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#1
11-22-2006, 07:21 PM
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Anyone Coated The Dash In Fiberglass?
or just resin, or tried to make it hard somehow, then paint it?
I actually asked about a new dash from the dealer..........he he. the other people there dropped a jaw, while getting parts for newer cars. 
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#2
11-22-2006, 08:44 PM
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Check what you can find on the site under "dash cover" or Coverlay. They make an overlay that's worked well for folks. I've used epoxy and fiberglass building a kayak and can tell you it would be much less than an enjoyable job, if you could get it to work at all.
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Craig Bethune '97 SL500, 40th anniversary edition '04 Olds Bravada (SWMBO's) '06 Lexus ES330 '89 560SL (sold) SL--Anything else is just a Mercedes. (Kudos to whoever said it first)
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#3
11-22-2006, 09:06 PM
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thanks for the reply,
Anything would look better than a split dash, except that coverlay cover........ I am still interested if anyone has a process to permanently re-finish it, re-cover it with soft material, or anybody has ever seen a new old stock part, or anything other than the hot-glued plastic shell. The one I saw did not fit at the doors, sensor, or gauges.
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#4
11-22-2006, 09:51 PM
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The dash is available new for $2000. Not a bad deal when you consider the door pocket are $400 and the sun visors are $450. and the drivers floor mat is $700.
But a well installed coverlay is almost undetectable and more than likely will look much nicer than anything I could ever recover in fiberglass and paint. So a search on this and see a few examples of how to install them both with and without the dash removed. John Roncallo
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#5
11-23-2006, 11:11 AM
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Certainly, you're going to notice a BAD dash cap installation, and never notice a good one - so, most of the dash cap installations that you pay any attention to are bad!
__________________
86 560SL With homebrew first gear start! 85 380SL Daily Driver Project http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
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#6
11-29-2006, 02:03 PM
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Their used to be shops in every city that fixed cracked dashes, armrests , etc. by plastic welding. Apparently no one could compete in price with the dash caps. If you want to try it, there are still lots of places that will sell you the equipment. arizonatools.com is a good place to start, click on welding torches then plastic welders or Google "plastic welders". If you can find a copy of "Motor Auto Body Repair" manual at your local library it has a detailed section on the process and you can see what you are getting into. I have seen plastic welders at Harbor Freight Tools for 30 bucks, don't know about the quality, but for one time use...
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#8
11-30-2006, 04:47 AM
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[QUOTE=buckwyatt;1337833]thanks for the reply,
Anything would look better than a split dash, except that coverlay cover........ yeah, i bought one ten years ago for my 84 sd. i installed it and hated the cheap look of it and took it off and sent it back. tom w
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.  [SIGPIC]..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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#10
12-04-2006, 04:55 PM
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Buck:
This is actually a pretty good primer on dash top installation. http://www.slack.net/~thundt/mercedes/dashtop_installation.htm I cannot imagine a good fibreglass job looking better than a poor quality dash top installation. 230/8
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#11
12-04-2006, 09:03 PM
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Nice writeup - the only comments that I'd make on those instructions is that using the glue IS imporant, and removing the instrument cluster FIRST helps a lot in installation and guarantees future easy cluster removal.
__________________
86 560SL With homebrew first gear start! 85 380SL Daily Driver Project http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
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