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MG TD TF 1500 - Dash covering, glue, staples, both?

When you covered your dash with material (not wood) did you glue it, staple it or both. If you used glue what did you use and has it held up?

Thanks

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

Tim,

I used both. For the adhesive, I used 3M Super 77 and so far it has held up well.

Dave
D Runnings

Originally it was just glued as the metal strips are tacked (along the top) or screwed in over the edges. Staples probably would not be a bad idea to keep it taught while the glue dries.
Christopher Couper

Aerosol (rattle can) contact adhesive. Easy to apply with no lumps or ridges to show through the vinyl. It is used by carpet fitters.

Jan T
J Targosz

I did what Chris suggested but in stages, using exterior grade PVA. Flat face first then the edges using staples until the glue dries. I used small screws for the trim along the top to make removal easier if ever required. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Thanks everyone, glue and staples it is. Beautiful job Peter.

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

Hi, just wanted to add we finished our dash about 2 weeks ago and also used both glue and staples (1/8w x 3/8l upholstery staples). After gluing with heat resistant contact cement, the vinyl was rolled and then the dash was placed upside-down on a granite surface with about 50 pounds of weight. The vinyl was tight as a drum the next day before stapling with a perfect surface.

Would show the finished dash with chrome bead and glovebox door but it is wrapped in tissue paper in a box waiting installation.

WHTroyer

This shows the reverse side after cutting instrument holes and stapling.

WHTroyer

Poor intermediate picture showing the final dash without glovebox door. Mitered the edges where the chrome bead meets and it looks really nice.

WHTroyer

Sorry for all of the pictures. Just wanted to add that the "flaps" were also stretched and glued before stapling. Seemed to work well. Dash wood was treated with a clear sealer that was dried for about 8 days before covering. No problem with contact cement adhesion.

WHTroyer

W H, thanks, that looks great. I appreciate the back photo. Gives me a good idea on the cutting required. What glue did you use? Did you have any problem getting the glove box door to fit?

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

Hi Tim,

I used 3M 08090 "Super Trim Adhesive" which is designed for bonding vinyl tops, heavyweight liners and hood silencer pads and is formulated for heat.

The glovebox ate my lunch and I had to cover it twice. I used clearances posted on the forum and applied the beading exactly against the wood dash. But the clearance proved to be too tight and the first glovebox vinyl was removed. Believe me, the contact cement sticks very well. :-)

Vinyl was applied to the glovebox as per factory so there was only one layer of vinyl on the edge where the chrome trim is applied (each side cut at half way across the edge and there were NO staples on the edge).

After removing the first glovebox vinyl, I set the door in the finished dash frame (with chrome bead installed) and made sure there was at least 1/8-inch clearance evenly around the door. Also slightly deepened the hinge cutouts in the wood door so the hinges could be shimmed as needed. Then, recovered the door and installed it.

The chrome trim is approximately 0.035-inches thick and vinyl is approximately 0.025-inches thick. The, there is the thickness of the glue and always some space between the chrome trim and the wood/vinyl edge no matter how tightly installed (and I used clamps to install the chrome trim).

Lastly, contact cement was sprayed in a small cup and brushed on the flaps to keep everything neat.

WHTroyer

WH, thanks for that info. I had heard that getting the glove box to fit with new vinyl was problematic. You may have saved me from a do over. Thanks again.

Tim
TW Burchfield

I also had to redo the glovebox door. It was binding in one place. The original Rexine is much thinner than the modern vinyl, which means that the door is inevitably oversize. The exterior grade PVA also sticks really well. Too well. As I had plenty of vinyl & ply I jigsawed out another door, again with the join between both faces halfway along the edge & hidden by the chrome trim. The trick here is to do one face & the entire edge first. Once dry cut along the centre line of the edge, remove the surplus, then glue the other face using masking tape to secure it while that side dries. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter probably explained it better than I did. But, a picture is worth a thousand words (thanks to Bud Krueger).

"Bud Krueger, Massachusetts, USA, budkrueger@comcast.net
Dave, here's how the factory did it. Note that both the outer and inner cover pieces are folded over the edge without overlap and the gap is hidden by the chrome strip."

Each side is cut 1/2 way across the edge so that there is only one thickness of vinyl.

WHTroyer

Thanks WH and Peter. I had seen Bud's pictures but didn't focus on the overlap issue. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

This thread was discussed between 17/11/2016 and 18/11/2016

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