Did you ever get a small crack in the vinyl on your dashboard? I don't mean on the top where everyone can see it. These are best repaired with a Moss Motors Dash Coverlay. No, I mean on the front of the dash.

Small cracks can easily be repaired in the following manner:

First Day: With a small brush or toothpick that is split at the ends like an old quill pen, fill the cracks with 'yellow' glue,-a waterproof type like Elmer's or Tite-Bond II carpenter's glue. Wipe off any excess and clamp with a small piece of wood held in position with duct tape. The wood is necessary to apply pressure to the edges of the crack to assist bonding.

Second Day: Allow some glue to thicken up in a bottle cap until very thick and then use it to re-fill the cracks over and over again until flush with the surface. When completely dry gently sand with 1500 grit sandpaper. Then apply a first coat of satin black enamel with a dabbing motion, rather than strokes.

When dry, apply a second coat and as it is tacking up, dab at it with a piece of Scotchbrite or coarse steel wool to produce a textured look. When dry, rub lightly with 0000 steel wool and Armor-All to match.

You personally will always know where the crack was, but if done with care it is almost impossible to detect. Also it prevents the crack from getting worse.

By the way, for those of you with black rubber bumpered cars or pitted rubber overrider inserts, these can be first filled with a "Bondo"-type filler. After filling and sanding the bumpers, clean as per the dashboard repair above and spray with one or two coats of "Flat Black" spray paint.

Back to General Tech Tips