Solutions to the cracked dash? (1 Viewer)

[Manhattan]

The only sign the interior in my '84 is 36-years-old is the dash - cracked right where most crack. It actually goes wider - spidering out a bit. I could do the carpet cover thing... but that's going full 80s and I'm not quite ready for that.

Coverlay makes a product that appears to be the perfect solution - well, other than a replacement O.E. dash.

Has anyone tried one these? @Will Van, did I see one in that gorgeous '83? How's the fit? Worth the $133?

 

[Will Van]

Yessir, the PO installed the Coverlay dash. You can see the old crack in this photo.

To be honest, I have never even paid attention to it. The dash looks so good now, I kinda forgot it had the Coverlay. I'm happy to take more pics of it for you (But probably the fact that I have never noticed it is endorsement enough!).

 

[yotadude520]

I've heard good things about Coverlay's products. I'm about to pull the trigger on one for my 1985 Ford. My only gripe with them on these Toyotas is they go over the whole dash, when in fact the plastic bezel around the speedometer is a separate piece from the actual "dash pad". Depending on how severely damaged your pad is, you can fill it with some bondo and repair it - but it may not be worth the time.

Here's some pics of what a Coverylay dash looks like on our trucks:

 

[Manhattan]

@Will Van that does look great - like new. In addition to being cracked, my dash has turned more green than brown. Even an additional shade of brown would be a massive improvement.

@yotadude520 I see what you mean. ACCU-form makes one that just covers the right side - where the cracks are. Hmmm...

As I understand it, the Coverlay snaps into place and the ACCU-Form is glued in place.

 

[SFROMAN]

Read my response in this thread

‘79-‘83 parts

I’m swapping my 1st gen 4Runner for a 1980 pickup with my son. He bought the truck from a forum member and he’s been too busy to do anything with it other than drive it and a little maintenance. I plan to clean it up and paint it and use it as a backup more mild wheeler and occasional daily...

forum.ih8mud.com

post number 19.

it was a quick very cheap solution to salvage a non salvageable dash pad.

 

[PAToyota]

Powerblock did a segment about repairing a dash: Blue Collar Buick Interior and Payoff

Basically flexible body filler to fill in cracks and then coat.

 

[G-Cat]

I have one in my 89 4Runner. I had to Dremel the edge that married to the D/S instrument hump. I left is black since I have a grey/black interior. Way better than the cracked OEM unit lying underneath.

 

[Manhattan]

Getting back to the dash. It's funny... it used to just blend in with the rest of the old interior. But now that the truck has new carpet, a new shifter boot, everything's been cleaned... it's like the "volume" on the cracked dash has been cranked to 11. And I swear the dash is turning green - like greener and greener the more the rest of the interior looks better. I think it's rebelling.

- Both the Coverlay and the ACCU are glued in place
- The ACCU covers the passenger side only - where the cracks are
- The Coverlay covers the entire dash
- Both need minor sanding/Dremeling to fit

I like the ACCU because it's minimal - just covers the cracked area. But, that would be introducing the 17th shade of tan/beige/brown to the interior. Or, do I get the full-dash Coverlay, repaint it with the SEM Bluebird brown - along with any other trim piece... and start to that practice, e.g. anything new gets shot first.

Kind of ironic - even adding another shade of brown will match better than the current factory dash.

 

[yotadude520]

Getting back to the dash. It's funny... it used to just blend in with the rest of the old interior. But now that the truck has new carpet, a new shifter boot, everything's been cleaned... it's like the "volume" on the cracked dash has been cranked to 11. And I swear the dash is turning green - like greener and greener the more the rest of the interior looks better. I think it's rebelling.

- Both the Coverlay and the ACCU are glued in place
- The ACCU covers the passenger side only - where the cracks are
- The Coverlay covers the entire dash
- Both need minor sanding/Dremeling to fit

I like the ACCU because it's minimal - just covers the cracked area. But, that would be introducing the 17th shade of tan/beige/brown to the interior. Or, do I get the full-dash Coverlay, repaint it with the SEM Bluebird brown - along with any other trim piece... and start to that practice, e.g. anything new gets shot first.

Kind of ironic - even adding another shade of brown will match better than the current factory dash.
View attachment 2217407

I can't believe I'm going to say this - but considering how much work you've put into this truck to bring it back to new I think you should save up a little more and just get an OEM dash pad. They're not as cheap, but I think a truck like yours deserves one!

Here's one...

1984-1988 Toyota Pickup 4Runner Dash Pad Trim BROWN Interior Bezel frame OEM | eBay

<p dir="ltr">1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Toyota Pickup 4Runner Dash Pad Trim BROWN Interior Bezel frame OEM. Condition is Used. Full disclosure this item was originally gray in color but professionally painted at a body shop for a project that never completed. Excellent condition. One small mark on...

www.ebay.com

And yes sorry for trying to spend some of your money

 

[GeoRoss]

Getting back to the dash. It's funny... it used to just blend in with the rest of the old interior. But now that the truck has new carpet, a new shifter boot, everything's been cleaned... it's like the "volume" on the cracked dash has been cranked to 11. And I swear the dash is turning green - like greener and greener the more the rest of the interior looks better. I think it's rebelling.

- Both the Coverlay and the ACCU are glued in place
- The ACCU covers the passenger side only - where the cracks are
- The Coverlay covers the entire dash
- Both need minor sanding/Dremeling to fit

I like the ACCU because it's minimal - just covers the cracked area. But, that would be introducing the 17th shade of tan/beige/brown to the interior. Or, do I get the full-dash Coverlay, repaint it with the SEM Bluebird brown - along with any other trim piece... and start to that practice, e.g. anything new gets shot first.

Kind of ironic - even adding another shade of brown will match better than the current factory dash.
View attachment 2217407

I've been thinking about these folks.

http://www.justdashes.com

 

[Manhattan]

And yes sorry for trying to spend some of your money

Ha! Don’t sweat it. I actually saw that one. Initially I was stoked... then saw the price... then saw that it was originally gray, then painted brown. The O.E. dash pads for these trucks are just plain spendy. Even cracked dash pads go for $100-150.

I do wonder though - even if I find a good O.E. dash that isn't cracked, given that 99% of these have ready cracked, how long would I have with my new-to-me O.E. dash before it cracks?

@GeoRoss thanks for the link. I sent them a request for a quote. Given the amount of work they put into rebuilding the dash, I'm guessing it'll be pretty expensive. Probably worth the money... just may not be in the budget for my resto/build.

Despite the pics of shiny parts and cleaned up interior, I really am working toward a simple, usable truck. I will ABSOLUTELY take this truck off-road. Okay sure, I'll have someone hold branches out of the way for me and wipe their feet before getting back in...

 

[GeoRoss]

Ha! Don’t sweat it. I actually saw that one. Initially I was stoked... then saw the price... then saw that it was originally gray, then painted brown. The O.E. dash pads for these trucks are just plain spendy. Even cracked dash pads go for $100-150.

I do wonder though - even if I find a good O.E. dash that isn't cracked, given that 99% of these have ready cracked, how long would I have with my new-to-me O.E. dash before it cracks?

@GeoRoss thanks for the link. I sent them a request for a quote. Given the amount of work they put into rebuilding the dash, I'm guessing it'll be pretty expensive. Probably worth the money... just may not be in the budget for my resto/build.

Despite the pics of shiny parts and cleaned up interior, I really am working toward a simple, usable truck. I will ABSOLUTELY take this truck off-road. Okay sure, I'll have someone hold branches out of the way for me and wipe their feet before getting back in...

My thoughts exactly about the cost. I did a test on spare cracked dash to see if I could recover it. Pulling off the old vinyl was easy with a heat gun. Filling in the cracks with expanding foam works, but I should have spent much more time making the seam/transition more smooth. The old crack is still visible after I recovered so I haven't used it yet. I want to try doing it again with some other filler for the cracks.

1986 4Runner Refresh

What I'm really interested in is for one of our resident Mud 3D printer gurus to make vent bezels that one could transfer the vent fins over too. My fear about removing the PS vent to remove the dash is one of the real reasons I haven't swapped over.

 

[yotadude520]

Ha! Don’t sweat it. I actually saw that one. Initially I was stoked... then saw the price... then saw that it was originally gray, then painted brown. The O.E. dash pads for these trucks are just plain spendy. Even cracked dash pads go for $100-150.

I do wonder though - even if I find a good O.E. dash that isn't cracked, given that 99% of these have ready cracked, how long would I have with my new-to-me O.E. dash before it cracks?

@GeoRoss thanks for the link. I sent them a request for a quote. Given the amount of work they put into rebuilding the dash, I'm guessing it'll be pretty expensive. Probably worth the money... just may not be in the budget for my resto/build.

Despite the pics of shiny parts and cleaned up interior, I really am working toward a simple, usable truck. I will ABSOLUTELY take this truck off-road. Okay sure, I'll have someone hold branches out of the way for me and wipe their feet before getting back in...

These are good questions. I wouldn't mind the color change, it still looks good!

I have a factory OEM dash here in Tucson. It did start to crack during it's tenure up in Denver so I've been careful about it. It's garaged, and I apply some protectant to it regularly. When I park it at work I park it underneath a tree so it's shaded. If I was really vigilant I'd probably get those window covers.

I am happy to say that it's stayed in nice shape. I think if you got it and threw some Maguires on it and a cloth dash pad, it'd likely last the rest of the truck's life.

Oh and JustDashes is ridiculously expensive. It is a lot of work to restore a dash pad, so on some high dollar resto's it's probably not that a big expense. For us truck guys, it is. Prices average around $900-$1,200 for a dash pad like ours.

 

[KLF]

Getting back to the dash. It's funny... it used to just blend in with the rest of the old interior. But now that the truck has new carpet, a new shifter boot, everything's been cleaned... it's like the "volume" on the cracked dash has been cranked to 11. And I swear the dash is turning green - like greener and greener the more the rest of the interior looks better. I think it's rebelling.

PM sent.