Repairing and repainting aftermarket dash panel

[SPG]

A few months ago I came across this dash panel for my car, and if anyone is aware of what I'm doing this one is very special and very specific and they do not make it anymore. (They make things that look somewhat similar, but they're not the same)

Right now they have 3 pre-drilled holes that I need to remove (and then drill 5 of my own holes in the correct spots)

The next thing I have to do is repaint it since I want to cover up the repairs

I was thinking of using JB weld plastic weld for the holes
But does anyone have experience painting plastic and giving it a brushed aluminum finish?

I don't want to screw this up as I can't rebuy it so I want to make sure I do it correctly and get a similar finish tow hat it originally had.

 

[Camaro Tim01]

I'm curious as to what that comes off of... model/year ?? ... as the shape is distinctive and different from anything I've seen before.... angled up in the corner that way. share more info with us please ?

That said, IF thats the only one you got and you cant get anymore ever you might want to consider looking around for a Company that can do it for you, not that you cant yourself just that they may have those hundred thousand dollar machines that can do it flawless...

If you want to attempt it I can offer a suggestion...

first, find something made of the same plastic that you can practice on with different things so you dont end up trying something that eats through your plastic or makes a mess of it...

Test out on something else first but try this...

Find small plastic plugs that fit your screw holes and sand them down smooth until they're level with the rest of the piece, crazy glue them in place, once that crazy glue is dry, use more crazy glue to fill in any edges levl to the rest, sand it down level using a very fine grit and paint as desired.

* I say crazy glue because epoxy is thick and for fine work almost impossible to get nice and level. Crazy glue is thinner, easier to "self level" and easier to control the amount you disperse. For where your piece goes there will be little stress or strain placed upon it and should last forever.

 

[SPG]

I'm curious as to what that comes off of... model/year ?? ... as the shape is distinctive and different from anything I've seen before.... angled up in the corner that way. share more info with us please ?

That said, IF thats the only one you got and you cant get anymore ever you might want to consider looking around for a Company that can do it for you, not that you cant yourself just that they may have those hundred thousand dollar machines that can do it flawless...

It's an after market dash panel that was made by classicdadsh and commonly sold on other websites owned by classicindustries. It was normally paired with autometer gauges and never a standalone part so to get it would cost north of $1000. Thus making it rare as most people would rather buy their own gauges.

Their stock photos still show this dash panel in use but they haven't used it in several years and they don't own anymore blanks (trust me, I tried)

So even though this after market piece may not be valuable to most people, it is most certainly the rarest part I own for my car next to the cowl as that is also not produced anymore.


Anyways, I'll try getting scrap plastic and practicing, I never thought about out sourcing it to someone else...but maybe I should...not really who I should be looking for though, I guess anyone skilled in repairing plastic.

 

[xten]

I would practice on another piece as Tim said. For the effect you want, I would try different strength brushes, as in the stiffness of bristles. If you're using spray cans, you need a paint that stays "open" a while, Unless it's really cold,lacquer dries too fast and you won't get the desired uniform brush effect unless you can do it really fast. There are different detail brushes that come to mind, like the ones for A/C vents that look like make up brushes with soft bristles. Maybe even a regular paint brush. I took a custom painting class and that's how we made wood grain. When or if you get your desired effect, I would definitely put some clear (matte, satin, flat) on it to preserve it. Worth a shot.

 

[Scott51]

There are a LOT of different plastics out there and best to find out exactly what type it is first so you can spec the right adhesive /filler and paint. If the supplier or manufacturer can’t help with this, take it to a plastics fabricator and they should be able to tell you.

Whichever filler you use, lay some compatible mesh on the back side to help hold it together and prevent popping, sinking or cracking later. Alternatively if you want to disappear it like it was never there, take it to a fabricator who does plastic welding and see if it’s something they can work with (not all plastics can be welded)

In the pics it looks like a dull aluminium finish? that should be straight forward to replicate as long as you use compatible products, and as others have mentioned a suitable clear coat would be a good idea. If you’d prefer something with a more brushed and metallic look, check out 3M 1080 vinyl wrap.