Which Replacement Dash to get (not a cover/dash pad)

[Mattchu60]

Hello All,

I have searched a few times and read various threads.

I need to get a new dash, i have a maroon interior (FYI). Old dash is cracked, etc etc. I do not want to mess with the plastic dash covers.

Who makes a decent replacement dash for these trucks - it would be in a 87' Siverado. I have found ones at the following retailers:

-LMC
-Brothers
-Summit has one that is Urathene?

If anyone has experience with any of these, please let me know. Any info would be great, or any other retailers would be helpful. I want something that looks nice and not plastic. Doesnt have to be the best out there, but I dont want a peice of junk either.

 

[bucket]

All the pics I've seen on the internet would suggest that the aftermarket pads are a low quality part with waves and whatnot. This last weekend I saw one in person for the first time, it looked like royal poo IMHO. The seller was wanting $250 for it, still new in the plastic. I'd rather burn $250 than spend that kinda money on a part like that, but I'm also the kinda guy that really appreciates a part that fits like original. Until some manufacturer makes a real dash pad, I think a good used pad or a cover is a better option.

 

[1981suburban]

I agree. Repros across all manufactures suck. I am in need of a nice used blue dash for my 81 Suburban. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MadOgre]

I hear the same thing and the one that I saw in person was crap as well. Buddy thought it was nice. I had a hard time not laughing at him lol.

I have thought about this for a while and I am going to take my old dash remove all the foam down to bare metal then put down a layer of fiberglass cloth and resin, sand smooth, then a thin 1/4" or smaller layer of foam, and then a new layer of vinyl and make my own custom vent grills if the oem ones don't fit right or make them fit right I dunno. '

Of course the speaker holes will be deleted in this process but I honestly think it will look better with out them anyways.

I believe this to be the only way to get a half decent looking dash on my truck!

 

[Don5]

I am going to have to rethink buying one of these pads. I have never seen one so I thought they would look good. Evidently not.

 

[MadOgre]

The one I saw was not even close to being uniform. Made in China crap. No other explanation possible. They look as good as me with make up on LOL NOT lol

 

[smoothandlow84]

I rebuilt and recovered mine. Turned out much better than any aftermarket dash pad that I have seen. The lines are all correct and its factory smooth...not to mention it fits like it should. I opted to save the cash and risk rebulding my oem. At least if if turned out bad, I wasn't out the $300 and only one to blame for the quality would be myself. While it may not be to everyones liking, it suits me fine and I'm not dealing with a cracked, split and crumbling dash anyomre. I have $35 in materials into it

 

[MadOgre]

You should start a picture thread of DIY dashes

 

[CSFJ]

I rebuilt and recovered mine. Turned out much better than any aftermarket dash pad that I have seen. The lines are all correct and its factory smooth...not to mention it fits like it should. I opted to save the cash and risk rebulding my oem. At least if if turned out bad, I wasn't out the $300 and only one to blame for the quality would be myself. While it may not be to everyones liking, it suits me fine and I'm not dealing with a cracked, split and crumbling dash anyomre. I have $35 in materials into it

I agree, you should get some more pics up. From that pic it looks like a good option. I've been looking at all the past threads on the subject, and picked up an extra dash to experiment on. Just looking for the one idea that really jumps out at me.

 

[Don5]

Yeah that would really help the guys that need their dash redone. Like me.

 

[CSFJ]

Yeah that would really help the guys that need their dash redone. Like me.

Lol. There's only 2 types of square owners, those that need their dash redone, and those that have already redone their dash.

 

[Georgeb]

Lol. There's only 2 types of square owners, those that need their dash redone, and those that have already redone their dash.

Well, mabey 3 types. Those that have a better one than the really cracked on but still need it redone like me. But heck at least the one in there now only cost me $10.00! I want to find some vinyl without the cloth backing so I can use my shop vac and a heat gun to vacuum form my own cover. Haven't looked too hard tho.

 

[smoothandlow84]

Sorry guys...didnt think of taking any progress pics of the dash rebuild. I know, I know....I should have done that to help the fellow square builders out there.


Basically, here is what I did (without pics).

1) I chipped away the loose plastic by hand and vacuumed out all loose foam
2) filled in any and all cracks, voids and holes including the speaker holes with body filler a.k.a. bondo. I attached cardboard to the underside of the dash using some self tapping screws to temporarily hold the cardboard in place until the bondo was dry.
3) once the bondo was dry, I sanded down and rough edges and high spots with 80 grit sand paper on a random orbit palm sander so that they would be flush to
the top of the remaining dash vinyl surface.
4) I used some high tack upholstery spray adhesive to attach the tweed fabric. I sprayed the dash, let it set up for 5 mins, then sprayed the backside of the fabric, waited 5 mins, then carefully stretched and pressed the fabric to the dashpad surface. The tricky part is keeping your hands away from the adhesive. Once attached and dry, it won't come off very easily. Patience is key. I have done his once before on another truck years ago with great success. The only difference was the other dash was intact and didnt need rebuilt. I used tweed because it easily contours to the curves, its inexpensive and since there is no real pattern in the stiching, its relatively easy to adhere to almost any surface. My headliner and door panels have also been covered.

 

[Don5]

^Thank You Steve for posting the pics and instructions. I would rather try something like that instead of wasting big money on something I will not like.

 

[smoothandlow84]

^Thank You Steve for posting the pics and instructions. I would rather try something like that instead of wasting big money on something I will not like.

Sure thing...glad I could help Seems everyone is in the same boat when it comes to the dash. 30 plus years in the Az sun will damn near kill anything, especially plastic and vinyl (it hit 112 today and is expected to reach 114 this week). I certainly didn't want to replace a $400 dash every few years, especially for the crap thats offered out there. The inside temp of my daily driver read 152° at 2pm this afternoon. That's toasty...even for someone who has been dealing with the heat here for almost 35 years now.