Redoing dash enclosure - how hard?

**captain_jim1** · 04-14-2005, 03:42 PM

I did a (sort of) rush job making my dash piece last summer in preperations for a cross-country drive I did and have never been happy with how it looks. It is nice, but it's not as smooth as I wanted and the shape is slightly off.

Here's a pic during
Here's a pic after

I want to know how hard it will be to somehow strip off the work I've done and start again. I used bondo body filler to do ALL of the fabrication, painted it with some black texture paint and then sprayed a couple of layers of polyurathene over it (didn't like the texture).

I want to somehow remove the polyurethane and paint and do more sanding and maybe move the buttons at the bottom up a little in height so there's not such a dip down to them.

Ideas? Suggestions?

**Phythorian** · 04-14-2005, 03:49 PM

Just start sanding!

**Scouse Monkey** · 04-14-2005, 03:54 PM

To remove polyurethane try Acetone. That might work but it could also be ethyle acetate which is very nasty so you dont want to use that. I will check tomorrow as i have some stuff on how to strip PU in work.

PU is very tough so unless you can peel it off a chemical route is the only way - but i jsut thought - acetone will melt your dash part! Damn!

I think peeling it off is the best route. Give that a try and if no luck try some small amounts of solvent (acetone - use nail varnish remover to try it before you buy some)

**xdjxklusivex** · 04-14-2005, 04:25 PM

buy a new lilli bezel and jack out what u got right now start fresh... thas what i did turned out way better then it did before

**captain_jim1** · 04-14-2005, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Scouse Monkey

To remove polyurethane try Acetone. That might work but it could also be ethyle acetate which is very nasty so you dont want to use that. I will check tomorrow as i have some stuff on how to strip PU in work.

PU is very tough so unless you can peel it off a chemical route is the only way - but i jsut thought - acetone will melt your dash part! Damn!

I think peeling it off is the best route. Give that a try and if no luck try some small amounts of solvent (acetone - use nail varnish remover to try it before you buy some)

Maybe if i put some Acetone on a rag and hold the peice upside down so any drips fall to the ground instead of around the screen?? The screen does have a couple coats of paint on it too -- will acetone eat through them?

**Altimat** · 04-14-2005, 08:53 PM

Acetone melts plastic don't use it. Sand it all off down to filler, recoat, and take your time this time using blocks etc.

**xdjxklusivex** · 04-15-2005, 03:48 AM

Originally Posted by captain_jim1

Maybe if i put some Acetone on a rag and hold the peice upside down so any drips fall to the ground instead of around the screen?? The screen does have a couple coats of paint on it too -- will acetone eat through them?

WHAT THE HELL? why will u leave ur screen in the piece while freakin using n e thing liquid around it or n e thing what so ever but ur fingers... and did you PAINT over ur screen?

**captain_jim1** · 04-15-2005, 05:28 AM

BY leaving my screen I meant just the bezel -- of COURSE I will remove the actual lcd before I do any work! I guess I'll just have to remove the PU and wait paint by sanding sanding sanding....

Although it looks like I could just get a new bezel from DigitalWW for $15 ... just break the old one out of the enclosure and start fresh...

**Scouse Monkey** · 04-15-2005, 08:34 AM

As i said the acetone will melt the plastic but you will have a hard job sanding down PU if it as think as i think it is as it is one of the most abrasive resistant materials around. if you are careful then yeah use a rag (that is what i had in mind) and carefully get rid of some of the PU but doo it new a sink (stainless steel one) and washt he acetone off quckly with lots of water. Only use small amounts of acetone and be careful.

if ont he onther hand it is just a very thin layer then sanding may be ok. but it will take a lot of effort.

it might be easier to put that one down to experience and start again with a new bezel.

**greenwire** · 04-15-2005, 09:33 AM

I'm having the same problem, except my first hackjob is like 100x worse than yours, and i'm using a 10.4" open frame display, so i have to make a new custom screen bezel and everything

i've been toying with the idea of thermoforming the plastic..
like, heat it up with an infrared heat gun (maybe borrow some thermal imaging system from my school so i can spread the heat evenly

) and then bend it to where i need to mount the screen.. then make the cuts i need and be done with it.