Diary of a Restore (Thread)

Dash out. Cracks opened for short hair bondo and then polyvance covering, and a grille fabbed from ABS. Dash grille cross you see here prepped for resin with a fiberglass wrap. Two were cracked. Tabs fabricated—this time no resin—all plastic welding. Made sure it fit, now it goes to paint.

It’s not perfect, but this is at least a temporary fix for the grille issue:

AmericanSavage wrote

It’s not perfect, but this is at least a temporary fix for the grille issue

Looks good!

Can’t wait to see the final result!

Before I swapped for a repro dash, I had installed an oval speaker grill on Big Bro’s one…
Not too bad, but wasn’t looking as the original.
But looking much better than a big black hole.

BigBrother-84 wrote

AmericanSavage wrote

It’s not perfect, but this is at least a temporary fix for the grille issue

Looks good!

Can’t wait to see the final result!

Before I swapped for a repro dash, I had installed an oval speaker grill on Big Bro’s one…
Not too bad, but wasn’t looking as the original.
But looking much better than a big black hole.

Honestly I think that looks really nice!  I tried to find an oval grille too—but every one had a bow in the middle, and I needed something flat.  I went with ABS plastic, and drilled the holes using a template from the 3d of Reamer…and if you look close..yuck…a few are off.

Lots of sanding today…hope to have something presentable later in the week for a pic.  

Sand Sand Sand….reapply more bondo…wait.

In the meantime, got one side of the cab dash restored to original today.  

Bondo?  I thought you were using epoxy resin and SEM texture. Bondo doesn’t crack when the dash flexes?

Gary Lewis wrote

Bondo?  I thought you were using epoxy resin and SEM texture. Bondo doesn’t crack when the dash flexes?

All plastic repair pieces get plastic welding (for the tabs with a metal mesh), and then resin and fiberglass.  

For the dash cracks:  A special process:  open the cracks, then either plastic weld into the gap, OR (what I did) short hair fiberglass and hardener.

THEN, over that, a special "bondo" that has give from Polyvance.  I can attest now it has flex to it.  

Getting close to having it all prepped.  More sanding, and thin layer of "bondo" today.  

After sand, sand, sand the dash....tackled the dash cluster.  Cleaned up the plastic cover using Novus--man that stuff is great.

What is on it is dust--rather windy today.  

But pic shows...I have a TAC now!

It looks like the Ammeter is not working--did not budge, and I have no working spare.  The original snapped as I was going to swap it out--snapped right at the end so I could not hold the post.  GRRRRR.

But so far everything else works.  May try find a meter.  OH, the right turn did not work..had to spread the connect points on the bulb socket.  

I would say that the Printed circuit from JBG works great!  Have not tested the HiPo effect yet. But the HiPo needle paint is fabulous! Pic!

Those look great!  

I was really happy when I used the HIPO paint on my new cluster.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Those look great!  

I was really happy when I used the HIPO paint on my new cluster.

Thank you!  I cannot believe how great it looked.  On one needle, it did kinda separate, but did an extra coat.  

Hope to get a shot of the prepped dash tomorrow..but I am finicky with bondo--one slight issue and it shows with paint. Many body mistake taught me lesson the hard way.

Have you considered having your ammeter converted to an F10080V voltmeter by Rocketman Innovations?

Bob only uses the needle, dial and case.
He offers stud replacement at $5 with one of his conversions.
Conversion is $50

https://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-volt-all

Looking great!  Very well done.

As for the Bondo, glad you found something that will flex.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Have you considered having your ammeter converted to an F10080V voltmeter by Rocketman Innovations?

Bob only uses the needle, dial and case.
He offers stud replacement at $5 with one of his conversions.
Conversion is $50

https://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-volt-all

Hey Jim,

Does the gauge go right back in to the same spot in the dash without modification/Wire modification/etc.?  

This looks highly doable for me, and I am inclined.  Thank you!

Reply to Gary and those interested:  I highly recommend the polyvance system for dash crack repair.  I modified it using bondo glass for the underlay (not plastic weld), but, the polyvance bondo is fabulous to work with in this situation.

Below the finished product—gotta clean up the grille holes a little, but it literally looks like new.  And I also am mastering the SEM texture application.  GREAT STUFF.

Last pic—all the D side dash tabs on the interior dash above the gauge cluster were broken.  I used wire mesh and only plastic welding material (no resin) for this. Will need to drill holes when the time comes.

It's your exact same old gauge with a new movement.
It fits like new, but you do need to move some wires around from the ammeter shunt under the hood.
Gary has done this and there a number of threads. Also I believe there is an article under 'Bullnose Upgrades ' in the drop-down menu at the top left of the page.
I haven't done it because I have a Bricknose (which came with a voltmeter) but the conversion doesn't seem difficult, in fact it doesn't need to be as involved as Gary makes it out to be. You really just need a source of 'key on' power.

Very nice! That looks good!

Looking really good.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

It's your exact same old gauge with a new movement.
It fits like new, but you do need to move some wires around from the ammeter shunt under the hood.
Gary has done this and there a number of threads. Also I believe there is an article under 'Bullnose Upgrades ' in the drop-down menu at the top left of the page.
I haven't done it because I have a Bricknose (which came with a voltmeter) but the conversion doesn't seem difficult, in fact it doesn't need to be as involved as Gary makes it out to be. You really just need a source of 'key on' power.

Hey Jim,

I went to his site, and also saw your posts on FTE...The suggestion is to cut the printed circuit around the ammeter!   My ignorant question--why not de-pin the two wires at the cluster connector?  I am asking and not knowing if that would be possible.  Looking at EVTM now as I type....not finding it.

Not sure which "his site" you mean, but go to Documentation/Electrical/3G Conversion and then go to the Ammeter & Voltmeter tab.  There you'll find a modified page from the EVTM.

And I would not cut the traces as you cannot easily put that back.  And while you could de-pin the connector then you have to run new wires.  I prefer to use the wires that are already there and just add the relay.

But Jim is right, you could use some source of key-on power.  However, that will get you the voltage after whatever devices that circuit powers, which will change from time to time depending on what you pick.  The relay approach gets you true battery voltage.

Having said that, the voltmeter's scale has no numbers, so in reality it doesn't make much difference.  

Gary Lewis wrote

Not sure which "his site" you mean, but go to Documentation/Electrical/3G Conversion and then go to the Ammeter & Voltmeter tab.  There you'll find a modified page from the EVTM.

And I would not cut the traces as you cannot easily put that back.  And while you could de-pin the connector then you have to run new wires.  I prefer to use the wires that are already there and just add the relay.

But Jim is right, you could use some source of key-on power.  However, that will get you the voltage after whatever devices that circuit powers, which will change from time to time depending on what you pick.  The relay approach gets you true battery voltage.

Having said that, the voltmeter's scale has no numbers, so in reality it doesn't make much difference.  

My Bad Gary--I meant Rocketman's site and his instructions.  

And AH!  I was looking for the instructions on your site, and never thought to look at 3G!  But I see no Ammeter/volt tab.  

Update: Found.  I simply clicked on the 3G conversion and not the breakout links from it.  DOH!