69 dime dash pad redo (pic heavy)

[Bears510]

I figured that since I have gotten alot of information from this great forum that I would contribute to it. Like I said before, I am the type of person that believes in sharing information as by sharing, maybe it will help someone with what they are trying to achieve.

They make dash pad covers/caps for 68 and 70-73 but not the 69 as I had read somewhere at one of the sites that "there is not a big need for 69 dashes." Are the 69 dashes made of some indistructable material that never fades or cracks you might ask? Hell no! As the first couple of pics will show they are just like any other dash. Weird that there were less 68's produced then 69, but there is no need to make a 69:eek:. I think it comes down to it's a little more work to make them as they way they wrap around the sides. Also, If I remember correctly (that's a stretch) somone posted on here that the 70-73 dash will fit, just has a different look.

Well, keeping in the Ratsun style, I used what I had laying around. I do custom fiberglass work for Sub boxes, speaker pods, center consoles and whatnot for me and my friends so I just figured I would try it out and see what I could come up with.

First off...DO NOT FEAR THE FIBERGLASS!!! many of you may not have tried it, but to be honest, it is VERY easy to work with fiberglass!

I suggest watching some youtube videos on fiberglass how-to as it will give you a good idea on how it all works as pictures don't show you the process, just before and after...

first off, what you will need:

1) mixing cup..I get them at lowes or home depot with measurments in ounces on the side....very cheap and I usually get a couple of them that way I can rotate them while working. While one is finishing curing, I use the next and so on. leave the paint brush in with any leftovers and just squeeze the cup a couple of times and the brush and hardened resin just pops out!

2) paint brushes...Again cheap disposable 2" brushes available at lowes or home depot...

3) Fiberglass Resin...Available at most Auto parts stores. usually about 35 bucks for a gallon and comes with two tubes of hardener (MEKP) and just follow the instructions for mixing on the sides. usually arund 12 drops per ounce (hence, the mixing cup in ounces) but can vary.

4) Fiberglass mat/cloth...you can get the chop mat or the weaved cloth. I like to use the weaved on big flat areas, and the chop in smaller areas or to build up then cloth over. the cloth just leaves a smoother final layer with less sanding later.

5) hot glue gun... Used to hold the fabric in place so you can stretch it to shape. just a basic trigger feed one is all you need...nothing special..

6) Base material/fabric...Different people use different things but I like to use t-shirt material as it is stretchy in both directions. some people use fleece, but I find it's too fuzzy and just makes more sanding work later. you can get this pretty cheap at any material shop. look in the "leftover or remnant" section to get good buys. Those will usually be an ugly color but it doesn't matter in the end. it's CHEAP! :D

7) Scissors... used to cut the material to size as well as the fiberglass mat. DO NOT use the wife or GF's scissor as you will get in trouble for this...trust me :D

8) Dremel...optional...but VERY handy.

8) Sandpaper...misc grits, I usually use 50 for quick cut down of high spots and then down from there delpending on how it will be covered.

10) Misc other tools which, if you have a Datsun, you probably have or can get pretty easy from a buddy. Maybe throw in some beer and tunes while your at it to pass the time! :D

Here is a pic of the items.

and the measuring cup in ounces...This one has been used probably about 30 times...so they do last. Yes, I do have the tip of my thumb, I don't know why I held it that way...lol!!

So if you decide to do this, or something similar, pull the dash out and find a good place to work. preferably with some kind of ventilation...Don't mind the heads and crank in the back...I am rebuilding them and not worried about them getting dirty...:D

Here is what I had to start with. The top was full of cracks with a grand canyon chunk missing in the middle and was warped from side to side.

flipping it over, you can see the way the pad is formed on to the metal (not sure how other dasher are, but are probably similar for most dimes.)

The end caps on my 69 are a separate piece that is just bonded to the foam pad and kinda floats there for mounting on the sides.

After removing the pad with a putty knife, and using a bench grinder with a wire wheel, this is what the top looks like.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2009 by Bears510

[Bears510]

Here is my dash that I repainted temporarily with some cheap primer as this will help if (and when) you get any resin on it, it pops right off...Not much to the dash really... I kept the front pieces of the dash intact for measuring, as well as shape reference if I decided to go totaly stock look.

another shot showing the defroster vent cover, checking to see where it mounts, and to see how much room I had to work with

So the stock dash sticks out 1.5 inches from the top piece, so I decided that I would use some MDF I had around to make the front shape.

I am somehow missing some pics so I apologize for the gap. I temp mounted the sideplates to the sides of the dash with some small interior flat head screws to hold them in place. It looked like the dash is pretty much straight across from the remnants I had, so I just made it that way, you can curve or do whatever you want to at this point. The sides are just angling down from that top piece to just below the air vents on the side like the stock dash is. I just shaped them with a sander and mounted them to the ends of the header piece. I then took the top back off, drilled a few small holes in the top piece for screws to go into the wood, and mounted it to the top piece only from the backside. there are areas where the foam pad wraps around and there is plenty of room for the screws back there.

I then cut my fabric bigger then what I needed, and starting on the underside of the header piece, stretched and hot glued the material to the wood trying to keep it as straight as possible working from the middle out. after words, I added a couple of small staples, maybe like 4 for extra measure. The resin is going to soak through the material and bond permanantly with the wood, so it's not necessary, just old habits..:D

After gluing and pulling the material up and over the header piece, Hot glue the material to the back area past where the defroster vent cover goes as you want it to go beyond what you are covering. It doesn't have to be super tight, but stretch the material in all directions and work out any wrinkles by pulling and gluing little one inch sections. Make sure you are keeping it continuous however, not just glue here and there or you will have wrinkles...wrinkles=BAD!!!:D Smoot is the key here. Just glue an inch, stretch, push down, burn your finger when the glue soaks through, then repeat...:lol:

I cut some of the extra material away from the sides, but tucked it up under the top piece below the header before resining.

And this is what you end up with....a pink dash!!!

 

Now the fun begins!!! Resin time!!!

ok, I forgot to mention gloves earlier as I have gotten pretty good at not painting myself with resin, but trust me, you will get it on you so buy a box as you will need a new set every time you resin.

So you have your dash in all it's glory but it just won't hold up on it's own so you need to soak your material in resin. Get your paint brush ready, gloves on, window open or fan in the area, breathing mask helps as well and you mix your resin as instructed per the container and you are ready. Get your paintbrush good and wet and start painting. At this point you can't just poor some on and spread as it will soak through and drip all over. Just keep dipping and painting till you have it FULLY soaked. I keep going back over areas to make sure it is soaked all the way through. If you see that the resin is starting to chunk up and look like boogers, STOP! you don't want thos all over your dash for you to sand later. Once you are done painting. Let it harden for a few hours. I waited overnight, but it is usually good after a few hours depending on temp, humidity, how much hardener you mixed and so on. I used about 10oz for this to make sure I had enough, and was fully soaked. If you run out and you are not done, DONT add to the same cup, mix and start painting, this is what the spare cups are for. Determine how much you used before, how far it went, and what you need, mix and go at it again... Make sure you really soak the areas where it is around the wood as it will soak in. And this is what you get...an ugly dash...:D

There are always gonna be a few little runs, and bumps...don't worry, that is what the sander is for!

Check your work a few hours later. It should be completely dry and not sticky, hard and yet have a little give to it depending on the material you used. fleece is thicker, takes more resin, but will be almost totally solid. The t-shirt material will have a little more give to it.

[Bears510]

Time for some sanding! I used a little black and decker mouse sander as it's great for the little nooks and crannies and it's easy hold and change pressures depending on what you are trying to achieve. You can use a DA sander or a block, either way...

When I made the wood head piece, I made a few angle cuts so it wasn't just square, you might be able to see them in the next couple of pics, I kept sanding that shape between layer too to help later when I skim coat and paint.

When you are done getting most of the bumps and runs down, this is what you have...

Mainly, you want to get the high spot down and get it more level for the actual fiberglass layer. Any big bumps will cause issues later when laying the glass and is best avoided.

Trial fit in the dime...

The fit was spot on and just needs some glass to give the dash some rigidity.:D

again, missing some pics here as well...sorry...:mad:

I usually cut the fiberglass bigger than what you need as well but to the general shape you are making as you don't want "cut" edges on your final product. That can creat "weak" spots and ridges so it is best to go beyond your work edges and cut or sand down later.

If you watched some videos you will get the basic idea, but basicly wipe off your work, and get any dust off, mix your resin once you have your pieces cut to shape and you are ready. "Wet out" the area with a layer of resin to get everything coated, then apply your fiberglass mat or cloth. I used cloth on the top as I wanted it as smooth as possible and mat on the sides overlapping on the corner edges. Mat will take shape better once wet with resin then cloth will so any curvy areas are best done with mat. You can use little pieces here and there to make a complex curve, just make sure you are overlapping as you go.

Once you lay your fiberglass on the wet surface, get your brush really wet and starting in the middle working out, start painting! You want to push the air out from underneath either through the cloth/mat or out the sides and work the resin into the mat/cloth. Bubbles will be obvious and if the fiberglass is still white, you need to work more resin in and get the air out. Dabbing with the brush is a good way of getting it worked out.

Again, if you run out of resin, mix a new batch in a new cup and get back to it. Once your done, go chill, read the forum or whatever and wait for it to harden. when you come back, it will be a little bumpy, especially on the mat area as it usually is. (If you have ever seen the back side of a fiberglass fender or hood, you will know what I am talking about)

Once it hardens, do some more sanding to get it relatively smooth, and repeat the procedure for a second layer.

Once that has hardened, again, go back with your sander and knock down any high spots.

Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, I usually do a coat of just resin to fill and smoth out the dash. It doesn't have to be real thick ifyou did a good job sanding.

And this is how it turns out. Almost looks like kevlar!

And the side. the big "clear" area is where I messed up and used a bolt on the uper hole on the side, instead of the lower hole and had to cut out, and layer over...don't mess up, and you won't have to do that...:lol:

With some of the dash parts back in loosely to check fit and overall look...

The underside of the dash is not done right now as I am still trying to decide if I am leaving it that way, or modding it as well...then I will layer over

Is it perfect? no, but it's a hell of a lot better than what I had before! but I have a few more mods to do to it as I will be molding guages into the top just above the radio area molded back toward the windshield. I will post those pics up when I am done with that.

At this point you could cover with some 1/4 high density foam and then vinyl if you wanted and make it look pretty much just like stock or smooth and paint it or whatever. I am going to be smoothing and painting it body color (not the white it is now) when it is all done.:D

This only took a couple of days to do and that was just a few hours here and there. Again, do not fear doing this as another option out there, it is very simple, just take your time. Best of all, it doesn't molest your front dash piece at all!

If anyone has any questions, feel free to pm me and I am more than glad to help. I do hope this can help someone, or possibly give someone an idea that they never thought about and take it to the next level!! I will post progress pics as I go with the changes I am making to it.

Enjoy!:D

[stilltwisted]

you left the MDF in their i guess,,its a good option ,,ive been thinking of some thing like this,, thanks for the thread

[Bears510]

you left the MDF in their i guess,,its a good option ,,ive been thinking of some thing like this,, thanks for the thread

Yeah I left the MDF in there as it's part of the main structure for the front shaping. Also I should have mentioned that all the slats in the metal cover piece create a great place to then bond some fiberglass from the back side of the dash to the top side to create a "mechanical" bond to the metal dash instead of just relying on the bond to the metal. When I had the dash out to check the fit in the dime, I twisted it to see how well it bonded and to my surprise, it's ON THERE! :lol:

Hope it helps!

[idylan123]

it would be pretty neat if after words, it was wrapped in some sort of fabric, then you could see a lot less flaws also

[Braden]

yeah im curious if you are gonna wrap it in some sort of material or are you gonna glazing putty it then paint it? nice job by the way!!

[lil89ram50]

not to get too far off topic, but what are those heads too in the background?

[dryheat]

Nice work Rob ... now get that beasty road worthy and start bringing it out to the local shows!!! :D

[Bears510]

not to get too far off topic, but what are those heads too in the background?

The heads are too a vg30de that I was getting ready to rebuild.

[Bears510]

Nice work Rob ... now get that beasty road worthy and start bringing it out to the local shows!!! :D

motor is rebuilt, exhaust is done..(finally) and mostly back together...just doing a few little things before I get it tagged and ready to drive...soon my friend...soon. lol!

[Bears510]

it would be pretty neat if after words, it was wrapped in some sort of fabric, then you could see a lot less flaws also

 

The last pictures in there are of the dash with no putty or anything on it to smooth it yet. Not sure if you have ever wrapped anything in vinyl or any other material other than tweed but when you do, it has to be pretty much perfect anyways as the vinyl and material amplify any bumps on the surface. It is still an idea I am toying with....or......

 

 

yeah im curious if you are gonna wrap it in some sort of material or are you gonna glazing putty it then paint it? nice job by the way!!

 

or.....I am going to putty it and paint it. still can't decide as the vinyl wrap would bring it back to more of a stock look by the time I add some HD foam. However, getting vinyl to look good in the corners and tight area's would not be fun at all. haha!

[jun]

Nicely done! Looks great!

[Bears510]

Nicely done! Looks great!

 

THANKS! it's gettin there...still need to finish molding the guage pods in, smooth it out some more and then decide if I am going to cover it or paint it....I will post pics when I get that done as well..

Again...THANKS!

[mklotz70]

Nice work! Great write up! Thanks! :)

[VintageRice]

Are your arms still itching after all that sanding? :P

[Nicholas7620]

Nice how to post.. :thumbup: Your method is also good for repairing rusted out floor panels instead of welding. The fiberglass becomes very strong and makes for a good floor board.