Subject: Re: [Spits] dash cap

From: "Kevin Rhodes" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 15:43:16 -0400

The PO of my car put vinyl over the dash nearly 20 years ago and it still
looks good. I have never seen one of those hard plastic caps that looked
decent.

Kevin Rhodes
Westbrook, ME
Freddy the Spit, still needing his clutch fork  pin replaced, as his keeper
is a slacker.

-----Original Message-----
From: Spitfires [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of dave
n
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 1:50 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Spits] dash cap

Ibm going to try to install a dash cap on a 75, not a full replacement
dash.

some of the forums said its better to just fill the holes and vinyl it.

anyone done either and/or have a recommendation?
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From: Doug Braun <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 18:27:31 -0400

I did a dash cap about 10 years ago (before remanufactured originals were
available),
and it looks fine to me, certainly a lot better than the cracked original.
If I remember correctly,
I completely removed the dash pad, clued on the cap, and re-installed the
pad.

Doug

On Sun, Jul 20, 2014 at 3:43 PM, Kevin Rhodes <[email-masked]> wrote:

>
> Ib m going to try to install a dash cap on a 75, not a full replacement
> dash.
>

[email-masked]

---

From: "Bob Krivenko" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:56:18 -0400

I had received a dash overlay that came with a car that I bought but didn't
like the way it looked.  It all depends on how much you want to take your
dash apart. I was doing a full restoration, so the car was in pieces and I
thought I would try this.  I went to the trouble of carefully removing the
original cap from the metal dash top trying to salvage the foam underneath
the vinyl. I disconnected the entire dashboard from the top which requires
removing gauges and everything else that goes with it. I then cut off the
raised lip of the split or splits with a razor blade to make it as flat as
possible, filling in the split with body putty and sanding it down.  Then I
used contact cement to glue just the edges under the cap close to the
windshield, wrapped it around to fit under the dash panel and glued it
there.  I was able to form fit using a heat gun around the ash tray and the
raised area above the gauges but just glued the area around the ash tray to
keep the indentations on both sides of the ash tray.  I don't believe that I
used glue all over the entire dash top so the vinyl can flex a bit. I then
glued it back onto the metal dash top and bolted up the dashboard to it.
This was done at least four years ago and it still looks like day one. Back
in the 70's I did this to my tr4 dash top and it too still looks good after
all these years. They now have a full replacements for these dash tops but I
am still too cheap to go that route.  Hope this helps. Bob Krivenko 

-----Original Message-----
From: Spitfires [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of Doug
Braun
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 6:28 PM
To: Spitfire Group
Subject: Re: [Spits] dash cap

I did a dash cap about 10 years ago (before remanufactured originals were
available), and it looks fine to me, certainly a lot better than the cracked
original.
If I remember correctly,
I completely removed the dash pad, clued on the cap, and re-installed the
pad.

Doug

On Sun, Jul 20, 2014 at 3:43 PM, Kevin Rhodes <[email-masked]> wrote:

>
> Ib m going to try to install a dash cap on a 75, not a full 
> replacement dash.
>

[email-masked]
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spitfires/[email-masked]
_______________________________________________

[email-masked]

---

From: Berger Bob <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:23:13 -0500

Back in the 90's I installed one of the dash overlays. It was made from a
thicker material than what they are selling nowadays.
Mine still looks great and the only way anyone knows is iOS an overlay is that
it doesn't extend all the way back to the wood dash and if you feel under the
lip you can tell it's there.

Bob Berger
78 Spitfire

> On Jul 20, 2014, at 7:56 PM, "Bob Krivenko" <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
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From: "Bill Gingerich" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:47:38 -0500

I did a dash cap 15 years ago, and have no complaints.  I trimmed the areas
where the splits in the dash had risen up first.  I removed the demister
vents and ashtray, and reinstalled them after laying the cap in place.  I
didn't bother to glue the cap down, just used the vents to hold it.  Doesn't
look "original" but looks decent to me.
BillG

-----Original Message-----
From: Spitfires [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of dave
n
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 12:50 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Spits] dash cap

[email-masked]