I finally gave up.

[Doppleganger]

i asked Dashes Direct yesterday if they had the dash in any colors other than black. Their response?

“You can contact USA 1 Industries and they can dye the dash pad for you.”

I almost screamed........lol

I ordered a charcoal dash pad from USA1 pre-covid and it came in record time (8 +/- months). My guess is someone else ordered it during Reagan's second term and never picked it up, so it happened to be there.

After waiting many many months for (and thus cancelling) door panel and interior trims, I bought it all from LMC then ordered 3 cans of the charcoal paint from USA1 (to match the dash). They shipped it practically overnight (for them).....3 weeks.

 

[Geoduck]

I recently got a dash pad cover from Ebay that looks very good. Have not installed it yet. Fair about of work removing the old pad and installing the new one but is doable.

Light Blue Dash Pad Cover Fit For 81-91 Chevrolet GMC C/K/R/V Truck/SUV PICKUP | eBay

Dash Parts. Fits 1981 - 1991 GMC / Chevy SUV. Fits 1981 - 1987 GMC / Chevy Full Size Pickup. Car & Truck Parts. Truck Bed Accessories. Seats & Seats Cover. Color: Light Blue. 1 pc dashboard cover with glue.

www.ebay.com

 

[rwjtexas]

Order the black one and dye it yourself.

First thing is to fit the new one to your truck ... THEY all say you may have to trim.

Second decide which paint / Dye you want to go with ..
SEM lots of Colors - Mine was Shadow Blue
USA -1 (ships paint within days - I know I have ordered over 12 cans of total of 81-87 Blue and 79-80 Mystic for my headliner trim)
LMC - I have never used but lots have.

Study up on how to repaint / dye.
I used all SEM Products.

SEM Soap
SEM Solve
SEM Vinyl Prep
Top Coat Paint of your choice ...

Plastic's take a different adhesive / activator (One for ABS Plastic and One for All other Plastics)

I changed out a 1983 Brown Pad to fit my 1985 Blue and it turned out near perfect.

Plenty of gloves.

Take your ole dash pad, and experiement with it maybe on the right hand side... Clean it, Clean it, Clean it, degrease it , use vinyl prep and then Light coats at first, followed by more light coats, followed by a nice flowing coat completely all around

I was nervous about doing mine, once I figured it out, I have repainted the entire interior.

A-Pillars upper and lower, B-Pillars, headliner trim pieces, dash pad, arm rests, console, kick panels, door panels, cargo panels,.

Watch You Tube videos, contact SEM Customer Support (they will visit with you on how to use their products)

I did buy a bumper stand / work stand off Amazon to hold the pad while I painted it ... as for the other pieces I bought a painters rack to suspend everything else while I painted to get both sides painted. Both of these items were being used at the body shop that painted my blazer so I figured they would work fine for me ..

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Yes, it was expensive, but doing a full resotration on my part it was worth the investment.

Figure out what you need and go for it....

I have 100% faith you can tackle this and be proud of your finished product.

 

[WFarm]

Thank you for the info @rwjtexas. I’m ordering the dash in black and will dye it. Have some experience with dying from doing my door panels after reading threads here on how and what to use.

Do you recommend fitting it first, then dying it and then installing?

 

[rwjtexas]

Thank you for the info @rwjtexas. I’m ordering the dash in black and will dye it. Have some experience with dying from doing my door panels after reading threads here on how and what to use.

Do you recommend fitting it first, then dying it and then installing?

In my Opinion... Yes ... Absolutely ... That way all trimming is done and you know it will go into position and you will not damage your new dying job.

Take your time in trimming ... one slip and your are going to be angry...

Every post say's take a little at a time.

Once trimmed, then clean and paint. I forgot to mention use Grey Scotch Brite Pads to clean but since you have dyed your door panels you know.

Good Luck !!

 

[andybflo]

I had a similar situation with USA-1 door cards. Took about a year, and came imperfect. I gave up, fixed them, and moved on.
Got every excuse from supplier delays to Covid to dog ate my homework. It was a long rebuild, so I wasn't as upset, but yeah.. I'm betting they acquire cash to buy the next round of parts. Essentially a parts ponzi scheme of sorts. They're probably waiting for enough people to pay the bills from the last round.
Let's just say, I've ordered from who they get supply from, and gotten parts to my small business before their large business gets the same part I'm waiting for. Suppliers will always send to the guy ordering fifty over the guy ordering one. Unless the first guy hasn't ordered, or paid for the last order.

On to my supplier of choice, I ordered a burgundy dash pad from Cheyenne Pickup Parts. It was gorgeous. And matched the rest of my interior. Got it in two weeks, including a week with UPS. Great guy. Great parts.

Good luck!

And you learned your USA1 lesson, like half the square owners out there have... Even if they claim its "in stock" don't believe it. Trust me. I was dumb enough to give them a second chance that ended in an Amex chargeback.

 

[WFarm]

Here’s the stuff I plan to use, minus scothbrite and gloves and such. It’s what I read here and used on my panels.

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[Craig Nedrow]

After waiting 18 months for my dash pad kit, I finally gave up and told USA1 to pound sand. What a frustrating experience. I should have done this months ago. Needless to say will NEVER place an order with USA1 again.

Once the refund clears I will be dash pad shopping again. Any recommendations are welcome!

Sorry, but couldn’t include a picture of the non-existent dash pad. lol

Just got an email from Holly, they have dash pads on sale winter clearance, go here:

Winter Garage Clearance - Holley

www.holley.com

 

[David King]

I saw a YouTube video of a guy that refurbishes dashboards, can't remember where he is located. Looked like an intense process using fiberglass. Got a new one from LMC in my color, fit like a glove, looks great!

 

[gogo14910]

After waiting 18 months for my dash pad kit, I finally gave up and told USA1 to pound sand. What a frustrating experience. I should have done this months ago. Needless to say will NEVER place an order with USA1 again.

Once the refund clears I will be dash pad shopping again. Any recommendations are welcome!

Sorry, but couldn’t include a picture of the non-existent dash pad. lol

Find an old dash and have a local upholsterer rewrap it. They work great! Built to fit.

 

[molus]

I went with coverlay from summit. They had a good deal that came with decent door cards. I filled the cracks and sanded down the high spots, treated the little bit of rust underneath and then glued the coverlay over top.

 

[plumtruckerd]

I ordered one from coverlaymfg.com and was very pleased. I can't remember how much it was at the time, less than a year ago, but it looks like they are more now. $180 with free shipping. Rock Auto has them $50 cheaper, but wants $154 for shipping, WOW.

 

[plumtruckerd]

I ordered one from coverlaymfg.com and was very pleased. I can't remember how much it was at the time, less than a year ago, but it looks like they are more now. $180 with free shipping. Rock Auto has them $50 cheaper, but wants $154 for shipping, WOW

 

[romcjr]

I've had good luck with LMC TRUCK . Good luck and keep us posted with pics !!

 

[Texbulldog]

I used JustDashes.com in California. Expensive($1800) but only 3-4 months of waiting and you get what you want. They recover your old pad with better material less likely to crack.

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