View Full Version : Off topic: Cavalier question.


loserkidjp
10-30-2005, 08:16 PM
I know a lot of people here used to own Cavaliers before their Cobalts so.

You know the little 3 inch wide piece of plastic on the dash right up next to the windshield that runs from the drivers side to passenger side.

Mine has two horrible cracks that run all the way down in it. It looks like shit and I want to replace it. Do you think a junkyard would come up off one? I'm thinking that the guy who installed all my audio stuff for me would put it on because I know he had to remove the wole dash..What do you guys think?

philco_3
10-30-2005, 08:21 PM
Better have the better part of the weekend to do it, cause you have to take apart the airbags, steering wheel, HVAC, elect. wires to deel with. Its more of a hassle than anything. When my did it, I put the radar dector over it, of course I just had the one crackon the left side of the air vent, instead of having both sides crack.

loserkidjp
10-30-2005, 08:49 PM
Better have the better part of the weekend to do it, cause you have to take apart the airbags, steering wheel, HVAC, elect. wires to deel with. Its more of a hassle than anything. When my did it, I put the radar dector over it, of course I just had the one crackon the left side of the air vent, instead of having both sides crack.
You sure? Cause I know when I had all my stereo equip. put in they took off my whole dash and everything. I was standing around watching and they had everything off I didn't pay any attention to that piece though. He did it in like 15 minutes...

I will admit I was an idiot with the first crack, the two pieces sat at different heights so I was gonna use a little super glue to at least make it all sit the same but I got white residue all over from the damn super glue, and that doesn't help any either. Know how to get that stuff off by any chance?

wesmanw02
10-31-2005, 12:12 AM
You sure? Cause I know when I had all my stereo equip. put in they took off my whole dash and everything. I was standing around watching and they had everything off I didn't pay any attention to that piece though. He did it in like 15 minutes...

I will admit I was an idiot with the first crack, the two pieces sat at different heights so I was gonna use a little super glue to at least make it all sit the same but I got white residue all over from the damn super glue, and that doesn't help any either. Know how to get that stuff off by any chance?

Unfortunately that dash crack thing happens to just about every Cavalier (mine has it), and its just not worth the effort to replace it. The piece you are talking about thats cracked is the uppermost part of the front dash assembly, which is 1-piece. Meaning that piece is connected to the front part of the dash all the way to the floor. So you would pretty much have to tear your whole dash apart and replace half of it just to eliminate the cracked piece, obviously not worth it for most people.

As for the Crazy Glue, try getting it off with some turpentine or other solvent. Be careful though, as sometimes those types of chemicals can be harmful to plastic, so test in an inconspicuous area first ;)

italstalnprd86
10-31-2005, 12:15 AM
id say bondo, or fiberglass it, and just paint the whole piece......

tsmock
10-31-2005, 02:09 AM
There is a company that makes a fiberglass cover for it. It is a lot easierto do and won't crack in the future.

loserkidjp
10-31-2005, 08:54 AM
There is a company that makes a fiberglass cover for it. It is a lot easierto do and won't crack in the future.
Is there anyway you could see if you could come up on a site with that for me? Cause I'm really wanting to get this fixed. Thanks

loserkidjp
10-31-2005, 08:58 AM
Unfortunately that dash crack thing happens to just about every Cavalier (mine has it), and its just not worth the effort to replace it. The piece you are talking about thats cracked is the uppermost part of the front dash assembly, which is 1-piece. Meaning that piece is connected to the front part of the dash all the way to the floor. So you would pretty much have to tear your whole dash apart and replace half of it just to eliminate the cracked piece, obviously not worth it for most people.

As for the Crazy Glue, try getting it off with some turpentine or other solvent. Be careful though, as sometimes those types of chemicals can be harmful to plastic, so test in an inconspicuous area first ;)
That really sucks. Thats what another guy on another forum had told me and I was hoping it wasn't true. You would think that would be a piece you could just screw off or something. That sucks..I tried alcohol and some other kind of cleaner my mother had but non of it worked. If I could at least get the white residue off. :(

jzchev28
10-31-2005, 09:35 AM
yeah mine is cracked too :rolleyes:

badg1rl
11-03-2005, 12:52 AM
i know this is kinda late but...a lot of cavis do have that problem as everyone has said...you might find one at a junk yard...but chances are unless you are really careful you will break that one taking it out as well and i have heard its a real bitch. why not just bondo and paint like someone suggested. probably a lot less expensive.

loserkidjp
11-03-2005, 11:41 PM
Anyone heard about this stuff? A guy over on automotive forums suggested using it for my dash.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=131&

Adirondack_Cobalt
11-04-2005, 02:25 AM
I've had 3 3rd Gens... (96,98,99) and my windshield piece never cracked. Even after I annihilated a deer with the 98.
To tell you the truth, I've never seen on cracked... weird... maybe its a southern thing?

Scott