How I fixed a 1998 v70 driver's side knee panel

[jsrnsis]

When I got my 98 v70xc, the driver's knee panel was missing, with the slot on the dash itself missing the bottom edge. In s/v70 cars, the knee panels are held up by two tabs, which lock into slots in the dashboard, as well as a screw in the center. Thankfully I was able to find an intact panel, in the right color tan even, at the junkyard.

Above is a view of the broken plastic around the slot.

I put a piece of cardboard behind the area, and using a thin sharpie I traced the outline of the remaining dashboard.

I forgot to take a picture of the next part, but I cut out the cardboard into a manageable size, and stuck it with a loop of tape to a sheet of ABS plastic I bought off Amazon (~$8). I then used a table bandsaw to cut along the traced lines on the cardboard to shape the plastic.

Rough piece I cut using the cardboard trace.

I fit the piece to the dash, and had to trim off some of the plastic to get it to fit as tight as possible. I left extra material in what would become the bottom of the slot.
I coated the edges of the repair area in ABS cement, and placed the repair piece into position, and held it very steady for several minutes, until the ABS cement began to harden. I let it dry overnight before doing anything else.

To add some strength to the repair, I cut piece of fiberglass into the rough shape of the area, coated the back of the dash and repair piece with ABS cement, placed the fiberglass into this sticky mess, and coated the back of the fiberglass again, making sure to push the brush to make sure the fiberglass was molded up against the dash. You don't have a lot of time for this step since the ABS cement will begin to goop up and your fingers or brush will begin to pull the fiberglass away from the dash. Also be sure to cover the area behind the repair to prevent ABS cement being smeared all over, and place a drop cloth in the footwell. I used two layers of fiberglass, letting the cement dry between layers.

To fit the slot to the tab, I used trial and error. I put the panel in place, found the slot was too small, and used a Dremel with a diamond burr until the tab was able to lock into position. Getting the panel into it's final position was a bit frustrating, as it's easy to get everything together and then realize one of the rear mounting tabs didn't make it into it's channel, or that the courtesy light wasn't plugged in. Once I finally managed to get it right, I replaced the center screw, and the repair held up after a couple hundred miles of Northeastern roads.

[scot850]

Thanks for taking the time to post this information. I know I always appreciate it when members take the time to share with us.

Neil.