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Dash - too flat?

JohnC

Veteran Member
Senior Member
This is my dash front painted with BC and a clear that is flattened depending on the mix ratio. I think I went towards the glossier end of the spectrum but not all the way. IMO it’s too flat. Not sure it shows up well in the pics but in one pic is part of the door jam which is dusty but unpolished regular clear coat.

Do you agree that this is too flat?

I also got about 3 dime sized drips on the dash that I need to fix.
I think my two options are:
1. sand the drips and polish the dash. Does that increase the gloss? Will polishing get me close to the correct level of gloss?

2. Sand the drip and put on more clear mixed to the max gloss ratio (still might end up a bit too flat).

Thanks
 

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That area of the dash below the line is intended to be semi gloss (65-80%), not flat, so if the area requiring sanding is below the line, you can sand & polish. It will probably give you the proper amount of gloss.

I'm not clear what part of the car your second photo is showing, but the upper part of the dash above the line in the first photo should be completely flat. 0% gloss.

The removable dash housing should be 65-80% gloss, so you could sand & buff it, which is a PITA, or scuff it down & respray it glossier.
 
Ah. Thanks. So the dash top (with the vents and speaker hole) should be very flat (0 gloss). The side part below the seam and the bolt in dash front should be much glossier (60%).

The picture on the right btw is a section of the dash front turned 90 degrees. It the part where the big chrome plastic piece mounts above the glove compartment.
 
No need to sand, just hand polish to your needs. My method of choice is error on the side of too flat and twerk with polish....works every time.
 
That should work out well then because the dash front needs some work to fix the drips which will requiring polishing.
I ordered some 3inch buffing pads but unfortunately some of that buffing will need to be done by hand since it’s in corners etc.
 
Ah. Thanks. So the dash top (with the vents and speaker hole) should be very flat (0 gloss). The side part below the seam and the bolt in dash front should be much glossier (60%).

The picture on the right btw is a section of the dash front turned 90 degrees. It the part where the big chrome plastic piece mounts above the glove compartment.

Yes, the dash top should be flat so the sun doesn't reflect right into your eyes while driving. The other section is the one you want 65-80% gloss.
 
No need to sand, just hand polish to your needs. My method of choice is error on the side of too flat and twerk with polish....works every time.

But how would you get the runs out? That was the only reason I suggested he sand.

I agree to increase the gloss level simply by hand polishing, but it could be difficult on that lower dash housing with all the corners & bends, which is why I suggested to respray that piece.
 
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Someday you'll be able to delete mental images, but as Kumilla said, "uh not today bwahaha".

Didn't see you had runs, but yeah sand the runs out if you choose, although most oem dashes will fave a run or two.
 
That should work out well then because the dash front needs some work to fix the drips which will requiring polishing.
I ordered some 3inch buffing pads but unfortunately some of that buffing will need to be done by hand since it’s in corners etc.

Yeah, you'll have a way easier time sanding the runs out, scuffing the rest of the piece with a grey scotchbrite & respraying it than trying to buff it out with those corners etc.
 
But how would you get the runs out? That was the only reason I suggested he sand.

I agree to increase the gloss level simply by hand polishing, but it could be difficult on that lower dash housing with all the corners & bends, which is why I suggested to respray that piece.
I had planned to scrape them down with a razor blade then sand with a very hard block. Fortunately they are on a convex surface so should make it easier to get the drip off with sanding the surrounding area too much.
I get got up to 2500 grit paper so hopefully if I hand sand that far it won’t take a ton of buffing to get some gloss back. I thought about using one of this cone shaped buffs (the kind that you might chuck in a drill and use to polish an intake) to help get in the corners.
 
I had planned to scrape them down with a razor blade then sand with a very hard block. Fortunately they are on a convex surface so should make it easier to get the drip off with sanding the surrounding area too much.
I get got up to 2500 grit paper so hopefully if I hand sand that far it won’t take a ton of buffing to get some gloss back. I thought about using one of this cone shaped buffs (the kind that you might chuck in a drill and use to polish an intake) to help get in the corners.

Personally I would get the runs out & respray it, but either method works. All comes down to preference.
 
Yeah, you'll have a way easier time sanding the runs out, scuffing the rest of the piece with a grey scotchbrite & respraying it than trying to buff it out with those corners etc.
I suspect you are right. I might just do a bit of a test by hand rubbing out a little section and see how much effort it takes to get a higher level of gloss.
I’m afraid that because this is a flattened clear that even if I mix it to provide maximum gloss, it might still take a lot of polishing to get a 70-80% gloss.
I suppose one could mix with regular clear to get a blend of the two gloss levels but they are made by different manufacturers so that
mixing could turn out badly.
 
This '66 I shot semi-flat and hand buffed, no sanding. When you use this method, it eliminates the deep reflectivity of a modern urethane clear. It resembles oem lacquer.
 

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I suspect you are right. I might just do a bit of a test by hand rubbing out a little section and see how much effort it takes to get a higher level of gloss.
I’m afraid that because this is a flattened clear that even if I mix it to provide maximum gloss, it might still take a lot of polishing to get a 70-80% gloss.
I suppose one could mix with regular clear to get a blend of the two gloss levels but they are made by different manufacturers so that
mixing could turn out badly.

Or you could shoot regular clear & add a flattening agent, but then it gets pricey if you're just using it to shoot the dash, the door tops & the steering column.

I wonder what mixing flat clear & full gloss clear would get you. I like to experiment, so I might give that a try. LOL.
 
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