Installed new hard plastic dashboard -- very pleased with it

[focodave]

I finally got tired of staring at the massive cracks in my old dashboard and decided to bite the bullet and do a complete dash replacement.
I have been toying with the idea for over a year, wondering if I should do a dash cap, complete soft dash, or hard plastic dash.
I opted for the hard plastic dash and I am very pleased with the results.
Don't let the words "hard plastic dash" fool you into thinking it will look like a piece of crap. These dashes have a very nice textured finish on them, and a really good sheen -- not too glossy, not too flat.
The fit was excellent.
The whole job took me about 8.5 hours from start to finish.
Some notes and thoughts for those of you who are wondering what kind of task this is:
1) Be prepared to spend a lot of time fitting the glove box, glove box door, and glove box door latch You will definitely need a Dremel tool or equivalent to hog out some material as you fit the old brackets from the old dash onto the new one.
2) Removal and replacement of the dash is not as hard as others may lead you to believe. It took me about 45 minutes to get the old dash out of the car and onto the work bench.
3) I would think that trying to put a dash cap on and have it turn out nice would take as much or more time to perform than this complete dash replacement. I've seen some really nice dash cap jobs and some really horrible ones. I would recommend a complete dash replacement instead of a cap.
4) Label all of your wires and take photos of the electrical connections and you won't have any trouble re-assembling everything back in working order.
5) Anyone who rides in your car will be looking at the dash a lot. A crappy dash can ruin all of the other great aspects of your car. I waited too long to do this. I get a lot of flattering comments on my car when I take her out but when people used to look inside at the old dash, I could tell they were disappointed.
6) Bottom line -- if you are intimidated to tackle this task, it isn't as hard as you may think. The worst part was fitting the glove box components and even that wasn't too terrible.

Before and after photos, below:

Before:


After ( I need to paint the old sun-faded defroster vents black )

[81SPIDERMATT]

looks great Dave

[focodave]

Hey Matt,
Thanks for the comment.
How/where have you been?
Did you install that motor in your Scout yet?
Did you complete your stereo/speaker installation in your Spider?

[RoyBatty]

Where did you purchase the plastic dash?

[focodave]

Roy,
I got it from Auto Ricambi.
The dash is very beefy --- at least 1/4" thick at it's thinnest points and much thicker most everywhere else, especially around the defroster vent area.
It weighs about 12 pounds, so it is not thin cheap plastic.
It feels very sturdy.

[81SPIDERMATT]

Hey Matt,
Thanks for the comment.
How/where have you been?
Did you install that motor in your Scout yet?
Did you complete your stereo/speaker installation in your Spider?

vacationing at the lake cabin in Michigan ... floating on the lake in various types of inflatable reclining chairs and eating far more than one requires are tasks of the day... and I completed both with flying colors.(tan, fat and happy from being with family).. also been camping up in the mountains lately ... it is a rough life I lead

scout is in collecting parts mode while vacationing and fiat has a nice spot in the garage awaiting drivers side carpet and last of the stereo install .... have been making use of the new MAX transportation system in town for getting around (free for the summer) so motivation has been low for completion quickness and Michigan trip was 3 weeks

dash looks great ... hell I thought your old dash looked great ... as does the rest of your car ... I think it will be fun to someday make mine look as good as she runs ... and any comments on how she looks now don't bother me as I would just sluff them off .... or chop the offending person into small bits for the basement freezer .. depends on my mood

[Warren]

Your dash looks great and is well worth the effort as I did mine several years ago. I will caution that it may sag eventually and you may need to sand off the left side edge of the glovebox door as it will not close. The sag has not gotten any worse so it looks like it is a one-time thing.

[focodave]

Your dash looks great and is well worth the effort as I did mine several years ago. I will caution that it may sag eventually and you may need to sand off the left side edge of the glovebox door as it will not close. The sag has not gotten any worse so it looks like it is a one-time thing.

Hmm. Interesting.
What part of your dash sagged.
Was it just the top, just the bottom, or the whole thing?
Do you have pix of the sagging dash?
Where did you buy your dash, and was it hard plastic?

[Warren]

Visual inspection of my hard plastic dash indicates the lower part is the part that has developed a "smile", especially on the glovebox side. The sag may also be caused by my later retrofitted A/C unit (evaporator coil and fan) which is partially supported by the lower dash. So you might be ok if you do not install the A/C (which is almost a necessity in Alabama).