Interior fitting issues

[esprit888]

I see the problem has been covered but has anyone come up with a solution to the dash opening up? I have new vents to install however the surrounding vinyl has opened up and appears to be a a result of the foam insulation underneath coming unstuck and falling off, leaving an opening? If there are no suggestions then i was going to try the spray insulation foam mixed with some adhesive and then place a flat block across the upper and lower edges to stop the foam from expanding the dash outwards. Any great ideas ???

AC vent.jpg

[nitroman]

Ain't it weird that we got completely different outboard vents than the RHD Elans? They got far superior dual-directional vents. Anyway, perhaps you can take a flat-sheet of black plastic or rubber and cut a rectangle just big enough to slide the REAR of the vent through, then trim the perimeter of the flat-piece large enough to cover the gap? That way, you're not irreversibly carving-up the dash, or any other parts.

[Elanlover]

Try a heat gun on low settings. Or even a hair dryer to warm the area then pull it back into its shape and see if it stays?

[esprit888]

N0t a bad idea as someone posted on here a while ago had done (searched & can't seem to find it) Playing with plastic to get the right profile may be tough so i was considering CF (any interest?) or having it cut from Stainless with a water jet. I had also considered the heat gun method but it could go very wrong in a hurry and the dash could look like a dried prune

Ain't it weird that we got completely different outboard vents than the RHD Elans? They got far superior dual-directional vents. Anyway, perhaps you can take a flat-sheet of black plastic or rubber and cut a rectangle just big enough to slide the REAR of the vent through, then trim the perimeter of the flat-piece large enough to cover the gap? That way, you're not irreversibly carving-up the dash, or any other parts.

[tweetdriver63]

I used a heat gun to straighten out my warped vents, but I didn't have a problem with the dash around them. It worked very well on the plastic vents. I would heat it up a bit until it was just a little soft, them press it against a piece of wood to get it straight. You could do the same with your vents, which also look a bit warped, but I probably wouldn't attempt it on the dash itself.

On the one hand, it's pretty bad already, so I don't know that you could really make it so much worse. On the other hand, you might. I would seek professional help if my car had this problem. I'd take it to somebody who does interior customizations, and would probably have the skills to fix it.

Another thought. I haven't checked, but is the dash cover available from aftersales?? Maybe a breaker?

[tweetdriver63]

Looking at your picture again, it doesn't look as bad as I was thinking. I would remove the vent and the glovebox to get access, then a combination of a little heat to make it more pliable, and a good glue (one that sets pretty fast). get the glue in under the edges, and warm up the cover a bit, then stretch and pressure to get it back to the original shape. That may be something a DIY could handle.

[esprit888]

Thanks Chris, as i said in my original post i have two new vents to install so i dont have to worry about straightening the old ones. My issue is with the foam padding around the outer 1/2 inch of the lip which has overtime fallen off. I need to fill this void in with something, probably spray foam insulation, then try and keep it flat unitil it hardens (if youve ever used the stuff it expands to 10 times its original size and just keeps on going and going and going !)

Looking at your picture again, it doesn't look as bad as I was thinking. I would remove the vent and the glovebox to get access, then a combination of a little heat to make it more pliable, and a good glue (one that sets pretty fast). get the glue in under the edges, and warm up the cover a bit, then stretch and pressure to get it back to the original shape. That may be something a DIY could handle.