No a hairdryer wouldn't help. The problem is the vinyl isn't setting up correctly, it's not getting hard enough. If it set up correctly, it wouldn't stick to the paper, when you pulled the graining paper off.

It's very frustrating when a vendors supplier screws up. In this case it's not the Eastwood Company, but the actual supplier of the repair kit to Eastwood. The

The instructions are incomplete, and their contact # isn't correct.

I'll figure it out, stay tuned.
Dan

OK, standing by......

In the meantime, does anyone remember the name of the weird kit which was offered in the 1970s to repair dash cracks? It had a small tube of black paste which you smeared into the damaged area and smoothed it as it set. It took about 1/2 hr to use but if you were patient the results were actually pretty good ~ you just couldn't get it off your hands for a month if you spilled.

A hairdryer wouldn't make any difference. I have found however, that if i move the iron slower in each spot it actually melts the filler into place. Next you have to completely let the filler cool. Then you can remove, the graining paper. You almost have to treat the repair like body filler work, meaning you have to use multiple passes, to achieve success.

Once you get the cracks repaired, you need to prep the whole dash with SEM vinyl prep. After using the vinyl prep, i sprayed the whole dash with SEM texture spray. The last step i used was to spray SEM Honda Black bumper repair as a top coat.

The project came out much better than i had hoped. It looks like a brand new dash.

I'll post pictures soon.
I sure hopes this helps to inspire all of you who need help with your dashes.
Dan

When touching up some original black interior in my 83, I found that semi-flat matches perfectly, but semi-gloss does not, and regular rustoleum paint seems to work better on plastic and hard vinyl, then does that vinyl paint. The vinyl paint does work good on the soft vinyl. Just some thoughts on my recent discovery.

OK Dan, we know y'all are buried in mud out there in Washington State (with trees floating down the street and stuff), but don't forget to Post some pictures of your finished product when you come up for air!!!

This was a great Post about a subject we all have problems with, so we're all hoping the result was good enough to make it worth an attempt by each of us amateurs.

I also want to know if you think the dash can be repaired without removing it from the car? (I think I'd rather R&R the windscreen than the dashboard, just to give me working access to the effected area atop the dash).

Frank T

Frank, seems my 280zx dashes weren't in too bad of shape, of course i haven't had a 280 in quite a long time as i've been on a string of Z31's.. The Z31's are a more spongy softer type of dashpad and they have fairly consistently been in pretty good shape too, they just tend to bow up at different locations on the pad, had a 85 z31 that had spent most of it's life in Cancun, the main deterioration problem i had with that, other than ocean salt body rust was the interior window cover plastic corner cover, they cover the power mirror mounting screws... When trying to remove these covers they just kind of crumbled due to the heat they were exposed to.... As far as dash cracks go, the majority of the older Volvos i've had over the years have just about all had cracks, very prevalent.... Bought a repair kit on clearance someplace years ago and never used it, the "glue" part of it dried out from non-use... Looking forward to seeing these results........

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Now on my 15th/update/16th Zcar, Z's4vr....