73 Dash-Cap installation (with Pics)

[Beer]

Got home yesterday, Bunch of goodies waiting fer me  
Received my dash map lens cover from a contact here on the forum, its perfect and best of ALL unmelted
Next up is the Dash-Cap. Need to get my saddle frame painted Black, for my interior conversion (anyone have a paint type/code to do this?), the steering wheel column looks to be a Semigloss or maybe even a flat black?

Mocked up the dash pad, using this link for putting it together http://moparmusclemagazine.com/howto/5139/ , here are the before pictures.

The cracks, all at the top in the middle


Coverage shots


From seeing NH's I am going to have to fill in these cracks, and paint the old dash in the area by the cracks Black, as they will be visible through the windshield.



Test Fit



 
I will post pictures when its done detailing trimming the cracks and filling them, as well as the painting of the old dash.

Anyone else do this project offer up pics and advice (NH or maybe Jud )

Cheers
Beer

[andy74]

hey beer- i put mine in with out removing the dash pad,and it came out pretty shitty-you are definitely going the right way! i actually have a second cap,and while i have the dash apart this winter im doing the same thing as you are-keep the pics coming,so i know what to expect :cheers:Andy

[Beer]

Working on painting the dash, semigloss, sanding the imperfections out and building up a good number of coats.
Have not glued the dashpad on yet, still toying with it and how I am gonna do it...Hope to have it done this weekend.

Here is what I got going so far.

[NHCharger]

Looking good.
You still heading for NE Dragway on Saturday?

[Beer]

Supposed to rain tommorrow, maybe Sunday?
Had a horrible time at Oxford...got new tires for the other car and was running them at 30 psi, should of lowered them to 20 or so...I was wondering why I was spinning all the way down the track...LOL damn Newbie...My first time...Hope to have the track figured out for when the charger is done...the Charger should beat the Chevy hands down at the track.

Should have been in the 8.4's (1/8 Mile)...was running 9's to 11's

If the traction issue gets solved I should be 13.5 or slightly faster at Epping.

[Beer]

Started to Silicon it down, here is one problem I am trying to work out:

You can see the Vents sit nicely in the middle of the dash





But as you work your way out to the passenger side it does not fit as well. I tried trimming a bit, but I do not want to get to carried away, I may try a blow dryer gun on the back side to get it to give a bit...






Still working with it

[Beer]

Got it all bolted up, gonna do some detail work to it at a later date.

You can see from the pictures where the detailing needs to be.

Definately better than what it was. Total cost about $200 for the Saddle to Black conversion doing it on your own.


New (used) Glove Box Liner compliments of a board member  


On the underside you can see the Seam where the Dash Pad meets the origional dash. A touch of black paint on this area should hide it fine.


Had to trim around the FASTEN SEAT BELT and Map Light (Lens from a forum Member too ), you can see its not a great fit. Again A touch of black paint on this area should hide it fine.


Drivers side fit.


Under side seam again from the drivers side.


Drivers end.


Top view, no cracks and Black vice the old Saddle color.


They really should have molded it through the saddle parts that are visible. This is the worse part of the Dash-Pad IMHO.


Closer Detail.


Drivers Side and what he/she will see getting in.

All in all not bad for the money.

Cheers
Beer

[Beer]

Pretty much the finished product...have more detailing to do, but definately ready installation on a Daily Driver.


Look better with a Rally Cluster wouldn't it  ?


Already need to clean the thing on the passenger end! LOL.



Cheers
Beer

[dabs73]

Would it be possible to e-mail me the photos, for some reason I can't open any of them.  gdabkows@yahoo.com

Thanks,
dabs73

[Beer]

Pics .zip inbound
2.21 Megs

Delete your email addy from your thread so webcrawlers don't get it and spam ya.

Cheers
Beer

[AKcharger]

Looks nice...Andy74 said his didn't come out good, is it really important to remove it from the car?

[Beer]

I used duct tape and wrapped it very tight to get the cap to bond to the old dashtop. The adhesive is pretty much just silicone. I think it would be difficult to draw the forward most part of the dashpad (toward the windshield) and bond it tightly with the dash in the car.

With the dash out, it was not difficult at all to tightly bond the cap in place by just wrapping duct tape tightly around it.

Not sure what Andy74 did to put pressure on the dash-cap for bonding it in the car.

[Duey]

Beer, looks like a very good job to me...My pad did the cracking right above the Charger emblem and the pax vent.   

Did you get your pad from Accuform?

Cheers,
Duey

[Beer]

Yes it is a accuform product, I ordered it from www.dashpads.com I believe.
When you say your pad cracked obove the Charger emblem...I hope its the origional pad and not a new dashpad?

Cheers
Beer

[NHCharger]

When I did my dash cap I jammed some magazines and catalogs between the windshield and the cap to hold it down. My cap is starting to lift a bit on the front edge. I believe it's because I didn't get all the loose/flaky crap off the front of the original pad before I installed the cap.

[andy74]

When I did my dash cap I jammed some magazines and catalogs between the windshield and the cap to hold it down. My cap is starting to lift a bit on the front edge. I believe it's because I didn't get all the loose/flaky crap off the front of the original pad before I installed the cap.

same here-thats the only bitch i have about the cap

[Duey]

Yes it is a accuform product, I ordered it from www.dashpads.com I believe.
When you say your pad cracked obove the Charger emblem...I hope its the origional pad and not a new dashpad?

Cheers
Beer

Yup, the original dash...and just a couple of years ago, too!   I guess that's what I get for using Armor All 20 years ago!   Didn't knwo any better back then...

Cheers,
Duey

[Charger1973]

WHat did you use to paint the dash and how has it held up?   I need to paint mine too. 

[Beer]

I think I used an automotive semigloss Black.
It has held up excellent because its wrapped in bubble wrap waiting on me to finish the body of the car 

[farmerjon]

when you got the dash cap all installed how did it fit with the speaker grill on and how far out from the ends by the doors did it seem to be?  also the very front (toward the windshield) did it seem too long there?  thanks  farmerjon

[farmerjon]

Yes it is a accuform product, I ordered it from www.dashpads.com I believe.

\

this link just brings up a generic car links site  :-

[farmerjon]

Yup, the original dash...and just a couple of years ago, too!   I guess that's what I get for using Armor All 20 years ago!   Didn't knwo any better back then...

Cheers,
Duey

Hi guys  Mrs Farmerjon here  what do you use instead of armor all?  didn't know that was bad  don't want to mess up THE CAR  there are a few things like the console that need a bit of polish and I had armor all on the list so glad I read this first

[Charger74]

Yup, the original dash...and just a couple of years ago, too!   I guess that's what I get for using Armor All 20 years ago!   Didn't knwo any better back then...

Cheers,
Duey

Hi guys  Mrs Farmerjon here  what do you use instead of armor all?  didn't know that was bad  don't want to mess up THE CAR  there are a few things like the console that need a bit of polish and I had armor all on the list so glad I read this first

Anything besides Armor all.  STP Son-of-a-Gun did alright for me.  There are other things out there that work really well, hopefully someone else has a better product to tell you about.

[wolf100x]

How did you get the vent to move into place on the passenger side? I've got one giving me trouble...

[Beer]

Yes it was tight on the passenger side.  I ended up springing for the Just Dashes high dollar one... I will suggest a heat gun and meathodically triming around the vent a lil bit at a time...

[texas charger 73]

So on the dash pad does it just cover existing pad like a blanket or do you remove the cracked original pad?  Debating on this or trying to fix mine

[farmerjon]

The Dash caps just cover up the old cracked dash  you do not remove the old one

[texas charger 73]

That's a bummer.  I'm gonna just trynro repair my 3,cracks.