dying and minor repairs to 'new' Dash pad

[Road_Runner]

I just picked up an NOS brown 71-74 Cuda dash in light brown that has never been installed but does have a couple of minor blemishes.  One is a very small cut/crack and the other is a couple of 'bubbles where the vinyl has raised up.  I'm going to be dying this black so that will help hide any repairs but does anyone here have experience doing something similar and can point me to a thread or site where I can get the necessary material & info to do this?  Any advice is greatly welcome as well!

Thanks in advance, Jim

[Road_Runner]

Nobody here has ever done dash repairs?  That's surprising.  The dash has been delivered and quite honestly the imperfections are very minor and would be mostly hid in a good dye job anyway.  I'm tring to decide if it would be worth 'piercing' the vinyl with a needle, etc. to inject some glue under the small bubble & keep pressure against the bubble until the glue dries, or if I could 'shape' the bubble to lay down more with some kind of heat gun / hair drier.  Only thing with that is what's to stop it from just bubbling back up when it gets heated up from the sun?  And I'm still hoping for some first hand advice on who's dye/paint to use to make this brown dash black, but if no ones done this I guess maybe I'll be the guy with the advice the next time somebody asks about this.  Oh well, I've gotten tons of great advice from this site so if I have to break down and talk to an interior shop I guess it won't hurt too bad!!

Later, Jim

[bandt]

I can't help with the bubbles but I recently resprayed my dash pad. I used SEM Color Coat. Extremely happy with the results. Lays down easily, dries quickly and from what I can tell is very close to factory black as far as sheen goes. They call it a dye but it really seems like paint until it dries, it lays down so flat no build up at all. Texture comes right through it. I used Landau black # is 15013. I bought enough cans I remember the # by heart.
I can't say about longevity I'm in the same boat hoping for the best. I just resprayed it so will see how well it holds up.

Brian

[Moparal]

Jim, from what I have learned about NOS dash pads for ebodies, just hearing the horror stories is that they are most everyone dried out, crack easy and will crack more as time goes on once installed. Pads used to be soft when new. I can't offer any info on the paint though, because im not a painter. Just giving you some info I haveheard a few times from other boards.  Good luck,  but I have heard about sems being good

[Chryco Psycho]

check your other post , I have never repaired cracks & a lot that I have seen repaired just failed again

[Road_Runner]

I can't help with the bubbles but I recently resprayed my dash pad. I used SEM Color Coat. Extremely happy with the results. Lays down easily, dries quickly and from what I can tell is very close to factory black as far as sheen goes. They call it a dye but it really seems like paint until it dries, it lays down so flat no build up at all. Texture comes right through it. I used Landau black # is 15013. I bought enough cans I remember the # by heart.
I can't say about longevity I'm in the same boat hoping for the best. I just resprayed it so will see how well it holds up.

Brian

[Road_Runner]

I can't help with the bubbles but I recently resprayed my dash pad. I used SEM Color Coat. Extremely happy with the results. Lays down easily, dries quickly and from what I can tell is very close to factory black as far as sheen goes. They call it a dye but it really seems like paint until it dries, it lays down so flat no build up at all. Texture comes right through it. I used Landau black # is 15013. I bought enough cans I remember the # by heart.
I can't say about longevity I'm in the same boat hoping for the best. I just resprayed it so will see how well it holds up.

Brian

Thanks for the info & part # Brian, I'll definitely check it out. 

[Road_Runner]

Jim, from what I have learned about NOS dash pads for ebodies, just hearing the horror stories is that they are most everyone dried out, crack easy and will crack more as time goes on once installed. Pads used to be soft when new. I can't offer any info on the paint though, because im not a painter. Just giving you some info I haveheard a few times from other boards.  Good luck,  but I have heard about sems being good

This one seems soft & pliable but I will be careful with it.  Your point about the older vinyl is one reason I'm hesitant to mess with the minor bubbles.  The more I think about it I think they are better than possibly making it worse.  I am definitely going to check the Sems out, thanks.

Later, Jim

[Road_Runner]

check your other post , I have never repaired cracks & a lot that I have seen repaired just failed again

Its more of a small 3/8" cut right at the edge of the speaker hole than a full crack.  I think I'll just see if there's something I can 'caulk' it with and hope for the best.

Thanks, Jim

[Road_Runner]

I can't help with the bubbles but I recently resprayed my dash pad. I used SEM Color Coat. Extremely happy with the results. Lays down easily, dries quickly and from what I can tell is very close to factory black as far as sheen goes. They call it a dye but it really seems like paint until it dries, it lays down so flat no build up at all. Texture comes right through it. I used Landau black # is 15013. I bought enough cans I remember the # by heart.
I can't say about longevity I'm in the same boat hoping for the best. I just resprayed it so will see how well it holds up.

Brian

I don't see this listed at any of my local auto parts stores, do you mind telling me where you got yours?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

You can get SEM products online. At least that's what I did.

   http://semproducts.com/?home=1

[bandt]

I'm in Ontario Canada, but I just ordered it through a local automotive paint supply place. If you go on SEM's website there are some links to dealers. Just put in your zip and you should find a couple.

Brian

[Road_Runner]

Great, thanks!

[quapman]

Have you tried selling or trading the brown one for the one you need?

I wonder if you got the same one i saw for sale in Rockingham, NC a couple years ago? Brown NOS pads cannot be common.

The pad in my 73 is NOS, but it's not quite the right color blue and definitely the wrong grain, but the price was right.

[wally426ci]

maybe you can drill a hole at the end of the crack so it doesn't keep cracking further.