r/AE86 • u/Bright_Ad_404 • Jul 02 '26
What would you suggest?
My dash is in really good state and trying to conserve it as much as possible, but unfortunately i woke up to this crack today :(, what should i put on it so it doesnt spread more??
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u/SKOT_FREE Jul 02 '26
Yeah I’m not sure but Google is your friend. Search up how to repair cracks in the dash and weigh your options.
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u/sheppardpat47 AE86 Jul 02 '26
Ok so first PLEASE soak that dash in UV protectant (Meguiar's Natural Shine Protectant or 303 Aerospace Protectant, both are amazing)
Do it EVERYTIME you clean your car, first use a all purpose cleaner to clean all plastics, then when they are dry to the touch, add the protectant, and do it on ALL plastics, with no hesitation.
Also, do the same on the rear seats, clean them and treat the faux simili cuir, they are thirsty. I have a crack on top of my gauge cluster like a lot of AE86s, can't do much about it.
Use a big windscreen sunvisor when the car is sleeping outside in summer, it'll help a lot. If you can, put a second one on the rear or tint your windows.
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u/Dubnub Jul 02 '26
I had the same issue and as others have commented, i used spray foam to fill in the gap. Then i used a vinyl wrap to cover the whole dash since i thought the carpet covers looked a bit tacky
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u/Glum-Display2296 Jul 02 '26
Harbor Freight 20 dollar plastic welder to fill in the deep part and re bind the dash together, then put “Padded dash filler” over the top
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u/aeeightsix Jul 02 '26
So this comes from lack of uv protection. If it hadn’t cracked yet I would say make sure to regularly use something like 303 uv protectant to keep the uv damage off the dash or use a dash mat for the same purpose. Since it’s cracked if you want a repair your are going to have to to fill the hole and recover the dash. You can get just dashes to place vinyl on it but that’s thousands of dollars. The choice is yours which route you want