Digi Dash Bezel original finish
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (scorp508)
Juliet, are you having trouble getting the dash out? I saw something in NoWorries' thread. Lemme know....
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (Juliet)
BTW Scorp or NoWorries - was that one of you that sent me e-mail directions? My ISP crashed and locked up my system and when I fired up my e-mail again it was gone. I just saw a quick flash of an e-mail address (that was 2 hours ago). Damn Eudora, I hate it when it does that. :eek: ~Juliet
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 83,383
Likes: 87
From: Boston, MA
BTW Scorp or NoWorries - was that one of you that sent me e-mail directions? My ISP crashed and locked up my system and when I fired up my e-mail again it was gone. I just saw a quick flash of an e-mail address (that was 2 hours ago). Damn Eudora, I hate it when it does that. :eek: ~Juliet
01. Title wheel all the way down.
02. Extend wheel all the way forward.
03. Unscrew and remove tilt adjust handle.
04. Remove headlight switch ****
05. Remove cluster bezel.
06. Remove center bezel
07. Remove 4 bolts (I forget what size) from cluster, 2 on top, 2 on bottom
near steering column.
08. Tilt cluster towards you from the top
09. Attempt to pull left side towards you first while tilting forward and
moving up over column.
10. Once somewhat out, pull to the left in order to get to 2 harness plugs
on right end.
11. Just be careful with it. :-)
The values for Average MPG, and Tripometer are stored in the cluster itself,
when you reinstall it they will be reset to 0.
02. Extend wheel all the way forward.
03. Unscrew and remove tilt adjust handle.
04. Remove headlight switch ****
05. Remove cluster bezel.
06. Remove center bezel
07. Remove 4 bolts (I forget what size) from cluster, 2 on top, 2 on bottom
near steering column.
08. Tilt cluster towards you from the top
09. Attempt to pull left side towards you first while tilting forward and
moving up over column.
10. Once somewhat out, pull to the left in order to get to 2 harness plugs
on right end.
11. Just be careful with it. :-)
The values for Average MPG, and Tripometer are stored in the cluster itself,
when you reinstall it they will be reset to 0.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (scorp508)
Thanks Scorp. Now if I could only decide which bezel to put back in... :eek: I might put the new one in so that I can drive the car while I putter around trying to properly restore the old one. ~Juliet
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 83,383
Likes: 87
From: Boston, MA
I would put the new one in for now. Perhaps the sun will help it some. I just realized the other day that I didn't put in 1 of 4 of the cluster bolts. So it is causing a rattle. Grr... I wonder where I put it.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (scorp508)
I took a closer look at the back sides of both bezels. The 'new' one is made from a greyer plastic. The 'old' one is definately a glossier darker black plastic. The molds appear identical. However the AC louvers in the old one are definately more matte finish than the rest of the old cluster. So I'm thinking that the matte finish is closer to original. However since the color is off I'm hesitant to use it. I'm not sure the sun will affect the color. I definately don't want to paint the thing though. If I think about how the piece would be judged by NCRS if it were a C3 it would be better from a points view to have a repaired original part with the proper color and maybe some worn matte finish than to have something which by the plastic color is clearly a repro piece. I guess I'll just have to repair the old one once I track down all those PPG & SEM products Lars spoke of in his tech tip. :yesnod: That sounds like the plan. Now, if I can only figure out how to fix that light sensor dim thing while I've got the dash apart I'd be able to get this thing back together and start on my seat project. :) ~Juliet
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 843
Likes: 2
From: Nashua New Hampshire
Re: (Juliet)
I have all new console plates for my '86 restoration, but haven't put them in yet. I'll take a look this weekend to see if they are matte or shiny. They're all original GM parts, no repros.
"I guess I'll just have to repair the old one once I track down all those PPG & SEM products Lars spoke of in his tech tip."
I tried Lars' tips on refinishing the interior plastic pieces (specifically the lower ledge of the dash). Check out the 'RESTO' links in my web site below for a few tips. As far as the materials, I didn't find any local or Web source of PPG materials. But looking in the yellow pages, I found several shops listed under 'Auto Body Repair - Supplies', The one I picked turned out great. They had all the SEM products, and one of them had recently taken training on SEM products at the SEM factory, and had some good tips.
Email me if you want a few additional pointers.
"I guess I'll just have to repair the old one once I track down all those PPG & SEM products Lars spoke of in his tech tip."
I tried Lars' tips on refinishing the interior plastic pieces (specifically the lower ledge of the dash). Check out the 'RESTO' links in my web site below for a few tips. As far as the materials, I didn't find any local or Web source of PPG materials. But looking in the yellow pages, I found several shops listed under 'Auto Body Repair - Supplies', The one I picked turned out great. They had all the SEM products, and one of them had recently taken training on SEM products at the SEM factory, and had some good tips.
Email me if you want a few additional pointers.
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (gh86E)
Great web page Gregg. :yesnod: You know that 'don't want to replace at all costs' part? Well, mine has this big old nasty crack in it. :( FWIW, the replacement part I have which I believe came from Corvette Central appears to be a GM piece. It has the GM part number on the back and everything. I'd be curious if your GM pieces from GM are made of the same plastic as the originals. Thanks, ~Juliet
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 843
Likes: 2
From: Nashua New Hampshire
Re: (Juliet)
"Well, mine has this big old nasty crack in it."
Mine had deep scratches, so at that auto shop store I picked up some bumper epoxy - used to repair scratches and holes in those flexible bumpers that are common now. It dries to a grey color. I figured I'd patch the scratches with that first, then sand the ledge down. But after looking at them they didn't look that deep, so I tried just sanding, figuring the paint would fill in anything the sanding didn't remove. Turned out fine. But if you've got more serious problems, then pick up a tube of that (or something similar that will stick well to plastic, and that paint will stick to it).
The only problem with this approach is the SEM paint doesn't dry smooth - it's a little rough. If you drag a cotton cloth across it, it'll pull some lint off the cloth. I coated mine with a non-silicone protectant (which darkened it up to match the original Dulso coating of the rest of the ledge), and rubbed my hand across it many times. This took some of the roughness off and made it a little smoother. I'm looking for something with very minor abrasiveness to take the roughness off the finished paint without leaving any scratch marks or lightening of color.
Mine had deep scratches, so at that auto shop store I picked up some bumper epoxy - used to repair scratches and holes in those flexible bumpers that are common now. It dries to a grey color. I figured I'd patch the scratches with that first, then sand the ledge down. But after looking at them they didn't look that deep, so I tried just sanding, figuring the paint would fill in anything the sanding didn't remove. Turned out fine. But if you've got more serious problems, then pick up a tube of that (or something similar that will stick well to plastic, and that paint will stick to it).
The only problem with this approach is the SEM paint doesn't dry smooth - it's a little rough. If you drag a cotton cloth across it, it'll pull some lint off the cloth. I coated mine with a non-silicone protectant (which darkened it up to match the original Dulso coating of the rest of the ledge), and rubbed my hand across it many times. This took some of the roughness off and made it a little smoother. I'm looking for something with very minor abrasiveness to take the roughness off the finished paint without leaving any scratch marks or lightening of color.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: (gh86E)
Thanks. I'll have to track down those products. For now I'll put the replacement bezel in while I'm fixing the 'old' one. At least that part is only a few screws to get in & out. ~Juliet
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 843
Likes: 2
From: Nashua New Hampshire
Re: (Juliet)
Juliet:
I looked at my new console pieces - I have a new cluster plate, center dash plate, and shift console plate ready to go in. They all had what I'd call a matte finish on them.
Then I looked at the 3 pieces that came out of the car. They all had what I'd describe as a glossy look. But when I looked very closely at them, I noticed what looked like the original finish showing through in spots - it was matte. The glossy areas are due, I believe, to a silicone-based protectant (like Armor All). So if you take Armor All to your new matte-finish console part, I expect it will end up matching the rest of your console parts.
I looked at my new console pieces - I have a new cluster plate, center dash plate, and shift console plate ready to go in. They all had what I'd call a matte finish on them.
Then I looked at the 3 pieces that came out of the car. They all had what I'd describe as a glossy look. But when I looked very closely at them, I noticed what looked like the original finish showing through in spots - it was matte. The glossy areas are due, I believe, to a silicone-based protectant (like Armor All). So if you take Armor All to your new matte-finish console part, I expect it will end up matching the rest of your console parts.
