What did you do to your X1/9 today ?

In my opinion, base coat is easy to apply goes on like primer , wait half hour put on clear ,three coats if you happen to get dust or run wet sand with 2000 grit and polish , better shine , no fading of colour , over all in my opinion just better
 
Finished restoring a pair of old dashboards.

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The X1/9 dash had the typical 2 cracks in the top running to the defroster vent. It was badly warped. I had to remove the foam from the underside so I could correct the warpage. I used epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth and milled glass fibers to reinforce the cracked areas. I also repaired the radio cutout in the same manner. Body filler was used where needed to flatten the surfaces. I used a black 2K primer surfacer to fill in the vinyl grain texture. I then applied a splatter finish with the 2K and finished it off with a urethane matte black. Month long project

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They look fantastic. Please tell us what you used, X1/9 in particular.
 
The X1/9 dash had the typical 2 cracks in the top running to the defroster vent. It was badly warped. I had to remove the foam from the underside so I could correct the warpage. I used epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth and milled glass fibers to reinforce the cracked areas. I also repaired the radio cutout in the same manner. Body filler was used where needed to flatten the surfaces. I used a black 2K primer surfacer to fill in the vinyl grain texture. I then applied a splatter finish with the 2K and finished it off with a urethane matte black. Month long project

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Hey Mark, looks great. I'm about to start my dash resto. Was gonna try that "Flex Paste" method posted here a bit ago. Hope it comes out half as nice as yours.
 
Hm. I'll add my bits occasionally.

Carb work, super high idle, p.o. had 60's in for idle jets. Put in 40's, little better. Starting fluid trick shows vacuum leaks. Idle still at 1100. Lower than that and it dies.
Cleaned carb fuel filter.

Put in flame trap.

Crimped on some proper spade lugs for a few connections.

Several loose bolts and nuts. From now on I just tighten everything I see.

Tomorrow timing if I can find find my timing light.
 
If you find these cheap or compatible replacements please let me know. Mine are completely rotted.
I purchased a 20 foot length of universal felt trim from a antique car restoration supply company. It comes in about 20 different configurations so I had to take a sample of the old stuff and match it to the new ones. It was around $30 for the length, which is easily enough to do two X's. Fits and works like the original.
 
The X1/9 dash had the typical 2 cracks in the top running to the defroster vent. It was badly warped. I had to remove the foam from the underside so I could correct the warpage. I used epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth and milled glass fibers to reinforce the cracked areas. I also repaired the radio cutout in the same manner. Body filler was used where needed to flatten the surfaces. I used a black 2K primer surfacer to fill in the vinyl grain texture. I then applied a splatter finish with the 2K and finished it off with a urethane matte black. Month long project

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Mark, you have the right idea there to cover the whole top surface with filler and fibreglass repairs. And the top coat looks great. Mine was cracked just like yours, I found I could flatten the warpage using a hot air gun fairly well, ground out the cracks and used a flexible plastic filler just in the cracks, but when spray painted with plastic bumper texture coat I got hairline cracks on one side of the filler and the original dash plastic, no matter what I tried.
I ended up grinding the cracks out again and filling with Urethane sealant, sanding flat, and top coat with Plastidip. Unfortunately the repairs are still visible no matter how many coats I do, including sanding the plastidip coating.
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Plastidip top coat.
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Flexible filler and Bumper texture coat.
 
A while back i've chopped off my tow rings and that left my without a reasonably towing solution.
So i decided to make one:

All the parts before assembly, i planned to use the bumper shocker tunnel that was left unemployed since bumper conversion,
and lock it with 10mm bar through the bolt that held the shocker in place
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Needed a bit grinding
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This is a filling welding, i can promise my welding looks better 😆
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Grinding and bolt together
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A bit more bending on my ultra aero quality bending jig
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A bit tight but not so hard to get it in place
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Making a RF welded pouch, Nylon fabric with PU coating (and parts painted black plus clear coat)
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Pocket for extra tools
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And don't you dare come out
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Hoped you liked it :)
 
Mark, you have the right idea there to cover the whole top surface with filler and fibreglass repairs. And the top coat looks great. Mine was cracked just like yours, I found I could flatten the warpage using a hot air gun fairly well, ground out the cracks and used a flexible plastic filler just in the cracks, but when spray painted with plastic bumper texture coat I got hairline cracks on one side of the filler and the original dash plastic, no matter what I tried.
I ended up grinding the cracks out again and filling with Urethane sealant, sanding flat, and top coat with Plastidip. Unfortunately the repairs are still visible no matter how many coats I do, including sanding the plastidip coating.View attachment 52271
Plastidip top coat.
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Flexible filler and Bumper texture coat.
I recently rebuilt a dash as well. I can't say for sure what made the difference, but I did not end up with any residual cracks and there is no evidence of them after the fact. And I only filled the cracked areas - I did not cover the entire dash surface as Mark did (excellent results on his).

I suspect in your first attempt the problem might have been from heating and reforming the cracks rather than removing the warped material. It will have a tendency to return to its natural (warped) state. In the second attempt I suspect it might have to do with the filler products used. That is something I've found in the past, determining what is the best filler to use. If a hard filler is used (only in the cracks) then eventually the surrounding area moves and a new crack forms on either side of the hard fill. A flexible filler avoids that. However some flexible fillers have too much movement and will expand and contract with temperatures more than the surrounding material, and therefore it cracks at the seams as well. So I think the solution is to either cover the entire dash with one product so it all moves together, or find a filler that has just the right amount of give.
 
In my opinion, base coat is easy to apply goes on like primer , wait half hour put on clear ,three coats if you happen to get dust or run wet sand with 2000 grit and polish , better shine , no fading of colour , over all in my opinion just better
If you’re not doing the work yourself, more expensive for base coat I imagine?
 
If you’re not doing the work yourself, more expensive for base coat I imagine?
Yes a bit more, three litres of base ,and base maker ,$350 ,then gallon of clear , clear was around $150 , and the time three coats of base then three coats of clear, with the other types two or three coats ,
 
Yes a bit more, three litres of base ,and base maker ,$350 ,then gallon of clear , clear was around $150 , and the time three coats of base then three coats of clear, with the other types two or three coats ,
Excellent - not that much really. The blue is looking good :) If you find a good source for replacement felt, let us know
 
Making a RF welded pouch, Nylon fabric with PU coating
Not to take away for the tow hook you made, but I am intrigued by the plastic pouch more. Please explain the RF welding process and some details on the right type of plastic to use for this. :)
 
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