How to refresh / repair my dash?

[Radacravitz]

the ‘95 monaco we bought (at a great price) last may has a dash that was completely buggered up where the attaching screws hold it to the dash. not only are the areas around the holes severely cracked, some of them have chunks of material missing.

i’ve contacted several rv salvage shops that i’ve seen recommended but no joy. it looks like i’ll need to either refresh this one by sanding & repairing the cracked holes / edges and then applying a covering material - we’re thinking thin, light oak veneer.

i’ve also given some thought to having a new dash fabricated @ tap plastics or by a metal shop. if plastic, leave as-is, if metal, perhaps veneer.

i’d appreciate any / all feedback / suggestions from those who have done something similar.

thx in advance.

(photo of similar dash off web, notice cracks - i wish mine were this simple ;-)

[Papa_Jim]

We used to own a '95 Dynasty. That dash issue was/is a very common problem.

I never did find a replacement. I considered making an edge cover out of wood or plastic. In the end, I found some very large washers somewhere that I was able to use. I used some black electrical tape in a couple of spots.

It didn't look too bad. In fact the new owner never mentioned it.

Jim

[Radacravitz]

Originally Posted by Papa_Jim

We used to own a '95 Dynasty. That dash issue was/is a very common problem.

I never did find a replacement. I considered making an edge cover out of wood or plastic. In the end, I found some very large washers somewhere that I was able to use. I used some black electrical tape in a couple of spots.

It didn't look too bad. In fact the new owner never mentioned it.

Jim

thx, Jim. I've given some thought to using something like automotive door trim (old skool stuff) and dealing with it that way. I'll take a couple of pics and show how the p.o. glued / velcroed it in place ... it looks pretty crummy, so it and the console edge need to be cleaned up.

I'll post before - after pics.

[spritz]

I like the washer trick some nice finishing washers would work great.
Do you have any fiberglass experience
Tim?

[All_talk]

Is the panel three separate pieces or one formed piece? In metal or plastic the gauges being set from behind will require clean neat cutouts, so hand fabricating is likely not an option. As you suggested a plastic or metal fabricator could do the job but I wonder about the price for a custom one-off.

I might opt for repair. Assuming you can tolerate a little additional thickness, I would laminate some thin sheet metal behind the broken areas with epoxy and cut them out/build them up with the required combination of new plastic sections & epoxy filler (this is one proper use for JB weld). Don't worry about working around the holes, just record there location and re-drill after. Then a little plastic filler as necessary, a good sanding and a coat of paint.

Gary

[Bubba1]

Try Home Page


Mike H

[Radacravitz]

thx tim & gary for your suggestions.

we haven’t worked with fiberglass, but aren’t afraid to try ... this isn’t a massive job so should be doable for newbies.

i like the sheet metal backing and filler approach ... that might be the most practical.

great suggestions, guys, thx!

[Radacravitz]

Originally Posted by Bubba1

Try Home Page





Mike H

thx for that link, mike, i’ve been through their site several times and didn’t see one that looked like ours. i figured if i got serious about having something fabricated i would check with them, too.

thx again for the link.

[All_talk]

Originally Posted by Radacravitz

thx tim & gary for your suggestions.

we haven’t worked with fiberglass, but aren’t afraid to try ... this isn’t a massive job so should be doable for newbies.

i like the sheet metal backing and filler approach ... that might be the most practical.

great suggestions, guys, thx!

If there is text/graphics on the panel you could have a vinyl sticker shop reproduce it and reapply after painting. Or could mask off the whole center part and paint a rim around the outside just wide enough to cover the repairs.

[Radacravitz]

Originally Posted by All_talk

If there is text/graphics on the panel you could have a vinyl sticker shop reproduce it and reapply after painting. Or could mask off the whole center part and paint a rim around the outside just wide enough to cover the repairs.

jeez, gary, i hadn’t even gotten that far in my thinking :-(

of course, you’re correct wrt painting / refreshing(!), thx for the directive nudge - i would have gotten there eventually ....

[kgchampagne]

I had a similar issue with a boat I sold around 2010. I made new panels out of Lexan which I then covered with a woodgrain adhesive backed vinyl designed for automotive. It looked great and held up in a marine/sun environment. One panel needed a bend which I was able to replicate using a heat gun and clamps. Wish I had pics.
By the way, my 02 Monaco has some broken corners on the driver's side console, and I will be doing this project soon as well. Removing and replacing switches and gauges is not hard, just tedious.

Ken

[Radacravitz]

Originally Posted by kgchampagne

I had a similar issue with a boat I sold around 2010. I made new panels out of Lexan which I then covered with a woodgrain adhesive backed vinyl designed for automotive. It looked great and held up in a marine/sun environment. One panel needed a bend which I was able to replicate using a heat gun and clamps. Wish I had pics.

By the way, my 02 Monaco has some broken corners on the driver's side console, and I will be doing this project soon as well. Removing and replacing switches and gauges is not hard, just tedious.



Ken

thx very much, ken - where’d you buy the lexan?

[steppinstone]

I had the same issue with mine it was plastic with wooden look. I ended up taking it all out and tracing it on solid oak plank. It was almost the same shape as yours I made it in three sections came out awesome.

[Radacravitz]

Originally Posted by steppinstone

I had the same issue with mine it was plastic with wooden look. I ended up taking it all out and tracing it on solid oak plank. It was almost the same shape as yours I made it in three sections came out awesome.

thx for this.

ours is a single piece of material that has bends that angle for the side areas. how did you blend / feather the interfacing edges and do you have a pic of your end result?