warped dash trim fix?

[burdar]

My right hand "L" trim that screws to the lower dash frame is warped.  It fits the contour of the pad on the front face but where the screw hole is(on the inside by the gauges) isn't even close to matching the pad.  It looks like the factory really tightned that screw down.  I took that piece off for the first time a month ago.  It held the twisted shape that it had been in.  I've looked at pictures online and I don't think it should be twisted like that.   

I can bend the end of that trim piece out so it matches the profile of the dash pad.  That brings me to my question.  Do you think it's possible to heat up that area with a heat gun, use a straight edge on the back side(to keep the trim line straight) and pull that edge back in shape?  When it cools, will it hold the new shape?   

I've got a couple scratches on that trim but was going to try and reuse it.  I really don't want to buy a new piece.  I wish I had a junk one to experiment with.

[Slotts]

Hey Darren,

Yes, you can use a heat gun. Make sure you have some leather landscape type gloves so you can hold it in place. The best advice I could give is to be s-l-o-w bringing plastic the up to a temperature that will start to let you bend it. I usually go just a little past where I think it needs to be so when you let go of it falls into the place that's needed.

It's all trial and error until you get it right. Also let the plastic cool down by itself meaning don't run cold water over it, etc. Take your time and don't be in a rush and you will get it. 

Slotts

[burdar]

I just didn't know how that plastic would react to heat.  I didn't want it to stay firm and then all of a sudden melt into a puddle without any notice.

Here's what I'm dealing with.  It matches the pad pretty good when I pull it over to where I think it should be.

[Bullitt-]

I just looked at mine & it does pretty much the same thing.
Think your going to have to add a spacer to keep it straight.

[burdar]

That was my first thought but it takes a lot of force to pull it inline with the pad.  I thought that if I could heat it up and move it, there would be less stress on the trim.  I'll still have to put a spacer in there if I heat it up or not. 

How does your trim match up to the origonal pad?  I failed to take a pic of the origonal fit in that area. 

[Bullitt-]

Besides the aforementioned bend there is a significant gap at the front edge

[burdar]

The factory obviously didn't care very much did they.   Like I said, I took that trim off for the first time a month ago.  Some of the screws holding it to the frame were too big and weren't even tightened up.  Since yours is bent in like mine, that tells me that the pad is too thick in that area.  I have no choise but to shim it out now though.  Thanks for those pictures.

[burdar]

Last night I decided to trim some of the foam in that area.  I took about a 1/4" of material out of the end(where the trim meets the pad) and angled it back to the curve by the light bar.  The trim looks like it will fit a lot better now.  That's the good news.....................

The vinyl was pie cut and wrapped around the inside.  When I took the vinyl loose and pulled it back to trim the foam, the vinyl split.  I was trying to be careful but it split anyway.  Now I have about a 3/4" long tear in the vinyl.  Also, I didn't want to slice up through the vinyl when I was cutting out the foam so I didn't cut all the way through it.  I just pulled the excess foam out...now when I pull the vinyl tight, you can see a wavy line where the foam wasn't cleanly cut.  I could pull back the vinyl again to make a cleaner cut but I'm sure it will tear even more.

Now I'm trying to find someone who can repair the tear.  I think I'm going to dye the pad anyway(this pad is flat and doesn't have much gloss to it)  so the repair should be hidden if done properly.  I wonder if there is a way for ME to repair it?

[brads70]

   Just watching and learning as I'm planning a new dash pad sometime this summer and the area your having trouble with is always an issue on the new pads from what I've been able to see/read?