The dash in my car is really cracked and I was wondering if it would be easier to just buy a cap or try to replace the whole thing? I have found one that matches but it’s not in great condition either so am I wasting my time ? If I were to buy a cap, where would be the best place to get one - I live in Canada Thanks
Replacing the dash pad in a Maverick or Comet is a hard task to do, it requires a lot of reaching into places to take little nuts off not to mention the stuff you have to take off just to get to that stage. And then if you find a ad it will be just as old as the one you have and will be prone to cracking, and if you want a blue one to match your Sprint then that is one of those holy grail parts to find. The plastic dash pads look nice when installed and could be painted to match your needs, the only place I have seen them for sale has been ebay I am not sure if Melvins sells then or not he is supplier of parts for Mavericks and Comet parts With this being said there is another options a member here is in the process of having pad covers made here is a link to the discussion about them. http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/maverick-dash-pad-repair-kit.116590/#post-1128160
I bought one from stockinteriors.com last summer for my '74 since it had a crack in it. It was a perfect fit, just snapped in place. I think no matter where you buy it though they come from the same manufacturer. The caps only come in Black so if you need it another color you would just need to go to an auto paint store to have them match the interior color for you and put it into a spray can. For this, I removed the glove compartment door and brought it in to the shop. They matched the paint perfectly and you have to look real close to tell its a cap on the dash.
I've had a cap on for about 5yrs, no issues. I used adhesive on mine. IIRC some say they didn't glue theirs.
We went with the plastic dash cap. It was $58 + shipping on eBay. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I'll let you be the judge on how it looks.
Dash cap looks very good! Did you use any type of adhesive? Where you hang out in Chicago area? I live in south surburbs.
That looks perfect. I sure would like to know the ebay site selling them for $58. I can't find any close to that.
The adhesive comes with the dash cap, straight from the manufacturer. You just need to rough up the old vinyl dashboard with sandpaper (we used 150 grit) then you wipe it clean with wet wipes and dry it off real good. After that, you apply the tube of adhesive (which is basically silicone) evenly, but not too close to the edges. You're supposed to hold it down snug for 10 or 15 minutes, but we just stuffed some large towels between the dash and windshield and that worked great. You can often find us at Duke's drive-in at 81st & Harlem on Saturday evenings during the summer. We also do the Cozzi Corner cruise night in Lemont and a bunch of car shows. We were at the Route 66 Car show last summer and we had the only Maverick/Comet car in the entire show... which had over 650 classic cars!
Thanks, we appreciate that. Yeah, the cost jumped up a LOT since last summer. We got ours directly from the eBay store that goes by "trimjobber" I just checked and they don't have any Mav/Comet caps right now. I can't believe the price jump, though... wow! They actually doubled in price!
I have not been to Duke's or Route 66 in a few years. I frequently make the Lemont Legend Club, Homer Glen weekend cruise 159 Bell Rd. Don't want to get too far off topic.
