net

The front of my dash on my 95 is warped. It's the front area near the windshield. Does anyone out there have any solutions or have found a bonding agent or apoxy that would glue it back into place.

sledge_78

Adebowsky,

This is a common problem to C4's. If you do a search for "Dash panel distortion" you will get to a thread which I have written the fix method for the problem. Please read carefully and follow the procedure and you can have a like new dash pad at a very low cost.

Sledge_78

sledge_78

Adebowsky,

Hear is my entry from the thread to make the fix.

I have a 96 Grand sport which demonstrated the same problem only mine was more widespread across the front. To fix the problem correctly, you have to remove the dash pad entirely. This is not as big a deal as you might expect. I happened to have the service manual and it describes the removal steps.
After removal you will see the problem: The foam has lifted from the bottom plastic of the dash pad. In my case this extended across the entire front from left to right including around the defroster vent. I was concerned about using the correct adhesive on the foam and plastic because with the heat of the sun hitting the area I was afraid it would soften and eventually the problem would return. Being a model builder, I chose to use a two part epoxy cement which can be purchased at any hobby store. Use a 30 minute epoxy this will give you enough time to spread it evenly (using a Q-tip) between the foam and the bottom plastic shell of the dash pad. Don't try and do it all at once! Pick a 12-18 inch section at a time. After spreading the epoxy on the plastic and foam you will need to clamp the two surfaces. Get some "C" clamps from Home Depot and some paint sticks. What you want to do is clamp the surfaces evenly so there is about 3/8" space between the top pad skin and the bottom plastic shell. You can actually try this before you apply the epoxy to get a feel and see how it looks clamped. The foam is in between, kind of like an ice cream sandwich. Tighten the clamps over the paint sticks so you maintain an even space along the length you are repairing. Have some 91% rubbing alcohol handy you can use this to clean the two surfaces before you apply the epoxy, and in case you smear some epoxy on the top pad surface. Epoxy can be removed easily before it dries. Let the repair set for 24 hours, then remove the clamps and paint sticks move to the next section and repeat the process, until you have repaired all the areas showing the defect. Once you have completed all the areas you will have a like new dash pad ready for re-installation. Make sure you fix all the areas showing the defect, even if it seems questionable , fix it now because you don't want what you did not fix to show up later. The 2 part epoxy is very strong once it has set and it will not soften and release in the future. You will have a permanent fix, and it looks as good as new. Total cost for 30 minute epoxy approx.$10.00. I had the clamps, and paint sticks. Don't worry about any "dents in the dash pad where you apply the clamps, this corrects itself after the clamps are removed. I did apply some flat black enamel paint along the very front edge of the foam when I was done. I didn't want any chance of the brown foam showing after I was done. It really looks great.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

Sledge_78