1. Like probably everyone else, my door handle surround is roughened from the UV exposure. I am curious if anyone has try to sand it down with good results to get them smooth again?

2. Has anyone used those "plastic Welders" at harbor frieght or Eastwood? They seem to be a good idea to fix a cracked console or even dash panel. I am not sure what kind of plastic toyota used, so not sure if the kit would work.

 

Dunno about the ones at HF, but I have used the one we got at our shop with good results alot. Repaired a cracked bumper with it.

 

my advice on the dry rotted interior pieces that crumble when you touch em is just get new ones, not worth the hassle. trust me, i redid a lot of my interior.

if your talking about the outside door handles, not sure, but mine are kinda rough, and took a beating by the sun.

 

yes replace them if you can.

but if you can not sometimes you can get dash covers and things like that from jc whitney maby that would be a good place to start.

 

Yeah it is the interior handle surrounds that are crumbling. I can live with it now, but jsut looks ugly. Is there an aftermarket source for these? or is it something the dealer provides, or only from parts trucks?

 

Look on the net for ToyotaPart.com, call Greg up there. He is the internet parts counter guy at the Toyota dealership in Kalamazoo. I get all my OEM parts from him. Best prices for original stuff, and a hell of a lot cheaper than the local stealership. I replaced the interior door handle surrounds on my 85, they list for $12.43 each, got them for 9.32 each. There may be aftermarket ones out there, I personally like to get OEM for non-performance parts just for the sake of quality and fit, as long as the price is reasonable.

 

Also, if your dash pad is cracked like most of them, and you've done what I did for my 85 truck and got a non-cracked one from ebay, just to watch it crack in about a year, look up www.justdashes.com . Remove and send them your dash pad, or your spare one, and let them match the material, strip it down, and rebuild it from there to better than new condition with modern vinyl that will outlast the original.

 

Also, also, if you have a factory leather wrapped steering wheel that is on the outs, contact www.aglausa.com this is Alan Gun Leather. They will strip your wheel and put new leather on it, correctly. Concours work or custom stitching, etc.

 

Anyone know how much Justdashes charges to do a simple dash like the one in the 4R? They seem reluctant to mention any pricing. A factory OEM dash is about $200 last time I checked.

 

for my dash i just went to the junkyard, tried to find the best condition one i could(still had a giant crack, but it wasnt dry rotted), so i got it for $60 with all the vents, and just threw a dash mat over it, and havent worried about that since then.

i redid both my handles and window cranks, got them off ebay, and spray painted em black. now im looking for the arm rests/door panels still.

 

I'll give him a call for parts!!! Yeah my dash is cracked, but i will probably try to use the eastwood kit and fix it. I try not to look at it Thanks!