I want to take a stock dash, cut out the front face and build my own face for it. The goal is to have more space for gauges and get rid of the stock instrument cluster.
If you can find/get a 69/70 Mustang dash and graph the gauge area it to the Maverick dash then you will have something that looked factory.
I like the curve in the dash but I might get rid of that and try a flat panel, I'll use cardboard to see how it looks. Getting rid of the AC controls and probably routing the wiper and headlights somewhere else too. I could always mount them a little lower down on the dash, maybe above the package tray
bryant had the idea of moving the whole dash forward a little. This would help a few things: it will allow for easier removal and installation of the dash and give me more room to run the roll cage bars behind the dash
bryant had an extra dash from his 73 so he let me tear into it. The headlight knob come out as a whole, you depress a little button that has a spring on it and then just wiggle it around enough and it comes out with the rod attached. (Don't have pic of it) The wiper knob has a little notch in it where you can put in a 90 degree pick tool and push the metal tab up and out comes the knob, very easy. The bezels or whatever these things are called come off really easily with the right tool. But bryant let me use this other tool that worked just as good. The AC bezel comes off easily as well, you just depress a tab and it comes out. There there are screws that you undo and that's that. The chrome trimming came off easily with a flat head screwdriver under it and it snaps off. Tadaaaaaa! Kind of regret this part so I am going to have to weld it back on but I cut out this corner. I am going to be practicing only on this dash so I traced out a similar piece from the other side of the dash to weld it in there. If you look closely the curve is slight on the top part of the dash and and there is more of a curve on the lower part.
In order to be able to remove and install the dash easily in the future I'm thinking about making the dash removable from where the spot welds are. The red lines is where I'm thinking I'll separate the dash from the base and add allen head bolts with rivnuts or something to attach it back together easily.
I'm thinking down the road I will do work on the AC, completing the roll cage, fixing the leaking cowels, redoing my wiring, access to the gauges.
I really like how Don Kuss II did his custom dash, he just posted this pic on another thread, hope it's ok if I post it here.
I got this piece of 22 gauge steel bent up and fit in pretty well. One of the cars Bryant is working on has this process going on in the dash. The plastic insert fits in so nicely. Has made me think about maybe trying to do something of an insert with fiberglass but not sure yet. This is how far the I got with the metal piece but haven't welded it yet. Mocked it up to another black dash we had laying around.
ok it looks horrible but trust me, it's a little less horrible in person . . . you know how the camera adds 10 lbs to people . . . well here the camera added some ugliness!
