Ok...heres the situation. I have a dash pad that is in perfect condition. It is in my 75, not removed yet. I also have a cracked dash in my 77 (the one I am restoring). Should I bother to take the good pad out and put it in the 77 or should I just get the dash cap. I am afraid that the good one will crack sometime down the road if I put it in and I will be where I am at now and will have gone through a lot of work to get there. The 77 is pretty stripped and the windshield is out of it. The 75 is complete. Your opinions please..... JP
Well removeing this dash pads are somewhat of a job, not that's it's impossible but it's still hard to get to all the little nuts. If it was me I would remove the one from the 75 and install it in the 77, for every day driving I would but the cap on it and then remove the cap for meets and shows. Just a thought. Bossmav
jp, i would get the good dash pad. j.m.o. the pad i had in my 73' was cracked bad. i put a cap on that made it 100% better. when i found a good pad i put it on and put the cap on top. i didn't have to glue it, it just snapped on. it would be kind of like putting seat covers on your seats, just there to protect them. my suggestion would be to take the one out of the 75' first. then you will see how easy they are to get out. the windsheild out really doesn't make removeing the pad any easier. sorry to go on and on about the pad. i have taken out 5 or6 so they don't spook me. just be patient and enjoy the "bonding" you are doing with your car. the more of this stuff you do the prouder you will be when it is finnished. this is a hobby car so enjoy every minute of it. if not, you will look at it as work and start not wanting to do anything on it. i will post a pic. of the project i am working on later. untill then i will see you"back at the pad" ...frank...:bananaman
Just my .02.. I bought a dash pad from JC Whitney for a great price (less than $100 if I remember) It took all of 2 minutes to install. I know they will crack in the sun, but hey.. So did my original! Scotty P
Ok...It looks like I will be putting the dash pad in and putting a cap on it to keep it nice. Just not looking forward to more digging under the dash. If I bond any more with my car, I will have to be surgically separated!!
Do like Granny used to do and put a folded bath towel along the top of the dash. Make sure they match ones you cover the front seat with.
Put the good dash pad in the car you're restoring. I got my replacment dash pad out of a '76 Maverick 13 years ago and it STILL looks brand-new. Not a single crack or blemish. That's 28 years old! Just keep it clean and don't let it dry out. I use Pledge furniture polish on it, not Armour-All. Use a sun-shield in it when the car is parked in the sun. If it hasn't cracked by now, it probably isn't going to, provided care is taken...
That's why Granny used the towel. She didn't have all these protectants we have available. Her protection method, though archaic, worked. As T.L. stated, DO NOT USE Armorall. In fact be very careful of any silicone based protectant.
I found out about Armor All back in High School.... We bought a 72 mustang with a perfect dash. I cleaned up the interior with it and the next morning, I had a crack down the center of the dash all the way from windshield to the radio, I was pissed. I guess it was just to much for it all at once. I have heard to use straight mineral oil or some of the other high end cleaners on it. Mostly, I just try and keep them out of the sun.
Dashpad Replace I'm about to undertake the major surgery of replacing a cracked dashpad, a nice 1970 pad in place of a cracked and peeled pad in my '70. Can anybody offer some up-front advice and tips to make the job a "bonding experience" rather than frustrating surgical malpractice? vinmassif
i found a place close by that will recover them for $150 and the one i seen that they did was nice could not tell it
MaverickGrabber...why would you want to get it recovered for $150 when you can get the dash cap put on it for usually less than $75.00. I have the caps on two of my cars and you can't tell the difference. They fit and look perfectly and like another member said, it only takes about two minutes to put it on...and that's if you take your time. Your best bet would be to either find you a good used one on eBay or get one of the caps.
had a cap on mine for a few they do look good but its one of them things i Know its there i have a nice pad that im going to put on mine Thanks Inline6 ..but ill have my old one to have redone for later...the fit of them are all right till you take off fast and they fly off like mine has so many times that and i like to spend Money that i don't have a good used one on eBay go for $150 bucks and you get it to find out it now has a crack in it
