Dashboard Mount Repair - Version 2.0 Topic is solved

[Redneck]

Can somebody actually look inside their car and tell me?

I have felt tape on the top of the dash that would suggest that it goes under the metal strip. I need to be sure. Can someone look in their car and reply with verified information? Please?

[mikel]

just goes in one way. end of dash pad slips into groove. ABS glue worked good on my 98 and 2000 dashes 98 was stamped with the ABS symbol all over.

[v-45magna]

As has been stated, there are no other places to mount, so all we have is the original 'flawed' design. So the best we can hope for is making that vent as strong as possible so it goes for a longer period of time before the tabs fracture/break off.

You guys got me to thinking that, to strengthen the only structure we have to work with, ABS plastic sheets could be cut and glued to the vent with ABS cement. They could even be layered, maybe 1/16 in thick each. That would essentially fuse the pieces together resulting in an overall thicker material and hopefully a spreading of impact forces over the entire length of the vent. I'm worried that the already brittle original ABS would be further weakened by the process. Any thoughts on this?

I did the version 1.0 repair and added a two part plastic repair putty https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8237-Pla ... pair+putty to try and strengthen the mounting areas. My dash is back in but not much more than bolted in and the airbag-less steering wheel back on without a clock spring just quick and dirty.

The more I think about it, the more I believe this to be the best approach and I intend to select some ABS sheeting from somewhere, Amazon maybe, and do this up, and not look back. I do have some aluminum sheet left from making strap reinforcements at the mounting points. Maybe I will incorporate some aluminum strips near and between the mounts which hopefully might add to the solidarity of the vent tube as well.
I will try and post some pics but I'm betting they won't be able to show more than I just described. I just need to figure out the best thickness to select to make it easier to cut some corners and curves so it can be laid down close to the mounts. Of course, only time and use will really prove if anything here worked anyway. But I am still given hope. This is the first time I have any real hope for a solution related to this problem. I can thank God I found this thread because I would likely have already gotten rid of the car by now.

This car has been too long off the road. I can't wait.

[sleuth007]

Has anyone identified the plastic type of Volvo 850 dashboard? If yes, how did you identify it?

It is likely ABS plastic. I agree with earlier posts which state the strength does not need to be so much in the reinforcing straps, but rather in the attachment points of said straps. I used thin steel strapping which did not increase the overall thickness, and was easy to bend to accurately conform to the existing tabs with proper position/angle. I then reinforced the strap laterally with a combination of fiberglass at one end, and custom sized 1/8" aluminum blocks at the other. This was all done to "spread" the load so the pull points were distributed along a much greater length. I have various pictures if interested.

I also used ABS specific pipe cement to glue/reposition the original tabs, and broken pieces to get the angle right. The ABS is quite strong at repairing the plastic, but I was not going to rely on this, as documented above.

[rspi]

Can somebody actually look inside their car and tell me?

I have felt tape on the top of the dash that would suggest that it goes under the metal strip. I need to be sure. Can someone look in their car and reply with verified information? Please?

If you have a Volvo windshield you can not see this area because the black boarder hinds it.

This is what I do to fix the dash mounts:

[matthew1]

Bump for an absolutely heroic DIY repair. Hall of fame.

[amblerman]

You guys got me to thinking that, to strengthen the only structure we have to work with, ABS plastic sheets could be cut and glued to the vent with ABS cement. They could even be layered, maybe 1/16 in thick each. That would essentially fuse the pieces together resulting in an overall thicker material and hopefully a spreading of impact forces over the entire length of the vent. I'm worried that the already brittle original ABS would be further weakened by the process. Any thoughts on this?


The more I think about it, the more I believe this to be the best approach and I intend to select some ABS sheeting from somewhere, Amazon maybe, and do this up, and not look back. I do have some aluminum sheet left from making strap reinforcements at the mounting points. Maybe I will incorporate some aluminum strips near and between the mounts which hopefully might add to the solidarity of the vent tube as well.

Two things
1) in my youth i lusted over a V45 sabre .

2) I went with ABS cement and fiberglass repair sheets. Easy to find
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81991

The ABS cement was fluid enough and completely saturated and wet the fiberglass sheets and adhered well to the ABS plastic of the various dash assemblies.

My repair was done in summer of 2017 and has been rattle/squeak free since then


and 3) here I am just noticing I'm replying to an ancient thread because it was bumped.

[850oldschool]

Amblerman, when I read about your ABS cement plus fiberglass technique it just seemed like such an obviously great idea I couldn't believe nobody had used it before. Or if they did they kept it to themselves. Thanks for that great writeup! You could also use that technique on all kinds of other ABS parts, like tail light housings.

[abscate]

I used a long piece of butyl rubber tape the length of the dash to interface the plastic to the glass. This eliminates a lot of squeaks and cracks and makes the dash solid

I actually managed to install to the T5 without removing the dash , using a spudger

[amblerman]

I used a long piece of butyl rubber tape the length of the dash to interface the plastic to the glass. This eliminates a lot of squeaks and cracks and makes the dash solid

I actually managed to install to the T5 without removing the dash , using a spudger

I didn't even know about butyl tape until joining this forum. When I got my first roll one thought I had was "Where has this been my whole life???"

that stuff is great for filling voids to reduce rubbing/squeaking. And I suspect it was one of your posts that introduced it to me so thanks for that.
-A