Re: [alfa] Dash Caps for GTV6

[George Graves <gmgraves@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have not tried this one, but I have tried the cap sold by Centerline, 
and as far as I know, it could be the same one. Anyway, I couldn't get 
the thing to fit. Someone else might have better luck, but anyway, the 
entire dash has to come apart, i.e. the front eyebrow over the gauges 
has to come off, the radio console has to come off, if you have 
Tropic-Aire air conditioning, the auxiliary blower in the passenger's 
knee-well, has to be removed as well. After I did all of that, I find 
that I can't get the cap down around the edges next to either 
Windshield pillar. and so I gave up. I replaced it with one of those 
form fitting "dash carpets" from IAP. It fit well, but you need a lot 
more velcro than they give you to get it to lie perfectly. The rug 
gives one a real bonus, to boot. It completely knocks down windshield 
reflection which is a real problem with so steeply raked a windshield 
as the GTV-6.

OTOH, I've found a better solution, but it does take more work. Most 
people replace or cover their dashes because they are cracked. I have 
found a way to fill the cracks and re-finish the dash so that it looks 
like new. You need to buy a couple of packages (depending on how bad 
the cracks) of this putty epoxy. This can be bought at most plumbing 
supply houses or most hardware stores in the plumbing dept. This stuff 
looks like clay and comes in two different colored strips. To use it 
you knead the two strips together until you get a homogenous color with 
none of either original color left. Then you work the soft putty into 
the cracks shaping it with a small putty knife. One of my cracks 
crosses one of the ridges in the dash top, necessitating making a 
template out of thin wood which just straddles the ridge. Drawing the 
template over the dash repeatedly until the putty is level with the 
dash and conforms to any shapes that the crack might cross. Let it cure 
thoroughly and then go back with fine-grit sandpaper and sand it 
smooth. When the cracks are filled and smooth to the rest of the dash 
surface, get a can of Dupli-Color dash paint and using newspaper and 
masking tape, mask-off everything, the windshield, the headliner, 'A' 
pillars, steering wheel, etc. It's also best to take the Instrument 
binnacle off as well (in fact, if you do this before you start with the 
putty, it''s easier.). Then apply the paint in light, easy coats to the 
entire exposed dash area. When you have finished, you won't even be 
able to see where the cracks were.

George Graves
'86 GTV-6

On Nov 22, 2003, at 4:00 AM, alfa-digest wrote:


> Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 21:29:07 -0500
> From: "gbconnolly" <gbconnolly@domain.elided>
> Subject: [alfa] Dash Caps for GTV6
>
> Has anyone on the digest tried the dash caps by 
> http://www.dashcaps.com/ ,
> specifically,
> for a GTV6? If so, I'd appreciate feedback on what the quality of the 
> finished
> job is like
> ( i.e. How close is it to the factory look, and how detectable is it?) 
> and,
> how difficult is
> it to install. TIA.
>
> Greg Connolly
>
> '81 GTV6 aka 'The Yellow Beast' (ex-Michael Harris track day car)
> '85 GTV6 aka 'Falconi' ( newly aquired from Little Rock, Ar.)
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided