56 chevy truck dash

[Jeff56]

Whats everyone doing with there dash. Leave em stock, or smooth them out. Show some pics please. If you guys smooth them is there like panel replacements or are you fabbing them yourselves. Thanks guys
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[_Ogre]

smooth works for me
bought a dash panel from brothers, then i added a home made 4'' fascia below that

[Kim57]

I took the gauge hump all the way out.
Kim

[Chevette]

I installed a 57 Bel Air dash in mine. But then I did the Corvette thing and now the 57 Bel Air dash is sitting in the rafters collecting dust.

[Mac the Yankee]

59 Impala dash will be going in- it's 4 inches too wide, so it'll get shortened and the pass side cove covered over.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Mine's stock. But if I could find one (& I could afford it!) not to mention I get good enough with fabbing & welding, I'd definitely put a '55 Belair double hump dash in. I like the symmetry of the dual humps, the center glove box, the clock it allows you to add on the right side. I've searched eBay but haven't found one yet.
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Kim, what instrumentation do you plan to install?
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[Kim57]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Kim, what instrumentation do you plan to install?
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I have a set of Dolphin gauges that my brother gave to me but that may change when I get into the interior. I was always going to change out the original ones and just wasn't a big fan of the round gauges in the original bezel.
Kim

[Speedbumpauto]

I filled in the heater control and ashtray and made a complimentary oval for the Vintage Air controls above the radio hole. An Autometer digital tach/shift light will go in the 2" hole to the right of the cluster hole. Now that I solved the console problem to my satisfaction, I wish I'd eliminated the glove box like Ogre did, then you can do a nice valence like he did for AC vents and hide the ugly heater core/evaporator box. I made a smaller one(not installed yet) but it had to stop at the glove box opening since the cover swings down when opening and interferes with anything I wanted to put there. I've seen a couple of creative fixes for that problem, but none that I liked enough to do.

[Mac the Yankee]

Originally Posted by Kim57

I have a set of Dolphin gauges that my brother gave to me but that may change when I get into the interior. I was always going to change out the original ones and just wasn't a big fan of the round gauges in the original bezel.
Kim

Hate to say it, but there are lots of complaints about Dolphin gauges being bad quality, etc.

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by Mac the Yankee

Hate to say it, but there are lots of complaints about Dolphin gauges being bad quality, etc.

They were a set he bought for his truck and never used.
I will probably go with something different when i get to that point.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

I put a set of Dolphins in a billet insert in my '46. I had no trouble at all. Except I didn't like the little Dolphin ON each gauge - no offense to Dolphins!

Kim, I was thinking you were building a TF til you said you DIDN'T like the original round gauges. Cause I was gonna suggest a pair if aftermarket upgraded AD large diameter gauges in your modified dash. Oh well.
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[Kim57]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

I put a set of Dolphins in a billet insert in my '46. I had no trouble at all. Except I didn't like the little Dolphin ON each gauge - no offense to Dolphins!

Kim, I was thinking you were building a TF til you said you DIDN'T like the original round gauges. Cause I was gonna suggest a pair if aftermarket upgraded AD large diameter gauges in your modified dash. Oh well.
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I am building a TF. I don't like the round gauges put in the original TF bezel.
Kim

[Mac the Yankee]

Kim, you might consider a 55-57 car dash- they look great and are fairly inexpensive. I saw one at the Charlotte Auto Fair last year for $50, and the seller would've gone down a bit!

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by Mac the Yankee

Kim, you might consider a 55-57 car dash- they look great and are fairly inexpensive. I saw one at the Charlotte Auto Fair last year for $50, and the seller would've gone down a bit!

I think those look real nice in these trucks. There are some guys on here doing it, Kabwe for one.
I'm trying to be different with mine so I haven't decided on the final dash layout yet.
Kim

[Mac the Yankee]

There's always the '56-'57 Corvette dash (what I really wanted to put in), but it's a bit expensive...

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Mine's stock. But if I could find one (& I could afford it!) not to mention I get good enough with fabbing & welding, I'd definitely put a '55 Belair double hump dash in. I like the symmetry of the dual humps, the center glove box, the clock it allows you to add on the right side. I've searched eBay but haven't found one yet.
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i think i might know where you can buy a hump for the other side of your dash

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ha ha, yeah I bet you do!
To be honest I'd be interested but I don't have the fab skills to install it and close off or move the glove box to the middle. I wish I did and maybe some day I will. I truly question IF I could manage a total swap without butchering the whole thing. But I comfess I'd be sorely tempted to try if I came upon a '55 dash for a reasonable price!
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[_Ogre]

the only way to get fab skills is to hack and weld, no one can teach this stuff.
forums like this are a good source for info, but the only way to learn is hack and weld

[Dan in Pasadena]

I agree, I'm just afraid of hack, weld, grind, repeat that ends on "hack"! Lol

But seriously, I've got a few starter type jobs I'm gonna do to try to learn. Filling some speaker cut outs, a couple small - 3/4" diameter extra holes someone put in my dash. If THOSE come out terrible ill HAVE to pull the dash! Ha ha.
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[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by Kim57

I think those look real nice in these trucks. There are some guys on here doing it, Kabwe for one.
I'm trying to be different with mine so I haven't decided on the final dash layout yet.
Kim

Kim I think your dash looks great, its different and I like different. When I put the 55/56 dash in my truck I thought it was different now I see a lot of trucks doing it and I want to take mine out, but I'm not.lol It matches my car.

Just do you Kim, thats what rodding is all about imo. A lot of people are afraid to be creative and push the envelope a little and you are not so use it to your advantage. Put your personal touch on your ride, so that when you drive down the street people say "there goes kim and not there goes another task force truck. I like your truck because its so different from that bed to the the little ingenious way you hooked up your hydroboost unit and the flip bed will be awesome.

Do your thing bro, and when your done people will stand around looking like you and I do when we meet up at the truck shows thinking how cool is that.lol

By the way, the Grand Nationals car show is this weekend at Pomona are you going? I am man its car heaven, last year I actually got tired of looking at cars I never thought that would happened.lol There is no way you can see everything in one day.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hi Bam, Personally I love the way the car dash looks in the trucks and I honestly think it makes a lot more sense to have the glove box in the middle where it is reachable by the driver. Not only that, but in those days of the typical AM radio with a single speaker, having it in a matching "hump" to the instruments also makes more sense. Not to mention it just looks better to my eye.

On yours, what trim will you use if any? I'm partial to the original "tiny bow ties" trim because I drove my Dad's black '55 two door hardtop in high school but I know there are a variety of aftermarket trims available today.
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[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hi Bam, Personally I love the way the car dash looks in the trucks and I honestly think it makes a lot more sense to have the glove box in the middle where it is reachable by the driver. Not only that, but in those days of the typical AM radio with a single speaker, having it in a matching "hump" to the instruments also makes more sense. Not to mention it just looks better to my eye.

On yours, what trim will you use if any? I'm partial to the original "tiny bow ties" trim because I drove my Dad's black '55 two door hardtop in high school but I know there are a variety of aftermarket trims available today.
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Dan my dash will not have the original tiny bow ties. I am not traditional at all, but I do like a lot of traditional rods, but for my personal taste I like billet so it most likely will be the billet inserts. I don't like anything that is over done be it chrome or billet aluminum but my dash will look something like this without the chrome glovebox (I don't like too much chrome either) and the radio will not be in the dash. I like a clean look.



The only draw back to installing a 55/56 Chevy car dash is that your steering column now has to come through the firewall just like in the cars. I hated that but I got use to it. But it is my pet peeve with the install. I worked hard on smoothing my firewall and to cut a bit hole in it just disturbed the heck out of me. I tried to make it look as nice as possible but its something I just have to live with because I like the look of the dash in the interior of the car.


I hate that dang whole being there. Remember my brake setup is all under the cab and I hate that whole there because it will be the only thing on the firewall. I may not hate it so much if I would have went with a firewall brake setup, but I wanted a clean firewall so I have to live with it.

[Kim57]

Hi Bam.
You're always the voice of reason.
I will be at the show with my brothers and hope to run into you there.
Kim

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by Kim57

I will be at the show with my brothers and hope to run into you there.
Kim

Yeah I'm going I just bought my ticket so I will be there. I hope to see you there buddy.