Yeah, "Little projects" like putting your engine together...:D

This project isn't for the faint of heart. It takes some courage to cut out the trough for the foam. It was by trial and error I discovered the slice and squeeze method to condense the foam.
It's incredible how brittle the old vinyl is. It doesn't cut so much as crack off when cutting with the exacto knives.
My main goal is to get a solid smooth substrate to apply the new vinyl to.
Wish me luck and Patience....:rolleyes:

Here are some pictures of the now gone cracks in my dash the day after applying the foam , stirring it 3 times over about 1/2 an hour, slicing it and pushing it into the cracks an hour later, sitting for 24 hours, and then spending an hour or so shaving it all flush tonight.
Note: I shaved them all a little below flush with the vinyl as I will be putting some flex bumper repair on it as a leveller. Tomorrow is when I start that process.
I sure hope it won't eat the styrofoam! Think I'll test it first on some of the shavings...;)
Success... it didn't eat the foam.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360649150.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360649164.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360649183.jpg

Ready for new vinyl
 

Managed to apply the NAPA Bumper repair epoxy tonight. Sanded and scraped it with razor blades until smooth.
Placed my order for the vinyl and some high heat resistant vinyl adhesive. Should be here by the weekend if I'm lucky. Need to sand and clean as a final prep for vinyl.
Yes, I did cut the vinyl off where it extends out to be screwed to the dash. It was so hard and brittle I would never be able to use it as a sustrate. I'll just glue it and run it out new.
Dash doesn't look much different than the last pictures except the repairs are light blue now and very smooth and level.:cool:
Here's what it looks like now. :

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360728823.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360728836.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1360728903.jpg

Update,
Just finished the vinyl application and I think it looks good. :)
Is it perfect? No. Did it cost me $1200? No.
Will it look a heck of a lot better than the vinyl cap on my dash now? Oh Yeah!

I ended up using Weldwood gel formula contact cement for set up and drying time.
The spray type adhesive didn't cut it.

Took most of Sunday afternoon and 2 hours tonight to get it done.

For the purists... the Vinyl is not German nor does it look like imitation leather. It's Vinyl... It stretches 4 ways and it works.
One yard (minimum from vendor mentioned earlier) is enough to do 2 dashes. (I have 1/2 of what I started with left over)
So if you screw it up the first time, you get a second chance.

Here's some pictures during gluing :

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853210.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853238.jpg

And here it is finished:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853267.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853330.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853356.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853374.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853392.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853449.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1361853467.jpg

Looks great, Dennis. Since you're close by, I hope to see it in person one of these days.

Thanks, come on up north!
It'll be in my garage until I pull my windshield. Then I'll swap the dashes.
I may paint the window frame and cowel area to repair a bad paint job at the same time. They taped the washer nozzles and it's peeling around that area.
I'll slowly get the car painted properly, even if it's only one or 2 panels at a time! :)

You should come up for cars and coffee in PDX some weekend, or at least the one in Keizer when they start up again this spring.

Dennis, that is inspiring!

Thanks for adding to my to try list ;)

Dennis, somehow i missed the fact that you got your car up and running on the Bitz kit. So glad it went to a good home!

Your install looks *slightly* better than what the kit's original owner (not me) managed, here is a pic. Close up pics like yours are even more frightening !

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7d89b585.jpg

Timmy2, Fantastic work on the dash. I have 2 very small cracks that I wondered about fixing. Too many of tasks to do so before I get to the interior.

LOL, I've watched spaghetti westerns before, but this is my first introduction to spaghetti wiring... :)

Thanks Pete,
It was a definite learning experience and not all that bad once I discovered it was going to work!
As they say,necessity is the mother of invention, and I had the necessity of keeping $1000 in the bank....($1200 + shipping to and from the dash repair guys, less what I spent on a used dash and all the parts to fix it)
So basically my "spare" rebuilt dash cost me under $250 plus my time and labor. ;)

Now I need to decide what my next project will be. Rebuilding the front end with all the new parts I have for it, or ? :D

I might do that, one of these days. Right now we're working on getting the Northern half of the Cascade Region active again. Our C&C in Eugene are the first Saturday of the month. Typically, mostly air-cooled cars and owners attend. If you find yourself down this way then, stop by.

Let me know where and when and I just may head down there. It's supposed to be sunny this weekend... :)

that is an awesome job !!

Thanks Ed, looks almost as good as one of your couplers... :)

My car started idling a little funny, surging when I was at a stop light. Thought maybe it was some of the settings I was playing with on my megasquirt but it wasn't.
Tried adjusting the air flow at the Throttle body but it made no change.
It was when I was able to screw the adjuster all the way in and the car still ran that I knew what to do!
Pulled my entire intake off, blocked off the ports, applied about 8 psi compressed air and leak tested with soapy water. Found a small steady leak in the airbox and another in the piping to the AAR.
Applied some JB weld and I'll test it tomorrow to see if it will hold pressure/vacuum.

The repairs passed the leak test. Installed everything back on the engine, test it tomorrow.

Way to go Dennis!

Nice work Dennis. So is she considered a driver at this point for you?

Yep, it's a daily driver when the weather is nice like it is today! Sun is shining, mid 60's to 70's, top is on in the morning and off on the way home. ;)
Drove it to work in the winter a few nice days with the hard top on too, folding top is back in use now.
Oh yeah, the idle is rock steady now.