Saggy Dash

[dtjk592fiat]

My dash has no cracks but sags slightly in the middle of the car creating slight gaps by the right top corner of the binnacle veneer and the left top corner of the glove box door. Any ideas what might be causing this is some kind of mounting bolt missing?

[htchevyii]

You could check to make sure that it's properly secured, there are only four mounting locations with tiny fasteners, (two in the front and two at the back), but more likely that not the paper mache excuse for a dash is just fatigued or warped. You could try using a heat gun and bending it back, but a new one would be best. Despite my best efforts to fix mine and put on full covers, nothing ever fits right, (the cover doesn't help).

[dtjk592fiat]

Where exactly are the fasteners located under the dash? Ill check them and then try the heat gun.

[mbouse]

wow... be careful with a heat gun and that ancient plastic covering the dash. i am betting that too much heat will cause more harm than any possible good.

[htchevyii]

There are two on the ends of the dash, (towards the rear of THE CAR) and two approx 1.5 feet in towards the Front of THE CAR. I hope this makes sense, I just realised I didn't know which side of thedash would be considered the front

I just found a pic! Towards the bottom you can see the two black mounts at the ends, at the top, there are two studs toward the center, (the one on the left has a washer and nut on it, so it's more visable).
All my dashes have been cracked, so Mike is right, it is most likely brittle. I was curious it one could bend it back and coat the paper with fiberglass resin to make it keep it's shape, but who knows?

[dtjk592fiat]

Great thanks for that picture it should prove very helpful.

[Foster48x]

Two of the fasteners are on the front left and right bottom corners. Both are easy to get to. The other two are on the right and left upper back side of the inner dash on either side of the heater fan. The one on the left (if your looking at the front of the dash) you can see if you stick your head under the dash. The one on the right is a pain but can be accessed through the hole in the glove box. Check to make sure both the inner ones have the locking star washers or the back of the dash will slide out. I also found it easier when installing mine to have someone else push the dash in while you tighten down the back fasteners.

Hope that helps.
Rick

[mbouse]

although i have not dealt with a spider dash, i can assure you that this type of plastic will bend, curl and shrink when heat is applied. Great way to remove the old covering is to apply a heat gun and a putty knife.

one of the areas where a Triumph excelled over the Spider was to have a steel dash pad, covered in padding and a vinyl cover over that. excel, meaning it was easy to restore come time. The Triumph dash was basically a flat cover and a flat face, two separate units. Spiders are one molded piece of a composite material with intricate contours... great to look at but, not readily accepting a novice restoration. Both originally used a plastic material that oozed vapors into the atmosphere, depleting its composition to the point of a dry, brittle, plastic coat.

i am told that the replacement dash uses a modern vinyl that is not supposed to dry out and crack like the OEM dash. i expect to find that out for sure myself later this year.

[Foster48x]

Mike is right, a heat gun helps if you want to remove the plastic from the old dash but you probably shouldn't use it to straighten it. The dash is fairly thick and only the outside is plastic. If you find out its not the fasteners and the dash is actually bent I would take it out like htchevyii shows in his pic and try to reinforce it or bend it back into shape. Most likely though its probably your fasteners.

Rick

[htchevyii]

Still easier to fix than a saggy butt!