| Steinbauer Project! The BMW 635 CSI |
23 Nov 17: New approach to dash board repair/restoration! There were so many attempts to fix the cracked dash board on the 635CSi
(or other cars for that matter). A lot of the unsuccessful attempts involved solid fillers (like JB Weld, Bondo, etc) which do fill but also crack
later since they harden and the dash board shifts in the car during driving. This has been keeping my mind busy for quite some time. First
time I thought about that when I got my first 6er (Elise) and it had a cracked dash board of course. Back then I put some liquid gasket
maker into the crack but that did not do the trick for me since the color was black and the dash color was faded black ergo the "cracks"
were still visible. Elise changed back to her previous owner and I dismissed the idea with the dash. Now I have to add that Fritz did have a
cracked dash (and brown) but I got a dash cap and the point was moot. Not too long ago I saw Elise's dash again and also had exposure
to Flex Seal Spray Rubber Sealant Coating. This should adhere to the plastic cover on the dash as well as the rubber of the liquid gasket
material. Below are some pictures. Let's keep in mind that this was a test and now I have the dash sitting in the side yard (exposed to the
elements) to see how durable this solotion really is. If you decide to do it and put it back in the car and it works out great let me know.
Here are some pictures that show previous repairs with Bondo:
(or other cars for that matter). A lot of the unsuccessful attempts involved solid fillers (like JB Weld, Bondo, etc) which do fill but also crack
later since they harden and the dash board shifts in the car during driving. This has been keeping my mind busy for quite some time. First
time I thought about that when I got my first 6er (Elise) and it had a cracked dash board of course. Back then I put some liquid gasket
maker into the crack but that did not do the trick for me since the color was black and the dash color was faded black ergo the "cracks"
were still visible. Elise changed back to her previous owner and I dismissed the idea with the dash. Now I have to add that Fritz did have a
cracked dash (and brown) but I got a dash cap and the point was moot. Not too long ago I saw Elise's dash again and also had exposure
to Flex Seal Spray Rubber Sealant Coating. This should adhere to the plastic cover on the dash as well as the rubber of the liquid gasket
material. Below are some pictures. Let's keep in mind that this was a test and now I have the dash sitting in the side yard (exposed to the
elements) to see how durable this solotion really is. If you decide to do it and put it back in the car and it works out great let me know.
Here are some pictures that show previous repairs with Bondo:
Here are some pictures of the cracks, Bondo/Filler removed and gasket maker in place. I did sand it (very lightly).
The somewhat "finished" product. Still wet on some places. I do like the way it turned out as far as the surface of the dash is concerned. I
do realize that I maybe should have put a little more effort in regarding the cleaning the cracks and cutting out the warped parts to get a
smooth surface. Again, this is only a test that I did while building a Nativity Scene.
do realize that I maybe should have put a little more effort in regarding the cleaning the cracks and cutting out the warped parts to get a
smooth surface. Again, this is only a test that I did while building a Nativity Scene.
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