Im new here so I dont know if Ive posted in the right place. I recently inherited a 1973 Maverick and it means the world to me. I have 3200 dollars to work on her with which Id like to stretch as far as possible. One of the things that MUST be fixed is the dashboard. It is faded, cracked, split and basically trashed. Im planning on painting the car so the color of the dash is wrong too. What do you suggest? Can I purchase an entirely new dash? and if so from where? Can I build a dash? is there a web site or book that might tell me how? This is the first of many posts I plan on making as I have never worked this extensively on a car before. Please be patient with my ignorance. Thank you.
My dash was originally gold and now everything is black. My dash pad was trashed also. You may find a real nice original one, in the color that you want, but it will be costly I'm sure. There is talk of reproductions being made, sometime in the future, so hang on to your original one to use as a core, if you decide to go that route. I just bought one of the plastic dash caps from Ebay. It goes right over your trashed one and it looks real nice plus it costs under 100.00 if that is good enough for you. The rest of the dash, just paint it. Mine was easy as it is out of the car but it can be done still mounted too. Welcome to our world.
Welcome aboard. As mav1970 stated, the dash caps are available and look great but they only come in black. Of course they can be dyed if needed. Once the cap is on you can't tell the difference from the real thing and it only takes about 5 seconds to install it. You can occasionally find a good used dash pad on eBay but be ready to spend over $100 for it and they are a little more complicated to install as you have to get to the screws on the bottom side of the pad. For the inexperienced, plan on taking several hours to install it. Good luck with your car and post pics as soon as you can.
Rayzorsharp gives you good advice. For some background learning on dashpad replacement, see my article entitled "Dash Pad Removal" in the Tech Articles section of these forums.
Well, if you cant tell a cover is a cover then I guess I can go that rout. MY only fear is it will look like a cheap patch work job. This car is what I have to remember my grandmother by and its so very important I do things right. Can I build a dash?
Building a dash will most likely look like crap, unless you are a very skilled metal worker. Otherwise it will be expensive for someone else to do it for you. Best to stick with a pad replacement, paint the metal pieces and dye the plastic pieces. If aftermarket pieces become available in the future you can always get those when your budget allows. But for now, it sounds like you have a plan on what you need to do. I just wouldn't blow your budget on a custom dash when fairly cheaply (and easily) you can clean up what you have and it will look factory fresh.
Don; I have a dash cap on my car, and it is almost impossible to tell, unless you know before hand. Just snap it on, and it fits tight. Also, it is paintable, and if it does get damaged, it is easy to replace. Mine has been on for 6 yrs, and is still in excellent shape.
My question was answered here (how does a "cap" look compared to an original pad?). That said, I'm curious to know what a bare (all metal) dash looks like, anyone got a pic? Russ
If you leave the dash pad off, it would look very "un-finished". It isn't just solid metal under it. There are slots that are about an inch wide across the width of the top, and holes in the bracing where the pad bolted up. NOTE - if I am remembering this wrong, somebody please speak up. I changed my dash pad a dozen years ago.
Dash pad Yes you are right there are lots of sqare rectangle holes under the pad thats the only way they could lighten the car up.
I've got a cap on my 70. Looks good. I've got the bare dash on my race car. Looks like crap, but only i get to see it.
I have a cap on mine and I almost have to prove when I tell people its a cap. 2 other Maverick owners in my area have gotten caps after seeing mine
