A job for #39 ???

[Xtreme99_s-Dime]

Here's a good one...

I bought my 1999 S-10 used in november, and it was a little bit of a fixer-upper. It's almost exactly the way i want it except for this...

on the top of the dash board, on the driver's side, there is a hard shiny film that looks feels and (if you scratch on it a little) smells like super glue.

Normally i would have no problem removing this, as i work with superglue all the time and know what dissolves it, but in this case, i don't want to use harsh chemicals as they will most likely discolor the vinyl on the dash.

Will #39 take this off with a little scrubbing??? I've tried soaking it in meguiars natural shine protectant to soften it, and it helped a little, but i still needed to scratch at it with an exacto knife to get it to come off. i don't want to have to scrape it off with something sharper than my fingernail to avoid scratching or cutting the dashboard.

If 39 will do this tough of a job, that would be wonderful, but if not, what are some other possible alternaives?

I'm really stumped and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Stevo.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Stevo,

Without seeing it, it's hard to say, but it doesn't sound like a problem that #39 will address.

You never know what you can do until you try.

Mike

[NewlyCarCrazy]

I would try some bug and tar remover. Test to see if it will stain the plastic by puttting a drop of it somewhere out of sight, like inside the glove box.

[Xtreme99_s-Dime]

Thanks,

I'll give the bug and tar a try, but if that doesn't take care of it, what are some other chamicals that might do the jbo without discoloring the vinyl? I have paint thinner, rubbing alcohol, i've tried skin-so-soft.

Maybe i'll make a trip up the the detail shop and see what they think.

Thanks,

Stevo

[jfelbab]

Re: A job for #39 ???

Originally posted by Xtreme99_s-Dime
Here's a good one...

I bought my 1999 S-10 used in november, and it was a little bit of a fixer-upper. It's almost exactly the way i want it except for this...

on the top of the dash board, on the driver's side, there is a hard shiny film that looks feels and (if you scratch on it a little) smells like super glue.

Normally i would have no problem removing this, as i work with superglue all the time and know what dissolves it, but in this case, i don't want to use harsh chemicals as they will most likely discolor the vinyl on the dash.

Will #39 take this off with a little scrubbing??? I've tried soaking it in meguiars natural shine protectant to soften it, and it helped a little, but i still needed to scratch at it with an exacto knife to get it to come off. i don't want to have to scrape it off with something sharper than my fingernail to avoid scratching or cutting the dashboard.

If 39 will do this tough of a job, that would be wonderful, but if not, what are some other possible alternaives?

I'm really stumped and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Stevo.

Hi Stevo

Any chance this is dried adhesive from velcro? I'm wondering if the original owner had a radar detector mounted there? You might try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This is a bit abrasive so take care not to make things worse.

[Xtreme99_s-Dime]

i'm positive that this is not velcro adhesive becasue its basically like clear plastic, and the radar detector adhesive i have already removed. It was exremely soft and gooey.

plus, it's not in one spot, it looks like a spill of it. it's covering an area of roughly 1 square foot.

any other advice?

Thanks,

Stevo

[jfelbab]

Any way to post a couple pics of this area? Think this is dried soda? Maybe you can try this. Take a piece of paper towel and wet it with a cleaner like EXTRA or Orange Blast and let it sit on the area for a few minutes and see what happens to the substance.

[Xtreme99_s-Dime]

There's no way that this is soda. It's hard like plastic, and is completely clear, and not sticky. Plus, the natural shine i put on it would have helped a little, but it didn't do anything.

Also, i would love to post pics, but i am without a digital camera.

but would a cleaner like extra dissolve, or help dissolve this superglue???

i'd be hesitant to buy a whole bottle just to try it out, because it comes in a huge bottle, and if it doesn't work, it'd be a waste of my hard earned $$$. Keep in mind, i'm only 17 years old.

thanks for the replies though, sorry i can't be of any more help to describe what this substance is, but i am 99% sure it IS superglue.

thanks,

Stevo.

[jfelbab]

If your pretty sure it's super glue, I'd say I don't think EXTRA would remove it but it is a great heavy duty cleaner for lots of other uses. 32 oz. for $5. I use it for lots of cleaning from upholstery and carpeting to vinyl and rubber. I don't have enough experience with super glue to give you much help.

As a last resort you could visit a junk yard and buy another dash. I'm guessing replacing the dash would be a big PITA though.

[Xtreme99_s-Dime]

yeah, considering how much of a pain it was to pull apart the front of the dash when we put in my stereo, I don't even want to think about replacing it.

Plus there are no good junkyards in St. Louis. They all have old ghetto cars. I was at the local U-Wrench it last week, and didn't see an s-10 under the age of 10.

plus there's the thing with the airbags.... I'm not even going to think about dealing with an airbag. If that thing goes off, i'm out $300 in dealer fees to put a new unit in.

I think that tomorrow, i'm going to try some different things and see what works the best, then maybe you all would have suggestions on how to improve my methods.

Thanks,

Stevo.

[orange monkeyee]

I think that you could try some #39 on it. I cleaned out some kind of unidentified red goey substance off my passenger door vinyl that I never saw before ( it was in a pocket thing there) . I soaked it for a minute, scrubbed, repeated 2 more times and got watever the heck it was off. The red stuff did actually discolor my vinyl from the dark red brown color it is to a much lighter color., Whatever it was stuck there, it was nasty, and now it's gone.

[SirhC]

try Linseed Oil. If it'll remove road tar, road paint w/out harming any finish, it otta werk w/ that. Like Megs says"use least abrasive first".

[gb387]

If it is super glue... some packages come with super glue remover, I have some at work. Next time you are at menards/home depot/where ever they have a good selection of glues look for a super glue pack with some remover in it. It comes in the same small tube the glue comes in. Not to sure if it would do anything to the dash but might try it somewhere you are not going to see it first.

There are many kinds but here is Loctite's

[cheapthrills]

wow, i don't really have much experience, but what would super glue be doing on the dash? not only that but covering 1 sq. ft.? i know people sometimes use this for vinyl repair, but 1 sq. ft.?

if nothing takes it off, i remember seeing an article somewhere that used sandpaper to restore a dash. don't really remember any details though. anyone have any experience or info on this that may help him out?

[Blue Thunder]

Sounds like someone may have spilled clear nail polish topper or whatever they call it and since it is probably acrylic it smells like superglue which is acrylic based. This may be tough since it requires acetone to dissolve. Possibly heat might soften it enough to remove most of it. I have removed it from carpet by freezing it and flexing the removed carpet bit it is one of the toughest to remove without discoloring the carpet or even dissolving the fibers.