FART_NUGGETS

Shopping for a dash pad, I stripped mine since it was badly cracked up, was planning on re-skinning it with a cap, but I think I might just bite the bullet and go with the OER pad.

Best price shipped I have found online so far is $527.29 shipped to NJ, anyone got a better deal before I pull the trigger?

I think I would be pretty happy with a good looking cap, but I am thinking with the skin fully removed from my pad now, the caps will not work properly since there is no factory vinyl wrapping around the bottom edges.

Here's my pad right now, cap wouldn't work, right?



Thanks!

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

The only thing I can see doing is wait for Classic Ind. to have a discount sale with Free delivery or try to pic a used one up here in the Interior Parts For Sale thread.

FART_NUGGETS

Well I wasn't in a big hurry until I butchered up my stock one What's the cheapest you've recently seen them go for. Car is away until the salt washes away so I have a few months before I'm driving around without a dash pad....

I found some kind of diagnostic testing printout from assembly under the stock pad, so that was cool

I don't want a used original one, you're still looking at brittle 25+ year old material, it will crack even if it hasn't yet. Either cap it, or replace it. Not wasting good $$ on an old stock pad with inferior materials and UV protection.

I stripped it because I was thinking the cap would stick better to the foam, might even look a little better too, but I wasn't thinking about the wrap around edges. I should have left them, then I would have probably tried one of the better caps for $120-150 or so.

I want to be in this car for a while, and I'll be staring at the dash most of the time, so I've pretty much sold myself on the new style OER, but I'd love to be closer to 400.

It is what it is, hopefully someone else has a line on something.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Right now Classic has a 15% discount on $149.00 online orders with Free Shipping.
https://www.classicindustries.com/pr.../12511119.html

Lakerman62

iTrader: (3)

they come up in Clist for under 200 often in my area, just be patient if you can wait

Sweatlock

iTrader: (1)

I've heard some very bad things about the fit of the OER replacement dashes, so do a search on the forum. That's a lot of $$$ for something with fit problems and they're about twice the cost of an uncracked original. No guarantee the OER dash pad won't crack either seeing where they're made and only time will tell if they'll last 25+ years or more like an original.

Typically, the originals cracked when continually exposed to a lot of heat & sunlight over a very long period of time, like sitting outside for years with no protection whatsoever. I guess it depends on how you look at it - if a dash has gone 25 years without cracking, it will probably take a helluva lot of heat/sunlight for it to do so now. And you know it will fit factory-correct and it's cheaper. This is the way I would go, personally.

Just FYI, but the dash cap I bought covered the edges on the front and sides. It also went down into the defroster vent. It looked pretty good, but I then upgraded to a nice uncracked original.

FART_NUGGETS

Regarding the bad reviews, I read them too, but the bad ones were 2011 and prior, maybe a few old stock after that. They revised them, and raised the price after that, and the few people I have found that took the time to make a positive review since then (since the only real online motivation most of the time is to complain) were very good.

What dash cap did you buy? On a scale of 1 to 10, not thinking concours show quality parameters, how did it look and feel? If I can re-cap mine for $150 or so and be happy with it, thats more $$ for other stuff.

I have vacuum-bagged balsa and fiberglass skin onto foam core wings, I know how to adhere a skin to a core, and I see a lot of complaints about the skins seem to be due to possible bad installation. Not enough adhesive/pressure/etc.

FART_NUGGETS

Man I was thrilled with the Classic Industries promo until I checked out, and they tacked on a $40 oversize charge, which brought their total over the price I had already found. So close. I wait.....

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Have you thought of recovering the current pad in something other than vinyl?
I would think the cap would fit loose if the OE vinyl was removed, maybe.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

On Black Friday Classic Industry had a really good sale. Any item that was part of an order of (I think) $199 was put on sale. I made a large order since I had to replace most of my interior and saved a couple hundred dollars. I want to say I paid $450 for the OER dash. I don't have the interior pieces installed so I have no idea if the pad is really a factory fit or not but it has the mounting holes in the approximate places and the finish is great. When I have everything installed I'll do a bunch of writeups on all these OER pieces. Probably be March when that happens.

yevgenievich

iTrader: (4)

Just a note regarding originals. I had original uncracked pad that was fine for many years. Always used sun shades on the car. Until last year where it cracked in two places one night when it got colder than usual.

FART_NUGGETS

That was the main reason I decided to not go with a good used one. They're still around 30 years old, and it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

OER arrived yesterday, it is absolutely beautiful (it f'ing better be for $500....)

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Your right about that,they can go anytime.I'm on my 3rd pad now,I have another one on the shelf for a spare.I probably should have went with a OER,with all the traveling I had to do to get these.One I had to go to the Pocono's and the one in my car now had to go to Dover Delaware.The spare I have I got lucky,I got that locally in S.Jersey.
Let us know how the fit is on the new pad.
PS where you from in S.Jersey.

skinny z

I had my original Virginia car with a mint dash pad for several years. Plenty of sun and heat and no protection whatsoever (considering what I knew about the previous owner).
After moving to the Canadian prairies and the extreme cold and very low humidity, one winter later and the dash was toast.
The advice from one of the local restorers is to remove the dash when the car goes into cold storage and bring it inside.
Still like to see a review of the what's out there for replacement cover. I'm not about to drop over 500 on an aftermarket dash at this point.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I had a used one that I was saving, it was in perfect condition. A year later it was cracked and it never gets below 50* in my garage.

skinny z

I think the relative humidity has something to do with it too.
It got cold in my old shop in southern Ontario (-20F) but the RH is always high. Out west here, it's as dry as a popcorn phart. I think that was the game changer regarding my formerly mint dash.
I'm of the mind, should I ever come across a decently priced original, to remove it in the off-season, hose it down with ArmorAll, wrap it up and bring it into the house.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Possible but the Camaro I have (that the good pad came from) always lived in the Southwest and the last 15 years it has been in Phoenix and Vegas. Didn't crack until last year.

I hear the occasional argument about how ArmorAll actually makes plastic brittle over time. Lots of second hand evidence. Meguiars makes some plastic/vinyl/rubber dressing that is water based. I believe it's called hyper dressing. I bought some and have been happy.

skinny z

I'll keep that in mind.
I'm actually tracking a down an OEM pad right now.

FART_NUGGETS

I'm near Atlantic City.

I have not screwed it down yet, because I am planning on removing the entire lower dash to repair some cracks, or to replace it if I can find one (not likely). It looks perfect to me, I am not the type to check the grain with a magnifying glass, but I would not be able to tell the difference between this one and a factory one. Except this one would be softer and wouldn't crack if I looked at it the wrong way

FART_NUGGETS

In fact, it fits a little better than the stock one did. The stock one, looking straight down at the front thru the windshield, I could see the red paint under it on the cowl/inner firewall (my car was repainted black by a previous owner). This one completely covers that gap and I can't see the annoying red paint underneath. I will be painting that section red anyway if/when I get the entire upper and lower dash removed. But I don't really need to now.

I am afraid to touch anything plastic in the car with the temps in my garage at or below freezing. That old plastic is brittle.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Looks good ,I wouldn't mess with the interior in this weather either,especially the pad.Your not too far from me(about 45 minutes away).

skinny z

Checking around it seems that OER is the "de facto standard" in dash pads. Looks good.

92synthetikrs

I have an OER pad and love it well worth it.

86IROC112

I did the fiberglass thing with spray on truck bed liner. Turned out really good and was going to reinstall it when I ran across a sweet used OEM pad for $200 in Spokane. Had to have it. Now I have a spare it if ever cracks..

skinny z

Any pictures of the repaired dash?
Mine is so beat that I've got nothing to lose with some experimentation.
Thanks.

86IROC112

Here's a link to my thread with photos. Turned out really good and wouldn't hesitate to install it if this used one cracks...


https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...lass-dash.html

skinny z

Thanks for that. It does look pretty good. This is something I might pursue unless I come across a find like you did.

ScarabChris

I went with a used one. I found one on flea bay for $300 shipped and it was like brand new. I installed it last July and it still looks like brand new. I figure if I get a few years out of it without it cracking I'll be happy. I religiously use a sun shade in the windshield to protect it from the sun. The only time the sun touches it is when I'm driving the car.

ScarabChris

Yeah I think the freezing cold will be the enemy of a nice used pad. Not that you want the south Florida sun beating on them either. But extreme cold will make the material hard, heat makes it soft, UV rays breaks them down.

My 87 GTA came from a colder climate and the pad was cracked when I got the car. Looked perfect like it was not left to sit in the sun, looks more like cold weather cracks.

Pictured below is the pad that came out of the car. Beautiful except the 3 cracks so I don't think the previous owner was careless as the entire car was in great shape for it's age.

I'm in the Ft Lauderdale, FL area so I don't think I will have an issue with my new (used) pad cracking. It's very soft to the touch so I think I'll get years out of it.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Or you can cover it with a cap.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I would be interested to know what an upholstery shop would charge to make a leather cover for it with a french seam or two.

skinny z

Good question.
I would think the cheapest result would be if you where to bring the dash vinyl only to use as a pattern. I've seen old car seats disassembled and the covers unstitched, the pieces laid out and copies made in new material.
The more expensive route of course would to be bring in the entire dash top and have them recover it. I can't imagine many upholstery shops stripping off the old vinyl and making repairs but a pre-skinned top that's in good shape for the shop to recover for you might cost less than an aftermarket replacement.
Somebody here should know. Chuck Pelton, who does the steering wheels had been charging $220/wheel with a core (last time I checked).