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Dash Refinishing 101


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I snapped it on over the super cracked dash and it looks a billion times better. I need to figure out how to take the old pad off the top of the dash frame... its like epoxyd on there. I cant refinish the top metal frame with the pad glued to it. 

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Just made out of spring steel, unfinished. You can bring both the screw and nut with you. As long as both are the same size you'll be good. And don't over tighten them. Even being spring steel they will deform when over tightened.

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turn switches all the way to the left or right, push in 1/2 turn then pull off.

For whatever reason I didn't finish my answer this morning... Thanks for picking up my slack.

 

 

Ok, well dash is fully disassembled. Now I'm just getting everything together to get it to powder.

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Darrels right mate with the nuts :rofl:

 

Capture (or captive as their more commonly known) should be easily available.

 

If you do ring around for them be aware there are also captive nuts which can be known as "cage nuts" (these are the type which go into a computer rack and you dont want them).

 

A quick Google search will tell you what you need to know.

 

Dash pad looks very pretty !

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  • 1 month later...

Hey Tristin, I have a 69 too and need a dash cap/cover/whatever. What year did you order yours for? Can you use the "dash cap" as a replacement for the top of the dash or does it snap over the pad somehow? I don't have anything to reference as my dime came with only the lower dash goodies.

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Hey Tristin, I have a 69 too and need a dash cap/cover/whatever. What year did you order yours for? Can you use the "dash cap" as a replacement for the top of the dash or does it snap over the pad somehow? I don't have anything to reference as my dime came with only the lower dash goodies.

The company I purchased mine from had a '68 version and a '70+ version. The only difference between a '68 and a '69 here in the States is there is an indent above the radion on a '68 pad. You need the top dash assembly to run a cap as it only covers the cracked pad and has no frame to support it.

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The company I purchased mine from had a '68 version and a '70+ version. The only difference between a '68 and a '69 here in the States is there is an indent above the radion on a '68 pad. You need the top dash assembly to run a cap as it only covers the cracked pad and has no frame to support it.

And the name of the company is...

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And the name of the company is...

 

I thought I posted a link earlier. Its from a company called Stock Interiors. Cap was meh on price but shipping seemed to be way more than it should have been. It was something like $60 to ship a 1lb dash cap whereas I had a complete '69 dash complete with cluster sent to me for <$30. Oh well, looks good and will suffice until I can find the elusive crack-free '69 pad. 

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Ok, here is the conclusion to the dash refinish...

 

As you can see above I got back all my metal pieces from powder. They came out fantastic and Im super happy with them. I bought all new hardware to reassemble and just went for it:

 

8664226570_772567387f_c.jpg

 

Make sure you make a list of all the hardware you need so you only have to make one trip. There are various nuts, bolts, washers, and  capture nuts. 

 

I then picked up some Meguires to clean up all the fascia pads. This stuff worked amazing (plus it smells delicious):

 

G4116-New.jpg

 

And after installation you should have something like this:

 

8666874346_27ef3eeb87_c.jpg

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Now, there are some extra non-dash related things I would probably do since your dash is already out.

 

1. A heater refresh would be nice. At a bare minimum you could remove all the plastics from the heater and clean those while adding new sealant around the edges. You can go all the way by removing your whole heater box and doing a whole refinish on that as well with a good core flush. Its a big pain to get the heater out with the dash in, so pulling it now would be wise. 

 

2. I would recommend switching radios now. On the '69 there are two brackets that support the dash in the center. Unfortunately they also block the path of the radio from being removed. If you have the dash off, you might as well swap out that radio you want to replace as it will just be impossible once you reinstall the dash. 

 

3. Clean everything! Im sure its the first time your dash has been removed so take some time and clean everything that you can. As you saw above there is some crazy dirt and grime... you have free access to the areas that were once covered, so clean them up. 

 

4. While you have the gauge cluster out, switch over to LEDs. They are cheap and a great upgrade that not only looks nice, but is a good safety feature so that you can actually see your gauges at night. 

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Ok, here is the conclusion to the dash refinish...

 

 

I then picked up some Meguires to clean up all the fascia pads. This stuff worked amazing (plus it smells delicious):

 

G4116-New.jpg

 

And after installation you should have something like this:

 

8666874346_27ef3eeb87_c.jpg

Nice! I love that product! It really restores the dash, and is not greasy/oilly at all!

 

Your dash looks amazing man! Good job!

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