Hi
When I bought my 1995 Eunos V-Spec a year or so ago I promised myself I would renovate the blacktop dashboard. Every scratch showed up the tan coloured moulding underneath: there were areas where the prior owner had painted and/or used some other treatment or it had gone soft but it just looked and felt ghastly. The surface was so sticky that it was like when you curled butter. So finally I got ready. First important step - disconnect the battery.
I needed to make sure I had the materials to remove the paint without affecting the underlying surface and I didn’t know what I was going to find when I had got rid of the paint. Using the internet I came across the eponymous PlasticSafe which is sold as a graffitti remover and Fairy power spray - about £5 and £2 respectively. Next if I was going to find the underlying surface rough and pitted I was going to change the whole unit. I managed to find a dashboard unit with an excellent top but it was black so I sourced a tan spray paint (which I did not use eventually but that’s jumping ahead).
Managing to push the car out of my single garage (you can imagine with the recent rain how many times I did that!) I started to dismantle/undo and remove the parts necessary to remove the dash. As a basic guide I used Jeff Lin’s U-Tube video and a “how to” (www.miata.net/garage/DashRmv_89_93.pdf) document. Bear in mind that there are variations in all cars so don’t expect it to be exactly the same. It’s a long gutty job and I had to be methodical because of the length of time it takes you can forget what goes where. So you have to either take photos along the way or make notes or use tape on the wire harness connectors etc. After about 2/3 interrupted days my wife and I lifted it out ready for the next stage - the big cleanup!
Using the PlasticSafe aerosol to lift the paint/sticky goo stuff is straight forward enough but it took a stiff nail brush and a blunt bone handled knife to lift the thickest parts. Then using a kitchen roll (throwaway and it shows the black paint being removed rather than a cloth) and Fairy Power Spray it was just elbow grease for a good many hours until the tan colour showed through brightly. HVAC vents (at least 2 hours) were the most awkward and fiddly areas but it’s just time.
Decision time - use the original tan dash moulding? or swap all the wiring onto the black one and paint it? Luckily the surface of the tan dash looks as it did when it came out of the factory (or so I like to think) so there was no decision to make. Having the dash out of the car gave me the space to vacuum carpets and all the air vents from the HVAC units and clean up generally - you won’t get the opportunity again so make the most of it. I had forgotten to say but the seats had been removed for access which gives the opportunity for cleaning and an application Connolly’s Hide food.
Another decision - should we repaint the dash top black again. I know the black is anti-reflective but I could not face the thought of the black being scratched again and the tan showing through. And the tan dash looks good. So we took the easy option. Better to have it unpainted and have to paint than paint and have to remove it all again. My logic anyway.
Time to put it back and reconnect everything. Luckily it fitted and a small push toward the windscreen saw the dash securing bolts line up and fit into place. I had always meant to replace the tombstone because an aftermarket wood trim had been installed some years ago and it was starting to curl and peel. Fortunately the replacement dash I had purchased came with a brand new looking tombstone so a swap was in order. The immobiliser had its flashing light at the top of the old tombstone, so that could be relocated to a better place. I had only cut 3 wires (speaker and handbrake warning light) so some wire crimping was needed on replacement. You have to be aware that there are always some connectors that are unused on your car because you have not got a such an such accessory or HRW or ??
As you can imagine refitting is quicker than removal - just make sure, when the dash is installed you can get to all the cables to reconnect harnesses or accessories.
Now looking forward to Goodwood not being ashamed of the dash - just ready for those pointing out that it’s not black. A visible drawback is that the dash matches the door cards but not the crashpads. The side vents were left black together withe the centre square bolt cover. With the tombstone and the instrument cowl in black it looks OK. A couple of pictures are attached of the car now.
As a result of this I now have a spare black Mk1/Eunos dashboard for sale together with a number of items that were fitted to it. I have posted a list separately.
Happy days
Steve