body and interior How to keep dash uncracked

[Beemeup]

Mine has 3 or 5 nice size splits/cracks/crevices. It's only natural that they be cracked, and I consider it part of the charm of these old sedans. I try to make sure it stays off the "mission creep" list. 

[Conserv]

The dash in my '76 is original to the car and has no cracks whatsoever. It does have a hole -- I drilled it for the Fuzzbuster cord -- and a cut -- created by my custom-made Fuzzbuster-and-"soda-can" holder. And, yes, of course, I'm kicking myself for not realizing I might own this car for 40 years -- well, sort of!

My thoughts?

1. The car spent its first 35 years garaged in the Northeast but never in a heated garage, so I'd guess that simply cold temperatures generally have little influence on the cracking. The car never, however, saw any temperatures below about -5 degrees. You've probably seen how the car spent its early winters, in the photo below.

2. In addition, pre-dating the revelation that the original Armorall formula was destructive, the dash was regularly slathered with Armorall during its first 7 years. So I have no idea if Armorall had ANY effect -- positive or negative -- on the dash.

3. The car was, however, always garaged. So it seems to me that light may play a strong role in dash cracking.

4. As to heat, the car has by now endured 35 Northeastern summers and 4 Southern summers. But, because of the car's consistent garaging, the interior has probably had less of the 140-degree-sitting-in-the-open-sun days than many other cars.

In conclusion, and going forward, I will likely seek to keep my '02s' dashes from light and extreme heat. (Given Mike S.'s experience at -28, however, I might also choose to not keep an '02 in an un-heated garage in any place where such temperatures are possible!)

Regards,

Steve

Edited January 10, 2016 by Conserv

['76mintgrün'02]

Don't let your passenger put their feet up on the dash.  

 

The vinyl tends to get brittle over time.  I have a small ceramic mug that fits very nicely on the dash, just to the right of the cluster hump.  I set it there (on a trip to a local meet/drive) and slid it back and forth, happy with how it nestled in there.  Slide, slide, slide, "click"... which was the sound of the vinyl cracking, where the base of the mug hit it.  I also realized that the base of the mug was abrasive and would do damage over time.  I feel very protective of my dash, so that good fit was a bad idea.

I agree with protecting the dash from sun/heat, so a windshield shade makes good sense.  I think there is a business opportunity here.  A perfect way to advertize the FAQ?

 

Along the lines of conditioners, I have used Griot's Vinyl and Rubber Dressing.  I like it.  Here is their product description. 

 

Vinyl & Rubber Dressing

Enjoy The Finest Rubber & Vinyl Dressing Available

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 out of 5 stars. Read reviews.4.9

This product is superior when judged against all other rubber and vinyl protectants. Professional results on interiors, exterior trim, tires, and the plastic and rubber parts in your engine bay. You'll enjoy how quickly it dries on your tires leaving behind a smooth satin finish. A perfect finishing touch on your dash and door panels without that goopy gloss left behind by those other dressings. It contains no harmful additives, waxes, or other dangerous solvents that can dull the surface of vinyl and rubber over time. Special UV blocking agents leave behind a protective coating to help keep your vinyl and rubber parts from cracking, fading, and hardening. Cleans and protects in one step leaving behind a non-greasy, satin finish; the way rubber and vinyl are supposed to look! Keep your tires, interior and engine bay looking factory fresh. Best when applied with our Blue Detail Sponges.

Edited January 10, 2016 by '76Mintgrun'02

[theNomad]

So if the dash is finally cracked, and you have one of the plastic dash caps in it, will that crack as well? I assume in a shorter lifetime than the real dash?

[Conserv]

My sense is that it took 20 or 30 years before most dashes began to crack. I don't recall any cracked dashes in the '70s. I'd be curious to hear whether dashes were, indeed, cracking in the '70s and '80s.

Regards,

Steve

[John_in_VA]

So if the dash is finally cracked, and you have one of the plastic dash caps in it, will that crack as well? I assume in a shorter lifetime than the real dash?

 

Dash cover plastic is thicker than the dash vinyl, so it won't be affected exactly like the original dash vinyl.

[bmwfan]

My 68 1600 lived in CA till the mid 70's then moved to Cleveland till 83, then moved to KY , where it passed away in 1990. I was using Armoral during that time. The dash was perfect when it was towed away. Many regrets of not parting it out. I loved the dash, it had the chrome along the bottom of the dash and a chrome flexible map light on the passenger side of the dash. I did remove and still have that light. I'm going to install it in my 72 once I install the dash stored in the garage. My current dash is in pretty bad condition.

[Gordon]

I had an uncracked dash in my former 74 2002, fast forward to 1986 when the AF transferred me to North Dakota. Temp drops one morning to 20 below and I come out to find my dash had huge cracks in it from the extreme cold. I now try to keep my tii with an uncracked dash in a climate controlled storage when it's not being driven.

[jdt10768]

I think extreme cold is as bad or worse than direct blazing sunlight.

Anyhow, I religiously use a sun shade and treat the dash with Aerospace 303 wipes

 

http://www.amazon.com/303-Aerospace-Protectant-16-oz/dp/B004TXVF62 

It seems to work well and doesn't look like an oil slick just occurred in the car

 

The E30 dash took me about 8 hours to replace, and I do not want to do it again

[nutbehindthewheel]

My sense is that it took 20 or 30 years before most dashes began to crack. I don't recall any cracked dashes in the '70s. I'd be curious to hear whether dashes were, indeed, cracking in the '70s and '80s.

Regards,

Steve

My '72 had cracked dash when I acquired in '78

Many of mine had cracks in early/mid 80's

I also assumed stress/vibration plays a role in cracking

as typical crack just right of inst cluster seems "stress" related to me

So we should all drive slow and only on cloudy days to keep our dashes uncracked !!!!

Edited March 10, 2016 by NutBehindTheWheel

[John_in_VA]

The R3VLtd crew are using various oils:  http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=380298

[Gordon]

The E30 dash took me about 8 hours to replace, and I do not want to do it again

My E30 dash is cracked in numerous places, I'm not looking forward to replacing it in the future. For now, it sits under a dash mat to hide the cracks.

[John_in_VA]

Our '85 325e was with us from 1992 - 2000.  Not a single dash crack.

[The Geologist]

This seems to be the most appropriate thread to resurrect 5+ years later.  I believe the '76 2002 I recently acquired spent at least the first ~ 30 years of its life garaged in western Massachusetts, and as a result has an un-cracked 1-piece dash.    

 

 

 

 

Scratch that.  Upon closer inspection there are some very small cracks emanating from the tight radius right here, right where you'd expect the vinyl covering to be under most tension from thermal and mechanical stresses.  

 

 

I'd like to arrest further propagation of these cracks and am considering drilling small (4-5 mm) holes through the vinyl at the ends of the small cracks.   I remember my father did this to our Aeronca Champ windscreen when a crack started to propagate right in the middle of the  bottom of the plexiglass, right where where you'd expect the piece to be under most tension from thermal and mechanical stresses.  It worked; the crack never spread past that hole we drilled an inch or two from the bottom of the windscreen.  This gives the material more room to flex under tension without cracking further.  I'd expect similar resultsa from the vinyl dash material.  Obviously I'd fill in the holes and gaps with something black and inconspicuous, maybe a bit of RTV. 

 

I'm interested in other opinions or alternatives.  Thank you.   

[Gordon]

My 74 tii has a crack free one piece Euro spec dash (no fasten seat belt billboard) that I scored years ago at a vintage automotive flea market in Ludwigshafen Germany and mailed it back.  I'm moving to CO this summer and what scares me the most is cold weather during the winter.  Anything below zero can be hazardous to a crack free dash.  I'll make sure to look for a place with a heated garage.  My E30, that dash looks like the Grand Canyon with all the cracks it has but I do have a crack free E30 dash in my parts stash but that's way down the road...