Fox Plastic Dash Repair - Cracks

cdurbin

5 Year Member
Jul 27, 2012
563
108
64
North Charleston, SC
I have a couple of fairly small cracks in the upper portion of my dash. They are located on the passenger side near the speaker on top. They've been there since I bought the car. They seem to be getting larger over time though. Is there a way to fill or repair them? I really don't want to replace the entire dash unless I absolutely have to. Thanks
 
  • Sponsors (?)


We used to sell a kit for doing this. It was made by Permatex, but I do not remember seeing it for a while. There were several tubs to mix up your shade. Amazon or any online parts place will be good places to check if your NAPA is out and can not order it.
 
I have a couple of fairly small cracks in the upper portion of my dash. They are located on the passenger side near the speaker on top. They've been there since I bought the car. They seem to be getting larger over time though. Is there a way to fill or repair them? I really don't want to replace the entire dash unless I absolutely have to. Thanks


Replacing just the dash pad is not that huge of an ordeal.

To my knowledge, there is no method of patching those cracks that I would find acceptable. It will always look like ass.

One option might be to see if you can still get the pre-cut dash carpet from somewhere. They look decent and you can put stuff on the dash without it sliding everywhere.

Something along these lines:
https://www.car-truck-accessories.com/p-76-dashmat-carpet-dashboard-cover.aspx

Dash Pad replacements run around $200 plus shipping from various sources including LRS.
 
I did not think about Dashmat carpet dash covers on a late Fox. I have one on another car and have sold a ton of them. It would protect the new cover and hide the crack in an old pad while cutting down on glare.
 
Pictures are worth a thousand words. There are ways to repair the plastic, but I wouldn't call it particularly easy to get a good result on a hard plastic. The repair requires printing the plastic pattern back onto the dash. This is done by buying the correct fabric pattern and applying it with the proper iron.

Another recommendation to prevent further cracking down the road is to install subframe connectors. Flexing of the body contributes to cracking of the plastic as it also twists and flexes. As time and sun exposure causes the plastic to become brittle and less pliable, it becomes more prone to cracking.
 
image.jpg
 
That crack is pretty bad @cdurbin. That either needs a new dash pad or some sort of cover. I just bought a carpet cover from the site above and it says that its made to order and will be here in 2 to 3 weeks
 
That crack is pretty bad @cdurbin. That either needs a new dash pad or some sort of cover. I just bought a carpet cover from the site above and it says that its made to order and will be here in 2 to 3 weeks

Yeah, I know. Drives me crazy to look at it too. I may go the cover route for now. Eventually I'll probably replace the dash. I'd rather wait until it's not my DD in case I run into issues and with my luck, I will.:mad:
 
Yeah, I know. Drives me crazy to look at it too. I may go the cover route for now. Eventually I'll probably replace the dash. I'd rather wait until it's not my DD in case I run into issues and with my luck, I will.:mad:

The pads are pretty nice. I have one in my Fox and it covers the brand new dash pad that I have underneath.

In other words: I like it well enough that I reinstalled it after replacing the dash pad.
 
I agree with elarm1, that dash is basically toast. You would have to remove it completely to try and plastic weld them, and at that point you might as well just put in a good one. Also, the cracks are located on curved portions which would make pressing a pattern in practically impossible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Any Pics? :D


Let me see what I have. Car has been in storage since I retired from the military.


upload_2014-9-26_16-12-53.png


You can see that I'd already replaced the dash cap.

Since this pic, the entire dash has gone black and the center console is two-toned (red/black). Even still, the red dash carpet remains. I didn't like the ALL RED interior but I do like the red color.

The finished product will be a mix that works.

On a side note: It's pretty much useless to try and buy a colored or color matched dash cap (if you ever choose to replace yours). They don't match very well. You're better off trying to die the cap to match the dash (this can be hard due to sun bleaching and age) or just dying the entire dash to match whatever color cap you purchase. The caps are dyed to OEM colors. If your car has not lived it's entire life in a garage (like :chin 30,000 miles or less) well..... You can guess.
 
Let me see what I have. Car has been in storage since I retired from the military.


upload_2014-9-26_16-12-53.png


You can see that I'd already replaced the dash cap.

Since this pic, the entire dash has gone black and the center console is two-toned (red/black). Even still, the red dash carpet remains. I didn't like the ALL RED interior but I do like the red color.

The finished product will be a mix that works.

On a side note: It's pretty much useless to try and buy a colored or color matched dash cap (if you ever choose to replace yours). They don't match very well. You're better off trying to die the cap to match the dash (this can be hard due to sun bleaching and age) or just dying the entire dash to match whatever color cap you purchase. The caps are dyed to OEM colors. If your car has not lived it's entire life in a garage (like :chin 30,000 miles or less) well..... You can guess.

I like how that cover looks on your car. I'm wondering how it will look on a 91 style dash though. I've looked all over the internet for a photo and so far have come up empty. I seen covers on other makes/models and some look really bad. I suppose it would be better than the cracks I have now though. Plus the cost is minimal.