bullheimer Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) k, well local upholstry expert quoted me about $1500 for a new one: about two full days of work for him i guess at $100/hr. Just Dashes will make me one for $850 plus shipping. since i ripped it all apart and it was foam injected, i figured (after trying the upholstry experts way and finding it too pita) that i would use expanding spray foam crack filler from Lowes at $4/can and just cover my old metal frame with it. here is a pic. i am going to use a hand saw to cut it flat at the right height I HOPE!!!!! and i'll show a pic of it later. hell if i F up i can always re spray foam on it. can't lose. and $15 is a thousand times cheaper than $1500! btw, the first pic is trying to do their way, and is a waste of time if you just foam it. so just spray on over the metal. anybody else try this? like to know how it turned out. my wife will still have to upholster it and i think i am going to put one layer of thin wood floor underlayment foam over the top before that. Edited September 21, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 This is an interesting approach. For the first attempt, is that the bottom side of the dash? And what is the pad material? Do you have a picture of the original dash pad before it was torn apart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) that is the top. it needs to be cut down. i will be using a hand saw. carpenters old school type. the original top was vinyl and it appeared to have had the foam injected into it. i have a picture of it being torn apart, but it would just be just like i said. sometime i will be downloading my phone pics and i'll post one. but really, it had to be scraped off the metal. if you have ever seen them inject foam around a product in a plastic bag that was in a plastic box. then you know what i mean. if you call Just Dashes, they will tell you that is how they make them. like the factory did. but they want $850 for one. all i have now is what it looked like before i ripped it off. Edited September 21, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I had pretty good luck doing a dash for a '63 Riviera using the same approach. From where you are in the last picture, I used a specialty tool from the kitchen, the electric carving knife to get a rough shape then from the carpenter's corner of the basement, I used a belt sander to shape it. I then had it covered by an upholstery shop cover it with some vinyl. The Riv dash is basically a simple topper with nothing sophisticated to deal with; just a hole for the defroster vent. That car is gone or I'd post a picture of it. On a dash similar to that pictured in post #3, I used a utility knife to cut away the brittle turned up sections, dug out a little of the foam, and used the expanding foam in the cracks. shaped it and once again had the upholstery shop glue on some new vinyl. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 great thanks for that. good to know. i am sick today so slow to getting around to it. a smaller keyhole saw will be put to use as well. it's just that the front has to be up about an inch above the metal for stock, right above the cluster. i'm happy to hear that a belt sander will work. i think of the vids i've seen of them making surf boards, but this stuff aint surfboard foam. any ideas about the little bulb holders on the other side of my dash's vent indicators? that i need some help with before i give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) used a large carpenters hand saw from the 50's and got it nailed. a little more foam for a better fit and it think i will put one layer of the foldable wood floor subfloor padding avail at Lowes, not HD (they only have the rolls) on top before i upholster it. just saved myself about $800!! haha hope i dont hurt my arm patting myself on the back. Edited September 22, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Well you could just spray paint it the way it is and save even more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) you know, ratt rods are pretty rough, but that's a little mo' getto than i think i'm goin with this ride. i do want to mention that the whiter stuff i used is the stuff for filling 1" plus holes/cracks. i thought it was better at first but after looking at it today i realize it shrunk after i cut it and the other stuff did not. the cheapest stuff available is the best after all. Edited September 28, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Just a few thoughts … It has been my experience that can insulation tends to "powder out" in the long run upon curing. Any amount of external movement, abrasion or rubbing can easily cause breakage and or separations. This variety of low density foam insulation is structurally powder loose and creamy so it will flow into cracks and tight spots but is not designed for vibration and abrasive contact like other types of high density solid foams, which are capable and designed for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Phillips Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I think Bullheimer should be applauded for an inventive, low-bucks approach to a tough, expensive job! Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 thanks, Pete, i will now pat myself on the back. & au contrare, that spray in foam hole filler has been nothing but bullet proof in my experience as an electrician and having to try to pry that stuff out of holes that it has been sprayed into. as i said somewhere, my plan is to cover the top with a thin piece of wood floor underlayment foam. the stiffer kind from lowes not the rolls as in home depot. i also thought of maybe getting a can of the plastic insulation liquid goo and brushing it over the top before the insulation goes on. hey it's my first time, and i'm not really planning of opening a dashboard padding business. and jeeze, have you taken a look at my wheels? oie! this aint no show car. i have to get to work on that puppy today. and like i said that white stuff that in the one inch and larger hole filler is both not as dense as the other cheaper stuff (same mfgr). and not as solid either. maybe that is the kind you saw come apart. it is easier to break up but still not easy. i have come across alot of that older stuff and it doesnt want to break up at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I always admire initiative I do wonder why you didnt just glue a thin high density foam rubber to it though I havnt done this job, so willing to learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I think Bullheimer should be applauded for an inventive, low-bucks approach to a tough, expensive job!Pete Phillips, BCA #7338…. oh absolutely and when he has to do it in a couple years as well. Job well done and inventive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) phillips, go pay Just Dashe's $850 for your next dash ok? and leave my thread to people who know what they are talking about. namely me.i am going to buy another can of this stuff and slather it with a rubber glove on my hand. like i said before, this stuff just lays flat when you rub it. this stuff is much harder on it's skin than it is after you cut into it tho. even Phillips has to admit that the skin is outright indestructable. if he doesn't then he's never laid eyes on this stuff. i bet i have removed or destroyed more of this stuff than you could even dream of. unless you can tell me you've done two of them exactly like this and they both fell apart in two years, then you are just blowing smoke Edited October 3, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Gee, I though Pete was being genuine when he applauded you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 ….. Back a about 3 decades ago I had an Austin Healy 3000 MKII. This was in the days before Dura Mat and the like. I used this can stuff under the carpets for heat insulation transfer since the Healy's exhaust and muffler are right up against floor pan and put it on the inside of the firewall as well since Healey's cabins are known for running hot inside the car. On another car from the 70's I used this under the vinyl dash cover by lifting the vinyl cover up to fill in rotted voids and then relayed the vinyl over it and glued it down. In both instances the spray can insulation crumbled after a time of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) right johnD, i mispoke. i meant Buick man. sorry phillips i'd edit it, but then johnD's post wouldnt make sense. still, Buick man, if you are going to back your comment up with life experience you can tell me about, then i have a reason to believe you. that is better than just popping out that you think it's going to crumble. that's completely different. warranted comments are appreciated. i'm not thinking this stuff would be the best for a hot firewall, however with you using it under a dash mat is bit of something to think about, since, obviously, that is where i am using it. but i am going to proceed with my plan anyway. For one thing, i think using small amounts of this in holes, maybe it didn't have good enough adhesion? i don't know. But i would be fairly confident to say that they have changed their formula over time. now that might not necessarily be a good thing, as better maybe toxic, chemicals might have been fazed out by the EPA, but they also might have gotten stronger. in any event, i think that by slathering this crap all over the surface with a glove, it will form a hard skin, and i think that will make a huge improvement over just leaving the open cells. most of my experience with breaking this stuff apart has been in attics where it gets pretty hot. and it doesnt come apart at all. but then also, the skin was not broken open previously. and i realize a dash is in the sun all the time too. but i have a couple things going for me 1: i live in a place where it is cloudy 6 months out of the year, and two, the dash isn't going to be black, but blue: cooler. and also as i said, i am going to put wood flooring sub floor padding over the top anyway. so i'll take your advice as far as doing everything i can to keep this cooler. but i know that it is not just crumbling because of just age. Edited October 3, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 No bad. Apparently you know what's best, just thought I would relay some input from my experiences - Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) i do appreciate actual experience, in this as in all other things. Remember, this whole thing is an experiment. i will keep posting good or bad. so far, my last idea rates an epic FAIL. smoothing the stuff out did not work as planned. it bubbled back up like the laBrea Tar Pits. it is now a disaster. should have left it the way it was and covered with the plastic tool dip liquid plan i had first. now it looks like i have to scrape it all off again to the point of re-applying it and then cutting it. the surface is so hard now i seriously doubt i will be able to cut any kind of straight or flat surface. it looks like a real bad case of acne. too bad, as it was very straight and flat before. the good thing about this stuff tho is that when you screw up, it is easy to re-do. and cheap as hell. Edited October 5, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Don't scrape it off. Try and sand it.Maybe? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) i will try my hand saw on it but sanding it would be like sanding rubber i think. ie i dont think that would work. i have an electric orbital but i cant see that doing anything but gum up. i will try to get to it soon but am working on sanding/prime/painting the dash under it and putting all the pieces back together first i think. still got to save money for the stinkin uber expensive glass. if you must have me try i will spend five seconds seeing what will happen just to let you know. Edited October 6, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 I guess do whatever you think is best. I am not there and haven't done it, so if you think it will gum up don't do it. It seems like you could use a hand sander (block or longboard) with coarse grit similar to the first coat of fiberglass or bondo you apply to a car. Or a rasp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 oooo, rasp! i think that might do it! i'll have to go buy one as that might be the only tool i dont have laying around somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) ok awesome. thanks 5563 for reminding me of that tool. i used one to plane down the top of an old door a couple months back and it worked so damned well i can't believe i didn't think of it. and btw the orbital with a slightly used 120 grit didn't work. 80 would be better, 50 better yet, but still i wouldnt bother with anything but a rasp. got it at Ace for like $12, foot long, stanley, fyi. i think that has turned this last effort from an epic fail to an epic success! you can see from my pics that i basically have solid foam with an almost, but fairly flat surface. you can read of Buick mans critique of this foam and decide for yourself whether to do this and coat it with something else, use as is, or S can the whole idea, but here are some pictures of what this foam will do for you. Since i slathered it on with a rubber glove, it is much harder than w/o, just sawed flat with the carpenters saw. However there are alot of places just like that, with open foam surfaces, that would obviously break down quicker than where the surface was unscathed. Decide for yourself. I am thinking i will still follow plan A, which was coat it with the liquid rubber in a can to level it better and also to protect the porous surface. however, it is so flat, i think a piece of light foam plastic stuff, (esp that wood floor sub flooring), might make the rubber overkill. it would, no doubt tho, make it less prone to falling apart ala buick mans experience years ago. Edited October 15, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 56BuickSuper Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Looks like a dash pad to me, nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) thank you. but the question is still about durability. buick man has actual real life experience with this, i, on the other hand, will have a ways to go before i can make any statements about longevity. i really dont see much visible difference btwn what i tore out and what is there now. i am assuming the worst and covering this with either the plastic tool dip stuff and/or the wood floor underlayment padding i saw at Lowes, before i upholster it. after it is covered with plastic tool dip crap, there is no way i can see, for it to deteriorate at all, no matter what. seeing as how that dip is only about $10, seems like the thing to do. you can see there is space on the edges. i think that this will be covered by the plastic pieces that go there. in my avatar you can see the it didn't quite reach the sides there either. i thought they went on last, but i cant remember. i tried to get them on after i put the dash in once and they wouldnt go on. i'm sure i'll figure it out. i hope so, cause i took the whole dash apart as well w/o taking pics Edited October 17, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZTatZAU Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Congrats to you Bullheimer for your resourcefulness and "can-do" attitude! I'm sorry to have arrived only now in "the bottom of ninth inning" but if I'd been here at the start of this game I would have suggested that you try some of the 2 part expandable urethane foam commonly used in the taxidermy industry for creating bird and fish bodies or for casting/sculpting/carving the lifesize and shoulder mount manikins upon which a taxidermy specimen's prepared skin or hide is applied. The problem with the aerosol cans of hardware store foam is the difficulty of applying successive, adjacent "stripes" of the spray can foam to cover a large area making it almost impossible to achieve a uniform layer of workable foam with a consistent density. For about the same cost of 3 or 4 of the aerosol cans you could order an easy to use kit like this... http://rmi-online.com/s-244.html from Research Manikins up there near you in Oregon or similar products from any of the major taxidermy supply houses. This 2 part 3 lb foam is easily formed to the desired shape with a rasp or 60-80 grit sandpaper leaving a nice uniform surface to which you can apply a coat of "hide paste" (or latex tile adhesive) that will permanently bond a skin, hide, or in this case your vinyl dashboard cover. If you'd like to wind up with a more durable skim coat or a topcoat of harder cured foam, I'd suggest you experiment with restraining the 2 part foam to the desired shape as it expands and cures with a temporary "dash cover" fashioned to the desired shape and fastened strategically to allow the excess expanding foam to escape out the sides to be trimmed off later at the edges after it cures. To avoid any bonding at this step, the temporary cover should be coated with wax, WD-40, or any other "suitable mold-release" so you can easily pull it off the foam after curing. ZT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 NEXT TIME BRO! Next time! The hand saw worked pretty damned good, woulda left it that way c'ept for the complaint about deterioration. however it will be great. that is, whenever i get around to finishing it!! Got to get my dash one last coat of paint, but have to have a warm day i am not working or bring it into the garage to do it and then clearcoat it. THEN put it all back together. \ugh, then the dash can be test fitted again, THEN upholstered. good advice for anybody who wants to try this themselves, it couldn't help but be better than the spray insulation esp if it's that cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Todd Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Heres a picture of my freshly done dashboard! I thought it was done very well for $75! I stll need to cut out the spot for the speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Todd Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Dash 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted November 26, 2015 Author Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) welll man, how bout some details BT! Edited December 17, 2015 by MrEarl Removed profanity (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Thought the same thimg Pretty useless showing a picture like that without a hint at least as to where you could get one It looks vacuum formed? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Falabella Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 I think the major problem with that method is that the foam has little elasticity. If it is bumped it will probably dent, but interesting budget fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 hense the covering with the 1/4" vinyl top foam recommended by, well not here apparently, must have been Team Buick. posted there too. originally i was going to use the foam for the underlayment of wood floors, but someone over there recommended the vinyl top stuff instead and has used that in the past with good results. that going over the top of what i have now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullheimer Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 (edited) need to say i found this: http://www.urethanesupply.com/Padded-Dash-Filler-2/ on this page over at hotrodders.com http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/64-dash-re-cover-questions-243466.html maybe a grinder on the only dried up hard vinyl and the filler would be the best thing to re-cover instead of scraping it not much off topic but this is cool if you dont want to do any of this http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/64-dash-re-cover-questions-243466.html Edited December 6, 2015 by bullheimer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Todd Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) welll man, how bout some details BT!Sorry friends! I just realized you all replied! I wasn't following the topic.Anyway, I didn't really "send it off" anywhere, so really my picture remains useless. I found a very nice guy who literally lives like half a mile away from my home and he is in charge of the upholstery. Very good work though! The door panels look even more amazing in person. The dash has a thin layer of foam under it. The same foam used in my door panels. The dash is now slightly "squishy", which i like, but not so much that it can accidentally be indented. The fabric over it is then sprayed glued on. No fancy work is needed, really. I think a lot of people overthink it. I love the dash and it looks and feels amazing.Sorry again, and hope it helps!Brandon T Edited December 17, 2015 by MrEarl removed profanity from quote (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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