Repairing Upper Door Panels:

[Captain D]

Hello all,

On my 69' Charger's upper door panels (where the Charger emblem is located), I have some small hairline cracks. I'd like to make them look good when they get repainted w/ the SEMS vinyl spray. Before I do, I'd like to find out if there is anything that I can use to help "fill in" these cracks...like a putty of somesort....without having to buy whole new panels (since they're kinda pricey).

If anyone has any tips, ideas, suggestions, experience in this area I'd love to hear about it...
Thank you for any replies!
Aaron

[Charger-Bodie]

i have used windhield urethane to fill small problem areas in dash pads ect , just put a little in the crack and smooth it with some thinner on a rag

[ChargerSG]

I was thinking in repaint(i have one white and one Green) but then thinking in how hard is it to change the vinyl on them insted of trying cover cracks and tear and paint, anyone tryed this?

[Shakey]

I was thinking in repaint(i have one white and one Green) but then thinking in how hard is it to change the vinyl on them insted of trying cover cracks and tear and paint, anyone tryed this?

The term "vacuum forming" comes to mind, which is what Just Dashes does.  I think.

I also think that this is not possible to do at home without the proper machinery.  From what I understand, Just Dashes is the only game in town when it comes to restoring the upper pads for our 2nd generation cars.  Which explains the heavy price tag and the long lead-time.

Someone can jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

[Charger-Bodie]

I was thinking in repaint(i have one white and one Green) but then thinking in how hard is it to change the vinyl on them insted of trying cover cracks and tear and paint, anyone tryed this?

The term "vacuum forming" comes to mind, which is what Just Dashes does.  I think.

I also think that this is not possible to do at home without the proper machinery.  From what I understand, Just Dashes is the only game in town when it comes to restoring the upper pads for our 2nd generation cars.  Which explains the heavy price tag and the long lead-time.

Someone can jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

i believe everything you stated is correct but i would like to add that they do not do a great job we got a set done for a 70 , cost 800.00 and i was not impressed to say the least

[tan top]

I was thinking in repaint(i have one white and one Green) but then thinking in how hard is it to change the vinyl on them insted of trying cover cracks and tear and paint, anyone tryed this?

The term "vacuum forming" comes to mind, which is what Just Dashes does. I think.

I also think that this is not possible to do at home without the proper machinery. From what I understand, Just Dashes is the only game in town when it comes to restoring the upper pads for our 2nd generation cars. Which explains the heavy price tag and the long lead-time.

Someone can jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

  only ever heard of Just Dashes  doing this type of stuff

[tan top]

i believe everything you stated is correct but i would like to add that they do not do a great job we got a set done for a 70 , cost 800.00 and i was not impressed to say the least

               what happend then (1hot68) if you don't mind me asking 

[moparjohn]

What is winshield urethane?

[tan top]

What is winshield urethane?

   it is used  as glue to stick in bonded in windshields

[ChargerSG]

What number on the Sems cans is right for a 1969 Charger?

[Captain D]

1hot68 - Thank you for the tip. I'm interested in giving this windshield urethane a try if it has worked well for you w/ positive results. So basically, you just apply this along the cracks, allow it to fill in, wipe off the excess, let it dry, and then repaint...?

Thank you once again for a reply,
Aaron D.

[Charger-Bodie]

1hot68 - Thank you for the tip. I'm interested in giving this windshield urethane a try if it has worked well for you w/ positive results. So basically, you just apply this along the cracks, allow it to fill in, wipe off the excess, let it dry, and then repaint...?

Thank you once again for a reply,
Aaron D.

yes but be sure to get it worked into the crack good and dont wipe too much off just enuf

[Captain D]

Awesome! I'll "definitely" give this a try. Thanks again for the tips!

High regards,
Aaron

[MadScientist]

I used a vinyl repair kit from Eastwood and it worked really well on the areas that are relatively flat and even those that had large gaps.  I'll try to get some pics

MS

[MadScientist]

here you go.  The crack is filled in and when it was painted with SEM, couldnt even see it. Sorry no pics of the finished panel. what you are looking at cant be felt with your hand. The kit even included sheets of plastic for texture matching. Heres the link:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2016&itemType=PRODUCT

[Captain D]

MadScientist - Thank you for the link. This was the stuff I was kind of looking to get! I'm glad to hear that it worked well for you w/ positive results as well. I'll take what I've learned here in this thread, and apply them. Thank you for the replies members!
High regards,
Aaron

[Captain D]

Hi,

I have all four of the upper door pads for my Charger. They're not "too bad" but there are some small hairline cracks on them...especially along the very top. Has anyone repaired these befored they were repainted/re-dyed? If so, what is the best stuff to get to help fill in these cracks?

Thanks for any responses,
Aaron

[MadScientist]

Here you go

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25507.0/topicseen.html

[Captain D]

Thanks again for the response...I remember writing a few questions on this topic a few weeks back, for some reason, I couldn't access that thread w/ my computer  . Seems like its okay now, lol. Thanks again for that link!

[Mike DC]

Just Dashes did a decent job on my '69 dashpad. 

The part came back fitting fine, looking acceptable, and feeling less "padded" than original.  They really use a stiffer foam on their stuff.   But the re-skin job was definitely better than ANYTHING you could do without the vacuum-forming equipment they use.

Overall it wasn't perfect but it was worth it to me to get a dashpad that would last a while.  If you repair the cracks & sunfading on a used one it's still basically a disintegrating item.  You can do the greatest job on earth of making it look good, but it'll probably just continue to crack-up within a couple years.

 

[MadScientist]

I agree. I had JD do my dashpad as well.  The pic above is my rear upper pad, back by the passengers elbow, so it wont be seen as much.

MS

[JrJohnston]

I have recovered them in vynil,they look ok but they are not perfect.