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[Bondo497]

The rigs I restore have steel dashes and I was entertaining the idea of covering one. Which would be the longest lasting vinyl or leather since tweed is out of the question per @John. How do you go about doing this also?

[BigRig]

@Bondo497

I would take a guess that Spirit MIllinum comes up or Esprit. These covered vinyls may have the most resistance to everything but there are so many out there I wouldn't know.

[Bondo497]

Thanks. I really like the factory dashes I've been seeing with the French seam on the contours.

[SmokinSCustoms]

As many gauges as I stuff into these dashes I'd hate to have to wrap all the holes. HaHa.

[Bondo497]

@SmokinSCustoms I hear ya, but you've seen the kind of shape these trucks are in to start with so you know I'm just a gluten for punishment.

[John]

Wrapping dashes is defiantly something I will be doing videos on in the feature. Basically what you do is make all your patterns like you would a seat cover. I like to use transfer tape to make the patterns. Its like a 6" wide roll of half sticky painters tape used for vinyl stickers. Sew your cover up and glue it on. With a metal dash you dont have to worry about much just scuff it up and glue it on. This is one of my favorite videos on youtube. you can learn a lot from it .


As far as material goes. There are so many options. As long as you use automotive grade leather or vinyl you should be fine.

@SmokinSCustoms WOW It looks like a damn airplane dash! good thing hole are pretty easy to trim around. You would have to remove all the gauges first though.

[Bondo497]

@John this is probably a dumb question but why is it necessary to scuff the metal before glueing? Is the glue a mechanical bond? I scuff paint for priming or sealing because that coat is mechanical but the other layers of finishes are chemical bonded. Cool video, thanks for posting it. Going into my memory file (brain)

[John]

@Bondo497 Maybe this is a dumb answer But I don't really know... I was just always taught to scuff shiny surfaces before gluing. Its seams to give the glue more to grab on to. I don't believe contact cement is a chemical bond. That's why you have to wait for it to dry first.

[Bondo497]

Haha @John
Ok that makes sense. I wasn't trying to be a smart butt, I really didn't know why.

[John]

No I wast trying to be a smart butt either. I just never really thought about it until you asked. Haha now you've got me googling how contact cement works.

[Bondo497]

I know why he did it in the video because that was a layer of coating of some sort that was applied to the interior plastic to give it a soft feel but if left on then covered and later that coating delaminated then guess what, bye bye leather covered trim too.

[SmokinSCustoms]

@Bondo497 Maybe this is a dumb answer But I don't really know... I was just always taught to scuff shiny surfaces before gluing. Its seams to give the glue more to grab on to. I don't believe contact cement is a chemical bond. That's why you have to wait for it to dry first.

@John @Bondo497
I believe at some point someone told me that by "scuffing, scratching" surface, you actually create more surface area for whatever bonding agent your using to bond to.

[BigRig]

I think scuffing will groove the surface allowing a deeper bond for the glue possibly. I do not know either.

[hapyrdr]

The scuffing does create a tooth to help bond where a shiny smooth surface has no tooth to bond to . About the same reason as sanding before painting

[Bondo497]

@hapyrdr @SmokinSCustoms @BigRig Sounds reasonable thanks

[Bondo497]

@BigRig looking sharp in a Peterbilt! I just noticed your new profile image

[BigRig]

@Bondo497, Cabover Pete with a Reefer on is how I grew up.

[Bondo497]

@BigRig same here

[Bondo497]

Dad ran carpet to L.A. and produce back to Atlanta. Lord have mercy two fans on the dash windows down. I was a kid but I remember them well. I'm following in dad's footsteps by doing almost the same runs now but not having near as much fun as he used to have, I'm a freight hauler.

[BigRig]

@Bondo497 As you know it the whole industry has changed. Rigs today are controlled by a computer it is crazy! I really wish we still had our Kenworth special edition Conventional too.