My dashboard cracked! WTF!

So my car (1966 Cadillac) has been parked in the garage the last 8 months. The last time I drove it the dash was crack free and perfect. I get in the car and what do I see to my surprise? Two big ass cracks across the dash! WTF! How does this happen? The car is always indoors. Anything I can do to prevent this from happening again or getting worse? I live in west texas....does it have to do with the weather?

 

if its been sitting for that long, and if its really dried out it might have just been from it moving...just a guess. Also if its dry there in texas, it may be from the dry weather. try using a protectant on that material

 

I heard (never personally verified) that Bag Balm works to close-up the gaps in cracked vinyl dashes. It's the stuff ranchers put on cows teats when they get chapped and chafed from suckling calves.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...ult&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQ8wIwAw#

 

Its from the material expanding in the heat and contracting in the cold. The material was probably dried out from the years, possibly from the UV light exposure, and couldnt handle the temp changes, even if they were not extreem changes. On your next dash, use protectant (Armor All, seal it in a temp and vacuum controlled environment, whatever). I dont know if you can repair it, Ive always just replaced a cracked vinyl dash.

 

bummer!

remember, you have had an abnormally cold winter...five inches of ice on the water troughs...so it likely contracted and split. Much like your hands.

you should have some Bag Balm laying around. Look in the parlor...or on your nightstand

 

You'd think they'd last longer than that, wouldn't you?

 

Things start cracking and wrinkling in the late 40s.

 

Back around 1980 my wife had an aar with a nos dash pad I installed that summer ,then when she came home from work on a mid 70s day she put the car in the garage as always , then we went out for food that night and a northern blew in and we went through the garage and in less than 5mins we heard a loud pop i mean loud in the garage and we found the pad split about 5/8 wide , temp was 34 in less than 2 hrs. by the way this pad was stored in balm since new and as a chemist told me plastic is not leather and the balm was worthless .cheers

 

I've heard of a lot of things... never heard of bag balm for a "plastic" dash or better still, a rancher using it on a stock cow it's a dairymans product! yes there is a difference.

 

seems the boys in the Southwest call their dairies "ranches"

 

How many times have I told you- you need to get it out and drive it more!! Hell I've been waiting for you to come down and cruise for a day or so. Funny though- the bag balm comment- the HAMB is about the last place I would expect to read about "bag balm" uses- I don't think anything will fix it- but if you need it fixed quick- like for a trip to Cali??? let me know, I can maybe get Victor on it if its just a dash.
Regurdless that sucks- I don't know if you've tried any of the Performance Boat Candy products, but their Vynal Clean and Vynal Protect are Great!! I turned Big Phil loose with some V Clean and it made some old crap look Great. The protect doesn't attract dust and hold it like Armor all (I'm not a fan of Armor All) plus you can put it on the seats and not slide across it on a turn!

 

We call our places "Farms" We've learned that SOME businesses stick it to us on stuff if we tell them we are a dairy.

 

did someone say teats?