Fox Plastic Dash Repair - Cracks

cdurbin · Sep 25, 2014

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

7991LXnSHO · Sep 25, 2014

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.

Noobz347 · Sep 25, 2014

cdurbin said:
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.

7991LXnSHO · Sep 25, 2014

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.

91TwighlightGT · Sep 25, 2014

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.

elarm1 · Sep 25, 2014

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

I like it. Ordering mine now!

90lxwhite · Sep 25, 2014

elarm1 said:
https://www.car-truck-accessories.com/p-76-dashmat-carpet-dashboard-cover.aspx

I like it. Ordering mine now!

elarm1 · Sep 25, 2014

Hey Hey Hey @90lxwhite, because you can't find a TFI module is no reason to get $hitty with me

cdurbin · Sep 25, 2014

pics of subject areas...

elarm1 · Sep 25, 2014

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

elarm1 · Sep 25, 2014

90lxwhite said:

That thing looks like a automobile pet urinal. I do not think I want that Sam I am, I do not want it at all!

cdurbin · Sep 25, 2014

elarm1 said:
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.

cdurbin · Sep 25, 2014

elarm1 said:
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

Let me know how you like yours once it arrives.

elarm1 · Sep 25, 2014

will do! @cdurbin

Noobz347 · Sep 25, 2014

cdurbin said:
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.

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.

91TwighlightGT · Sep 25, 2014

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.

cdurbin · Sep 26, 2014

Noobz347 said:
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.

Any Pics?

Noobz347 · Sep 26, 2014

cdurbin said:
Any Pics?

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

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 30,000 miles or less) well..... You can guess.

cdurbin · Sep 26, 2014

Noobz347 said:
Let me see what I have. Car has been in storage since I retired from the military.

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 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.

Noobz347 · Sep 26, 2014

I can not recall if the cover for the 87+ went all the way down into the tray or not. I'll see if I can find a photo too. I might even have one on this machine.

Fox Plastic Dash Repair - Cracks

cdurbin

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

91TwighlightGT

elarm1

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

elarm1

cdurbin

elarm1

elarm1

cdurbin

cdurbin

elarm1

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

91TwighlightGT

cdurbin

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

cdurbin

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Similar threads

Fox Plastic Dash Repair - Cracks

wanna catch the space herp

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

wanna catch the space herp

I'm kind of a She-Man

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency