Dash pad
 

Who are you guys going through to get dash pads? I have an 86. Also. Won't you have to dye an aftermarket pad and of so what is the best brand of dye?

Re: Dash pad
 

been dealing with a local upholstery shop and hes been installing those plastic dash caps on ,ime. They work well and match interior colors nicely Im not sure of the brand he is using

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Check out dashesdirect.com
You will need to clean it super well and then paint it with vinyl paint.

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In the heat of the desert plastic dash caps don't last. They crack up just like the factory dash. I would put the $100 for a plastic cap toward a recovery job by a local upholstery shop.

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They can fix those pads?

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I bought one from brothers a few years back and it seems great!
I also saw someone post on here about justdashes.com
I emailed them and awaiting their response

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Classic Parts has them for $329. Are the resto parts suppliers getting them from the same source?

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Pads can be recovered, but they won't look exactly like the original. The problem is that the vinyl around the instrument cluster and ends needs to be stitched or somehow tucked in to lay flat. Unless it could be recovered for about the cost of a plastic cap I would spend the $$$ for a good OEM cap.

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I bought a new one at classic industries for $250. Just kept it black. Looks ok but boy is it flimsy as hell compared to the oem. They must of used thinner metal in the form. Just installed it so I don't know how it will last.

Re: Dash pad
 

Saw these, they say they're making their own and that they're not flimsy. Price is a little better but not sure about the quality. Anyone tried them? CHEYENNE PICKUP PARTS dash pad

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That one looks pretty good, saved the listing for when I have money to blow. Thanks.

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This what I bought for my truck. I'm VERY pleased with it so far, fit and finish is really nice.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-87-Chev...item4d24aecbf6

Ken

Re: Dash pad
 

I thought they looked pretty good too, I'm going to try one on my 85.

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How does it compare to OEM?

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I installed one of the poly dash pads. It was a really flimsy and took ALOT of work whittling on it with a dremel to get my vents installed, and had to trim it quite a bit to fit up near the window. It fits great after all of the work, and since my truck is too tall to fit in the garage, I have to leave it out in the elements all the time. I didn't want to drop $500+ on a stock dash just to have it split again in a few years. Color match of the poly dash was spot on for my truck. I love it, and its nice knowing it should look nice from now on, and it was well worth the work involved to me.

Re: Dash pad
 

I installed one of these in my '85. I was told they're the best aftermarket dash you can buy. Honestly, I wasn't impressed.

It took a lot of trimming to get it to fit at all. The gauge bezel didn't fit worth a damn. After trimming most of the vinyl out of the opening, it fits, but the upper driver's side corner still sticks out about a 1/4". Installing the molding was a pain as well. The relief in this dash is very tight. I actually broke 2 of the mounting studs off my brand new LMC molding trying to get it to sit flush. :dohh:

These are built on a plastic frame, not metal. On mine, there is a defect in the plastic, which made it difficult to install (I actually threw my stocker back in as a test, thinking I must be doing something wrong) and caused a bulge in the dash. After a few weeks in the sun, it got worse and warped a bit around the defrost vents.

I will try to post pics later. I kept my original, and plan to have it recovered.

Re: Dash pad
 

This is why the GM pad is better...

Re: Dash pad
 

The Brothers website says their pads are built like the original with metal inserts. From the website:


This OEM style reproduction of the original padded dash assembly for the 1981-91 Chevy/GMC trucks. These show quality dash pads are manufactured with high quality vinyl over foam with steel inserts for an original appearance and fit. Sold in black only but can easily be dyed to match your color interior with BROTHERS vinyl dye.

Does this have the plastic "frame" but with metal inserts? Has anyone tried one?

Re: Dash pad
 

Re: Dash pad
 

Its beautiful. The color and material match perfect. I did have to trim the very edges near the A-pillars. I also bought new clips to that attach the dash to the metal part of the cab. It also helps to install on a warm to hot day. And it takes two people.

Re: Dash pad
 

The foam needs to be a closed cell design to prevent expanding and cracking in extreme temperatures....same principle behind aftermarket weather-stripping - look for closed cell foam. The metal contributes to the problem of material expanding/contracting moreso than plastic BUT-metal holds its form/contour better.

Re: Dash pad
 

I followed some forums on here and repaired mine. It came out really well, but there are a few things I would have done differently.

1. Knock down the curled up edges of vinyl. A flap disk in an angle grinder worked great.
2. Fill in the really large holes with expanding foam. I filled the center speaker holes because they were essentially gone, and I'm only putting in corner speakers. In this step, you want to make sure you cut the foam down below the surface of the surrounding vinyl. I also glued in some perforated aluminum for more robust speaker grills in the corners.
3. Fill all of the imperfections with Padded Dash Filler and sand. Make sure you have a complete layer of padded dash filler over the top of any foam, because foam will absorb the paint differently.
4. Spray with rubberized undercoating, let cure.
5. Spray with SEM Color Coat.

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3. Fill all of the imperfections with Padded Dash Filler and sand.

Where did you get this material?

Re: Dash pad
 

It's made by Urethane Supply Company. Plenty of places sell it online, I can't remember which website I bought it from. Whichever one had the lowest price, I couldn't find it locally.

Re: Dash pad
 

Also, just a disclaimer here, my truck is still in body shop jail, so I can't speak to long term durability. I picked at a few hidden edges and nothing peeled off, but I haven't actually had it in the truck. As you can see in the pictures, it is holding up quite well in the basement bedroom between the extra mattress pad and the spare pack'n'play.....

Re: Dash pad
 

I believe most of the replacement dashes will last much longer than the OEM's. Because we will be taking better care of them. When our truck where new nobody thought of the dash cracking and falling apart after a few years in the sun. I know my truck will not sit out in the Florida sun with the dash not covered. And when at home the truck will always be under cover, garage or carport.

Ken

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Also if I understand correctly, the newest NOS dash will be at least 14 years old sitting in a warehouse somewhere hopefully with A/C.

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I saw an 83 K5 parked in the neighborhood with a recovered dash. It looks like two pieces stitched together except around the instrument cluster. It has some sort of nylon mesh over the defroster ducts and just cut out vinyl around the VIN hole (I think it could be done neater in those areas.) I could not get good pics of the front edge due to windshield glare. I think the concept is good though. It looked like about 1/8" thick white foam under the vinyl.

I wonder if it would be better to strip off all of the factory foam and vinyl and start over with just glued down foam and vinyl.

Re: Dash pad
 

So I checked with my Dad, he works for a GM parts distributor, and we ran a part number search for the 81-91 dashpad. None left in GM's parts system. Looks like someone had that idea before me. :waah: Sorry guys no more $500 NOS dashpads.

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I don't mind trying one of the reproductions as long as it's vinyl over foam like the original, the urethane pads seem to get universally poor reviews. But I don't think I've seen a consensus on the best place to buy one. For that matter, the resellers may be getting them from the same place. I'm going to try the one 1970pelle has that I linked from ebay, in my military Blazer it'll be hard to hate any flaws or variations from OEM it may have.

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After being dissatisfied with the aftermarket pads, I went by my upholster shop, they covered mine in vinyl matching my seat and headliner. Way better and only charged $150

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Any pics? Did they stitch seams? Fill in cracks?

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x2 on the pic request. The one I show in the pics was done nicely in the front but the defroster vent openings and VIN opening were not very neat. It looks to me like an upholsterer could trim those areas out with a little effort.

Re: Dash pad
 

If you want the OEM look, get an upholstery shop to stitch a new cover on it.

Or, do what I did, get the DIY4X dash: http://diy4x.com/product.php?productid=17682

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Truck is at paint shop, I'll try to get out and gets some pics.

He did put a seam in it. He told me before hand he would do it either way, but placing a seam would make it hold better.

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Take a look at what Capt Kaos offers- 73-87chevytrucks.com

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Thank you for the link sir!

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My truck had a thin plastic cap when I bought it. It bows big-time in the summer, to the point that's it's now cracked in the center next to the windshield.

There was a thread showing how to rebuild a stock dash pad on this or another square body forum earlier this year. I need to find it, because the job turned out pretty good.

I'm not picky about any stitching, and I'm not sure my Custom Deluxe base truck even had it.

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What about the covers Capt Kaos offers?

I realize it won't be as nice as a new complete dash.

I'm looking for "acceptable". My 83 is a beater, and I want it to be decent, not a show truck.