More epoxy hell...........

Ok, so you would think the epoxy that is labeled 'Plastic repair epoxy' would be better on plastic than the generic epoxy. The answer would be no. The Loctite 5-min epoxy for glass, wood, metal, plastic, etc... is what really works. I was going to touch up the paint in the upper left corner of the screen, where it looked like it stretched a bit when I assembled the screen.

Trying to touch up one spot was not working out for me with acceptable results. This led me to dis-assemble the screen again, sand down the paint, and find two more areas that were cracking. I am (hopefully) done with doing this dash, both physically, and mentally.

First, I sanded additional areas around the perimeter of the bezel on the backside. Then I used masking tape to create a mold around the outside of the upper and right portion of the bezel. This area was the thinnest part, where the dash meets the bezel. I made the trough around a half-inch gap, and filled it with epoxy. The dash now has a half-by-half area almost all the way around. It is a lot stiffer now(The Dash). I hope I am done, and there is nothing left after assembly that I cannot live with on the dashboard.

I did finish replacing the lights in the gauge assembly with blue LEDs, and it is bolted back into the truck. Rick came through with an Interstate battery, so I can get power back in the truck and start testing everything. The yellow-top Optima battery, that was 2-3 years old will not charge anymore. It's been sitting on a trickle charger for the last eight months. This is the second dead, out of three Optima's that I've owned, so I dont think I'll be buying another one.(The makers of the Optima battery can feel free to contact me as a sponser, and maybe we can work through the longevity issues.)

I have the power supply for the Computer installed, and most of the wiring is ran into the console. Once I finish installing the ends, power can be applied, and troubleshooting(hopefully, very little) can begin.