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Super Beetle dash repair?
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rlutterb
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.................I gotta agree with some of the others though, those dash caps look like ass the fit and finish of them is shocking, I wouldn't say much better than a cracked stocker.
I've yet to see one that looks decent...........


Yes, you are correct, this looks like total ass......not......unless I point it out, 99% of even VW people don't realize it's a cap.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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19-VW-74
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rlutterb wrote:
Quote:
.................I gotta agree with some of the others though, those dash caps look like ass the fit and finish of them is shocking, I wouldn't say much better than a cracked stocker.
I've yet to see one that looks decent...........


Yes, you are correct, this looks like total ass......not......unless I point it out, 99% of even VW people don't realize it's a cap.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Looks very well done. Cool
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Joel
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As long as you're happy with it that's all that matters.

The view from the backseat just doesn't show well the exposed edge of the dash cap around the inside of speedo binnacle.

That would just bug the shit out of me as the driver is getting a constant close up view of it.
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Dwayne1m
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That cap does look very good. Much better than I thought it would. How thick is the cap? Did you have to modify it at all to fit? How about the color match? It's hard to tell from the picture.
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Scott Gray
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My super has that cap on it.I didn't realize it was a cap for over a year.I thought it was made that way.I went to look at a parts super and that's when I noticed the difference.The cap is hard plastic and the stock dash is foam.
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shakers73
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbugs has a complete dash.

http://www.jbugs.com/product/SBFIBERDASH.html?Category_Code=vw-super-beetle-dashboards-1973-1979
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BenJAMin
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I restored my car years ago and used the cover. But, that fiberglass dash intrigues me, has anybody ever seen one?
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hellthorne
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i found this website that had a great DIY method for dash repair. Unfortunately, the site seems to have disappeared, but I found it using archive.org:

http://web.archive.org/web/20100105144429/http://gtam.silvahalo.com/dashrepair/

sadly, the photos are broken, too.

The epoxy described is this: http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=179

the rest of the materials required are: spray on truck bed liner, sandpaper and duplicolor vinyl paint.

Here is a link to another site that used spray foam to fill deep cracks before using the epoxy to seal the cracks: http://www.mgexperience.net/article/dash-repair-experiment.html

It's too bad the photos from the original site are gone because the results were amazing.
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rlutterb
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joel wrote:
As long as you're happy with it that's all that matters.

The view from the backseat just doesn't show well the exposed edge of the dash cap around the inside of speedo binnacle.

That would just bug the shit out of me as the driver is getting a constant close up view of it.


.....and I guess you have to be happy with that cheesy looking dashmat that screams 'hey everybody, check me out, I'm hiding an f'd up dash under me and my owner is too cheap to fix it' Smile
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rlutterb
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dwayne1m wrote:
That cap does look very good. Much better than I thought it would. How thick is the cap? Did you have to modify it at all to fit? How about the color match? It's hard to tell from the picture.


I don't know the specific guage thickness of the cap, but it is quite thick enough to be durable and hold it's shape. I did have to shave the cap where it goes under the existing metal trim up under the windshield. I just kept slowly trimming a bit off at a time till it lines up correcty, then I used rivits to anchor it before using the contact cement.

The finish of the cap is not an exact match to what was under it, but I have seen some super clean later model verts with the original dash where that finish was very similar to what my cap looks like. It's a good compramise to spending $500 for a perfect used one, or trying to see if that new Jbugs fiberglass one will work.
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rlutterb
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BenJAMin wrote:
I restored my car years ago and used the cover. But, that fiberglass dash intrigues me, has anybody ever seen one?


I agree that the jbugs dash is intrigueing, but it concerns me that it has no metal in it. The metal in the structure under the factory dash gives support for all the switches, radio, and glove box. I guess if the fiberglass is thick enough, it would be OK. We'll have to wait to hear from a few folks that have installed one. For $499, I would probably just troll the classifieds till you find that rare mint factory dash that comes up every so often. It will fit and won't have to be trimmed, likely making the installation much more simple. One mans opinion
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rlutterb wrote:
I agree that the jbugs dash is intrigueing, but it concerns me that it has no metal in it. The metal in the structure under the factory dash gives support for all the switches, radio, and glove box. I guess if the fiberglass is thick enough, it would be OK. We'll have to wait to hear from a few folks that have installed one. For $499, I would probably just troll the classifieds till you find that rare mint factory dash that comes up every so often. It will fit and won't have to be trimmed, likely making the installation much more simple. One mans opinion.


I agree with your line of thinking but you also have to be a little wary of the mint factory dash. The thing is that they are still 30+ years old even if "new in box". I heard of one guy putting one in and it developed cracks within the first week. Now that would be heart breaking!
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bgprest wrote:
I researched and found a good way to fix small cracks... using a combination of super glue and baking soda. Super glue is an acid and baking soda is a base so it acts like a catylist and together they form kind of a super glue filler. What I did was to carefully sprinkle baking soda into the crack (using a magnifying glass and a tooth pick). Once I filled the crack, I then put some super glue into a hypodermic syringe so I could squeeze out very small drops. With the magnifying glass, I dropped tiny beads of superglue onto the crack and the baking soda did a great job of soaking it right up (capillary action) so I didn't end up with any glue on the surface. After it cured, which is basically immediately, I used a very fine paint brush to paint the crack black (since the super glue / backing soda combination dries kind of a beige color). Anyway, I was very impressed with the results. The spot looks like a faint old scar on your skin rather than a crack now and it sealed the crack from gettting bigger or curling.

I recommend trying this for small cracks. I don't think it would work very well if the crack has already curled up though. You need to catch the cracks when they are fairly new and uncurled.
this sounds really cool. can we get a pic of how that turned out?
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thechief86 wrote:
this sounds really cool. can we get a pic of how that turned out?


I'll see what I can do. It may be kind of hard to capture in a picture.
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rlutterb
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bgprest wrote:
I agree with your line of thinking but you also have to be a little wary of the mint factory dash. The thing is that they are still 30+ years old even if "new in box". I heard of one guy putting one in and it developed cracks within the first week. Now that would be heart breaking!


Tru dat'
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rlutterb wrote:
Joel wrote:
As long as you're happy with it that's all that matters.

The view from the backseat just doesn't show well the exposed edge of the dash cap around the inside of speedo binnacle.

That would just bug the shit out of me as the driver is getting a constant close up view of it.


.....and I guess you have to be happy with that cheesy looking dashmat that screams 'hey everybody, check me out, I'm hiding an f'd up dash under me and my owner is too cheap to fix it' Smile



Oop hit a nerve,
eh, you get that.

My bug is built for go not show, I don't fuss about visual stuff that doesn't add performance or comfort so yes I'm quite happy with my cheap shitty dash fix, serves it's purpose well.

shakers73 wrote:
jbugs has a complete dash.

http://www.jbugs.com/product/SBFIBERDASH.html?Category_Code=vw-super-beetle-dashboards-1973-1979


Has anyone seen one of these in the flesh?
I'm wondering if it's the case of catalog and website photos being flattering, you can't fake vinyl texture well with fibreglass.
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sunbugone
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This place restores them.
http://www.justdashes.com/index.html

I have two 74' supers. I am the original owner of one of them and the other has had the dash restored. My hardtop is developing more cracks and it is too nice of a car to put on some crappy band aid. I called and was quoted $750 to restore it. My convertible with the restored dash isn't quite factory looking but way better than cracks or any other remedy. I'm not sure who did the work on that one....I will find out. It's worth the money to me
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