72 Maverick Dash swap for 74 Dash

Hey Guys,

I'm new to the forum.

I have a 72 Grabber and want to put in the glovebox from a 74 Maverick parts car I have. Do I have to swap the whole dash, steel top and plastic bottom, OR can I just swap the lower plastic and add the striker for the glovebox door?

Anybody out there done this?
Tired of my stuff sliding across that open dash every time I take a turn.

Thanks
Sean

 

Sean,

Might not look right, as your early dash has rounded lower corners and the later glovebox dash has squared off corners. Not sure about the other stuff...

Russ

 

You can however change out the entire dash if you wanted...but it is a pretty major job. If you got lucky you might even find one of the aftermarket glove box doors for a tray car. They are pretty hard to find. I have two of them in my possession, one for an a/c car, the other for non a/c and they are shaped different at the end by the factory a/c vent.
I can send you pics if you want. I don't think it would be that hard to fabricate something similar. Would save a lot of trouble and the tray would actually be your glove box.

 

from your neighbor to the west in Northeast Pennsylvania

 

Ray
Thanks for the pictures. I have the dash w glovebox out of my 74. Started pulling the windshield on my 72 to make the swap. Wish me luck!
Who designs a car without a glovebox??
Thanks for the welcome!
Thanks guys
Sean

 

I think a swap like this is worth the work. If you have a non A/C car the two lower vents were used for fresh air with a push/pull control under the dash. If you have A/C, there was duct work for those two vents. I know the older cars had the round vents for A/C cars only. Non A/C cars must have been like my '69 Mach 1. Fresh air controls in the kick panels under the dash.

 

Swap is underway

Ok, so nobody else has to go thru this, here is what I found out.
To install a 1974 Maverick Glovebox lower dash into a 1972 Maverick with the package tray, you have to swap a LOT of parts.
Upper dash
Lower dash
Dash Mounting brackets
Radio Mounting brackets
Plastic cover from lower steering column of the 72
Windshield wiper switch
Windshield wiper switch fiber optic lighting wiring
windshield wiper switch/headlight switch bracket
A/C vents and tubing
A pillar lower covers (optional, but the later dash is slightly wider and will work with the 72 covers, but if you install the 72 dash into a later car you will see a gap on the sides)
The lower part of the 74 dash sticks out further and if you try to mount the lower dash to a 72 dash you will find there is no way to bolt it up like the factory did it.
I have attached some pictures showing the differences in the upper dashes, brackets and wiper switch. I think this was totally worth doing to get a glovebox. I'm tired of stuff flying off the package shelf every time I take a turn.
If you go the swap meet route or to a junkyard make sure you get all the parts you need.
Hope this helps somebody. When I get the 72 back together I'll post some more pics. I figured while the dash was out I would clean out the heater box, but that is turning into another problem. Fiberglass is drying as we speak....

 

You have the years reversed on the first two pics.

to the board!

 

two more pictures

Two More. The picture is of the 72 dash installed in my 74 Maverick

 

Thanks for sharing the info. I refurbished a 72 dash and am going to put it in my 73 and have found most of what you described. It looks like I will be needing the lower brackets .
So your saying that the two dashes are different in length? If so, how is it that the dash pad fits?

 

I've got an extra set. Send me a PM and we'll work something out on them.

 

revisions and answers

Jamie, Thanks for the correction. The dash with the curvy bottom corner is the 72. I fixed the first two pictures and deleted the wrong ones. see revised.

Gene, The metal of the dash where it curves out on the bottom is wider, maybe 3/4-1" wider. The A pillar covers on the 72 have an extra piece that goes in next to the dash. The 74 A pillar cover doesn't have that piece. When I put the 72 dash in the 74 is when I noticed the gap. Maybe 1/2" per side. Maybe I'm just paying too much attention but I figured I would mention it to any of them there 'show car' peoples so they can hit 100 points on the concours.

 

I took my 73 dash out and there are some plastic pieces on the pillar. Am I gonna need to leave those? Sounds like I will...

 

Gene, I think you can use a dremel tool to modify the mounting brackets. The early 72 bracket is larger, see the pic I posted. It wouldn't work the other way around using the 74 bracket.

I don't know about the plastic pieces, I didn't touch those on either car. The 74 is back together w the early dash so I don't think it matters

 

I'm trying to picture the pillar covers you mentioned. You said there will be a gap.
The other difference is the light hole in the face of the dash. I bought a dummy light to fill it.