Dashboard disintegration

[KohlerSSpider]

Hello All,

In replacing the gauge panels on our 1975 124, my son and I have discovered that two of the particle board 'points' on the scalloped edges of the actual dashboard, where the gauges sit, have worn away. When we removed the old wood panels, the clip nuts fell to the floor since there was barely anything holding them in place. I've been scratching my head trying to figure out how to fix them without replacing the entire dash. I tried wood filler, which seemed fine at first, but ended up breaking right at the joint with the old material.

Has anybody encountered this issue and figured out a good fix? I searched the forum for a while and didn't find anything. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Jim and Jack

[AlexD]

Interesting (and frustrating) dilemma - some of those points are pretty thin to begin with before they start to deteriorate over time. I assume you're talking about the points/scallops that serve as the anchor points for the dash panel screws? If so perhaps a modified L-bracket that can be fastened to the dash and drilled out/tapped to accept the dash screw? Or, depending on how much of the original dash frame material remains, you can manufacture some sort of "gasket" out of plexiglass or luan/thin wood that can be epoxied around the perimeter of the opening.

Experience here tells me that you're going to get some proven solutions to this issue from more than one of the creative MacGuyvers on this site.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I wish I had some creative MacGyver solutions for you, but I don't. And unfortunately, it is quite common for the 4 attachment points for the gauge panel screws to break off, or get so floppy that they don't do anything anymore. I've tried supporting them with wood glue and fiberboard or the like, but it's not a good solution.

The best solution is kind of what AlexD suggests with the L-brackets. You could mount robust L-brackets to the metal cross rail that goes behind the dash and supports the front of the steering column. Properly measured and positioned, these could provide attachment points for the 4 gauge panel screws. Perhaps mount the L-brackets, put the panel in place, and use a Sharpie through the screw holes to mark the points on the L-brackets where you should drill and tap the 4 holes. Or where to position the clip nuts.

On the other hand, I've had gauge panels that were held by only 2 or 3 screws, and the panel stayed in position.

-Bryan

[dinghyguy]

I have had the same problem and i used a bit of marine epoxy and some fiberglass cloth to impregnate and wrap the "point" then i used a dremel and sanding drum to clean up the gauge hole, a drill to reestablish the screw hole, reset the clip and all has been well. I expect polyester resin would also work but i had the epoxy from some boat projects.
cheers
Dinghyguy

[DieselSpider]

I have had the same problem and i used a bit of marine epoxy and some fiberglass cloth to impregnate and wrap the "point" then i used a dremel and sanding drum to clean up the gauge hole, a drill to reestablish the screw hole, reset the clip and all has been well. I expect polyester resin would also work but i had the epoxy from some boat projects.
cheers
Dinghyguy

Yes, epoxy resin and glass mat would be a very good solution. You really want to keep the disruption and metal filings from drilling and setting in metal brackets to a minimum to minimize the chances of bridging a connection below and creating a short.

At times I've cheated and used the remnants of failed woven binding straps when I was out of fiberglass mesh.

[KohlerSSpider]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. My son and I are finally getting back to work on Stella and we'll see if we can get the epoxy trick to work. Fingers crossed!

[KohlerSSpider]

FYI, I tried a few methods and finally seemed to have gotten one to work.

First, we tried making a slurry of sawdust and wood glue, making it fairly thick to shape it and molding it into place where the points had disintegrated. I reinforced these with fiber mesh to help bond to the existing wood of the dash. Unfortunately the new points were too thick for the nut clips to align perfectly for the chromed bolts to fit. And the glue had solidified so hard that sanding would have taken forever (haven't bought a dremel (yet)).

What did work was cutting the old dash wood back to a solid foundation. I then cut a piece of 1/4" masonite to the correct shape, glued it into place and then reinforced it with the mesh. Gorilla wood glue set up nice and sturdy and the nut clips fit without any distortion, so the chromed bolts screwed right in. So far it seems to be holding the gauge wood panel just fine.

Thanks for the ideas everyone!