NA Dash Cover Removal

[Hammer]

Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to separate the clear cover from the black frame below?


Pix pinched from Melvin:

I was told that on the NB, the clear cover simply snap into the black surround. On my NA it seems glued on.

I want to fit one of these along the facia:

[slug_dub]

I bought a secondhand NA gauge cluster (just to get at the gauge rings it had) and it came without the Perspex, I haven't looked at it for a while but I do believe it looked like the Perspex had been glued there and was just pulled off. Might be that careful cutting is the only way to remove it.

[bruce]

I wonder if it's time to preheat the oven?

[Guran]

I'd just prise it off and break the glue. Stick it back on afterwards with some model airplane glue. Been meaning to do it myself since the inside surface of the clear cover on mine has a few marks that could do with cleaning.

[KRM]

It looks like the clear is ultrasonically welded in place. If that is the case it going to be difficult to remove the clear with out damage. You might be able to cut just behind the clear and glue it back in place when finished. The model plane glue works best on polystryene and the and the black part of the dash is probably ABS so I would do some testing before I cut any part.

Good Luck.

[Mr Morlock]

KRM could be right- in manufacture it is quite common to mirror weld 9 or us weld the acrylic moulded lense to the moulded housing. These things are not really designed to be taken apart. The mirror or us welding is also designed and you can be sure checked that it does not "leak" -you would not want ingress of moisture or dust.

[slug_dub]

Looking through the big forum's garage section I found this page that says:

"Take a flat-bladed screwdriver and gently push down and out each of the tabs holding on and surrounding the clear plastic gauge cover. Ease the cover off and be careful not to break the tabs."

Looking at my busted gauge face that came with the rings, its a bit hard to see how the perspex fit originally because its been glued back in to the cluster rather roughly and then hacked out with a saw or blade to flog with the rings, but there is a section on each side of the gauge cluster where a gap reveals the back edge of the perspex and there is no glue there and never has been. I think I also see evidence of the tabs where the perspex clicked into place but they're pretty beat up on it. Maybe it does just clip in there?

Also, while its not necessarily very helpful, there are some photos of a gauge cluster with the face removed in this recent thread at CR.net with an install of Revlimiter's gauge faces (they look nice!).
I asked the OP in there about how he got the perspex off.

Hope that helps some.

[Hammer]

Unless the writer was referring to an NB instrument cluster.

[slug_dub]

Ah yes, and he doesn't say what model he did the work to so that may not be as helpful as I hoped. Back to the drawing board!

Edit: I was hopeful that it may not be the case (as I am yet to dismantle mine from the car) but it is glued.

[RaYmO]

I did this years ago, you need a razor and LOTS of patience... just slide the razor in between the crack and slowly push it in and continue the whole circumference of the clear cover.

It's probably brittle so be very very careful

[Benny]

I think you can buy these instrument housings fairly cheaply, so why don't you buy a used one and see how it goes with removing the clear plastic?
If it works well, then just swap them over, but if it doesn't work out well, at least you've had some practice for when you do yours.

[slug_dub]

Hi Hammer,

I'm curious did you get your cluster apart in the end, and if you had any more advice on how you did it?
Keen for pics of your cluster now if you fitted the silver part.

[Hammer]

Hi Hammer,

I'm curious did you get your cluster apart in the end, and if you had any more advice on how you did it?
Keen for pics of your cluster now if you fitted the silver part.

I'm afraid I haven't done it yet. But I was advised to use a dremel (with the circular sander attachment) and use its edge to cut the glued plastic tabs of the clear cover. Once this is done the cover should just come off.

Then when fitting back, either re-glue it or simply tape it as the hood will keep the cover in place (so I'm told).

[slug_dub]

Thread revival!

I dremelled them apart:


I cut perpendicularly to the outside surface, along the edge of the black plastic.
It does seem to be glued in quite a few more places than where the tabs go through the black part.
I tried scoring with a knife for a while but it would have taken a month of Sundays... or more. Its a bit rough around the edges but should sand back to a smooth enough surface to reattach, and only a small amount of plastic has been lost where the line of the cut is. Its better to go lightly and fairly long fast movements otherwise the plastic melts together with the heat buildup.
It won't look terribly flash around that edge but will be hidden under the gauge hood cover anyway.

Checked with Mazda parts and you can't even buy the two parts separately

[Mr Morlock]

it is the same ball game as a headlamp or a tail lamp repeater etc. The housings and lenses are moulded from different materials and then fixed together with a process which is not meant to be reversed. Processes include hot melt glue ( engineering grades not readily buyable) and mirror or ultrasonic welding. Old style lamps often had lenses with were screwed in place and had replaceable lenses. Now these are old processes too labour intensive and often slow. Some welding and hot melt gluing is done by robots. Anyway good luck getting it back together - with a bit of perseverance you will find a fix I am sure.