NCGuy68

You're lucky you found 10 cars period. The ones I used to see around here last summer are now coffee cans.

jameecrockettRS

Yea, they all had the doors wide open so rain, animals or whatever else could get in. most of them had the hoods up so everything in the engine was rusted up real good. I managed to salvage some A-pillar trim pieces as well as a few console lids. spent like $40 for it all.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Well,I have all winter to decide what I'm going to do.I really like the OER,BUT,it's not correct,the speaker cutouts are wrong for the TA,BUT,it's NEW and FRESH,then on the other hand,I'm thinking,if I'm going to spend all that money why not try the cover,it looks like the OER (Speaker Cover).

ringo234

Here's one on E-Bay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/82-92-CAMARO...item4ab20f4257

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Thanks ringo but that's for a camaro.

morrow

when i get to that point i will for sure post pics, im not there yet, still got a long way to go, i did finish the door panels but havent had time to post pics yet.

IROC#1

Where do you live? I live in Seattle and dash pads here last forever (especially if you garage your car).
Alot of the guys on this site live in warmer climates like Florida, Texas, Southern Cal...In areas with lots of sun the black dash pads in 3rd gens just dont last 15+ years.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

My first one lasted 25 yrs,the replacement lasted 1 yr.and I live in the northeast we get all kind of weather hear and mine is garage kept.The only thing I put on the dash is Pledge,lemon of course.

NCGuy68

And thats the problem with the repop pads. They're using cheap (often imported) vinyl which is a **** poor substitue for the real thing. I've seen original pads stll in perfect condition that were well cared for.

The vinyl is usually what cracks first. Nine times out of ten, the original urethane (not polyurethane) under the vinyl is OK.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

The replacement one was from a 88 or 89 bird,it was in perfect condition when I bought it,their old,theirs nothing you can do about it.I only moved mine about 15 in. to the left and right and it cracked,and I was very careful with it. I now know how fragile these things are.They must start deteriorating from underneath,that's all I can figure out.

NCGuy68

[quote=mantaguy;5128092]their old,theirs nothing you can do about it quote]

Just because a pad is old doesn't mean its bad. Please carefuly read my post above again. The vinyl is usually the weak link that allows it to crack.

I understand you're frustration with trying to find a decent pad for your Bird. The Camaro guys are going through the same thing. Perhaps at this point you should look for a well cared for NOS pad.

BTW, Camaro owners can get an NOS pad at Camaro Central. Check out their website .

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

I wish their was a Firebird central.

lt1zr28

Middle tennessee. We get all kinds of weather here. It changes about every 5 minutes.
My Camaro has been here since sold new.

firbster

i purchased my car about 2 years ago,, the dash pad is mint ,its original 84 , but the car spent most of its life in a garage ,, so theres something to being protected..,, its wrapped in my basement, i found one at the wreckers from a 92, so i put it in the car.. now imo from what i could see it appears that they dry out from the inside, the foam turns to powder , so i went out on a limb and i sealed all the exposed foam edges with clear silicone to try and keep the moisture inside the pad.. like everyone else im trying to find the holly grail here so these last.. so far it has been 2 years and unfortunately my car sits in the driveway as i dont have a garage yet ,, and it gets into the 90's here most days in the summer, now im looking for a cracked one , the idea i had is a buddy of mine has a 2010 911 turbo, the interior is like a suede stitched dash and door panels.. so thats were i want to go ,, i also read somewhere that you shouldnt use a carpeted dash cover as it attracts the heats just as much and doesnt allow it to breath..

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Well, I bought the cover from Classic,I'll see how that works out,if not my next step is to buy a new OER pad from Classic.

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

My dash pad had two cracks in it like most other third gens I've seen. This past November I drove down to Ecklers Camaro and bought a dash pad overlay. Thus far I have been very impressed. It fits great, looks just like the stock dash did as far as texture and grain and was easy to install.

I paid around a $100.00 for it. Knowing that OEM dash pads are hard to come by in good condition plus the aftermarket wants over three hundred dollars for a reproduction pad this is the way to go...

Here's a pic, very nice part in my opinion...

Sick92

That looks nice, and I might be tempted to buy one.....but no speaker holes?
I have 4" JL's up front in my camaro that I cannot suffocate.... :-\

am muscl

ive been detailing car for 20yrs and i will be the first to say armor all sucks. but my 86 Z was owned for 20 yrs by the same owner and always parked outside and he armor alled it once a week and my dash is perfect. ive always found pledge works best

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

Its got speaker holes, they are hard to see but its nearly the same as stock. One of the reasons I went down to Ecklers in person was to check it out and make sure it looked factory. Because like you said, I have a nice stereo system so that is very important. Plus fit and finish.

You won't be disappointed!

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

In this pic you can see the speaker holes in the dash overlay. Personally I think it looks better than stock! Not bad for the money

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

That's all I've ever used,Pledge,Lemon of course.

reefland

utfan01ss - How does it stay down; adhesive?

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

Yeah it came with a tube of permatex adhesive, can't remember exactly what its called though. Basically you have to clean your dash pad with alcohol wipes and sand down or smooth out any rough cracks, apply this adhesive then set the overlay down and let it dry. Once its dry the whole dash looks brand new.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Your dash looks good,i take it the fit was perfect.

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, yeah I'm very pleased with the results. Was well worth what I paid for it. Besides looking at a cracked dash all the time drove me crazy!

Sick92

Hmm I don't know how I missed the speaker holes in the first pic. Looks great though, can you tell me where to get that online, or maybe when you have free time get a quote shipped to 60415?

Thanks man

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

Here's the link... http://www.rickscamaros.com/camaro-d...1984-1992.html

I buy most of my parts through these guys and have been very impressed. Even when I stopped by their warehouse the customer service was great.

Sick92

thanks for the link, but shipping made me go YIKES It's about as much as half the cost of the pad

Ground Shipping
3 to 7 Business Days $37.93
(Includes 21.99 for oversize items.)
2nd Day Air
2 Business Days $70.92
(Includes 29.99 for oversize items.)
Next Day Air
1 Business Day $85.92
(Includes 29.99 for oversize items.)

No thanks.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

That's what it cost,their all going to be expensive to ship,their in oversize boxes.Classic's is $56.90 to ship,$93.99 for the dash cover.I got a 20% discount(sale)-$18.80 for a total of $132.09.I think 1A ships free,not sure on the oversize stuff.

Sick92

Lol, just can't get over the fact that I'm paying 1/2 the price of the item for shipping. Many others it might not be a big deal, but it just bothers me. 1a has free shipping, but it's added to the cost of the item. I've ordered from 1a before and they've always been great, but I'm going to have to think about this one lol.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

I hate the cost of shipping also,I don't know if these places are making a killing on shipping charges or not,but you would assume they are.
I wanted to order a shifter boot for $15.00 and they want $10.95 for shipping,they can put that in a large envelope for about $3.00.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

I just checked 1A's site and it looks like they don't carry 82-92 dash covers.I thought they did.

Sick92

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/Dash_Pad_Co...55/229675/1992

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Nothing FREE about that shipping,Classic was still cheaper WITH the shipping even with the $18.80 discount(they might be using a different supplier)but with my experience buying this stuff it seems they all come from the same suppliers.

rusty vango

i use a product called "mink oil" i bought a used dash pad from a parts yard that was so dry and brittle that it had turned grey.i cleaned it well and slathered the mink oil on thick.then i used a heat gun to melt it so it would absorb it.that was 10 months ago and it is still good and shiny

rusty vango

you evil man,to tease us with the holy grail of dashes like that.

utfan01ss

iTrader: (1)

I just noticed your from Knoxville, so am I...Cedar Bluff area... lol. Small world! Do you ever drive out to the Foothills Mall cruise in on Friday nights during the summer?

I didn't have to pay for shipping luckily as I stopped by and he had the dash overlay in stock. However I'm restoring a 1971 Split Bumper RS and have had to order body parts, man, yeah they'll flat out rob your bank account with shipping! Luckily Ecklers isn't that far, about a three hour drive for me so I just pop in.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

This is the crack I'm covering,I figure I better cover it now before it gets worse

jaweiss

Why not just buy a aftermarket replacement? I got mine for around $300 or so a while back. I think that piece came from Hawks. Looks just like the original and fits like it too. Worth the $300 if you want a whole new dash piece.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

I plan on buying one when they become available.A couple of suppliers do not have them in stock at this time.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

My cover came today,I wanted to ask you if you took the dash pad out of the car to cover it.The directions that I got say ***DO NOT REMOVE ORIGINAL DASHBOARD,IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR INSTALLATION***I have mine out and in my man cave for the heat.It says it has to be above 60 degrees and that's not going to happen in my garage,I can only get the garage to about 55-60.I'm wondering if it would be OK to put it together out of the car.

reefland

mantaguy, make sure to get plenty of before, during and after pictures!

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Will do.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

i just bought the rickscamaro cover based off of your pictures.. mine should be here on friday...

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

What was the total cost w/shipping.

MSRed91Camaro

iTrader: (2)

You could always do what I did and fiberglass it look at my thread "anyone done this or seen it done"

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

$136

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Not bad,I paid 132.09 from Classic and that was with a 20% discount of 18.80.Adhesive included.Wait till you see the size of the box,I t's like 8.5'X24"and a quarter mile of bubble wrap and paper.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Got the pad cover in,it took all of 5 minutes,looks really good.I'll post some pics tomorrow forgot my camera.I put the car in my in laws garage,turned the heat up to 70 and left it their overnight to get warmed up.The only thing I don't like about this pad is,it don't have speaker grills.

skully-bones 13

i read on here something that seems like a cheap and good idea. fill the cracks with some sort of foam, or some sort of filler, sand it down flat, then wrap it in vinyl or pleather or something. its cheap and should look kinda original. thats what im gonna do to mine prettty soon, the ones ive seen on here are in good condition with even 3 cracks. mines cracked to hell and back and faded. georgia weather does that.