My dashboard has two sun cracks in it along the very top. Normally I wouldn't worry, but also last night while it was being cleaned up one of the products, not sure which, has damaged it and faded the portion above the glove box. The result is an absolutely horrific and very patchy looking dashboard.

Now, it's only the top piece. I know dashboard reconditioners and repairers swap these out all the time. What I want to know is if anyone has done this before and whether it's just time consuming or just plain difficult.

I'll be attempting to recolour the dash next week, but i'm not ruling out a swap of the dashboard as a last ditch attempt.

Cheers

Pretty sure you will need to swap the dash over. While your at it fit climate control :P

Rip the whole dash out and chuck in a replacement one from a wreckers; just not worth the hassle and unknown result of getting it redone.
Not sure exactly how complicated it is to do, but pretty sure I've heard of guys doing it in a couple of hours.
I'd guess you should easily be able to get a decent one from a wreckers for under $100, possibly even under $50.

Also, as Tuffy says, if you have any plans to do any conversion stuff like climate control or power windows etc., would be a good time to do those, so plan beforehand to get everything together.

Not sure i'll go the climate control (sorry :P), but the power windows sure sound good to me! I was planning to replace the door cards with ones from an SE/Elite/Verada anyway, so maybe I can do this all in one hit.

Unfortunately pulling the dash out isn't so appealing. If it needs to be done though...

So, how difficult is it to get the dash out? I can get the kick panels, glove box, glove box backing, instrument surround, column cover, etc out fine, everything from there is unknown territory to me.

I don't mind spending days on this if I really have to, but if i'm going to find some aspects overly difficult or just a plain pain in the **** (such as if the steering wheel needs to come off again, I just replaced it :rant:) then I may need to reconsider.

Not sure i'll go the climate control (sorry :P), but the power windows sure sound good to me! I was planning to replace the door cards with ones from an SE/Elite/Verada anyway, so maybe I can do this all in one hit.

Unfortunately pulling the dash out isn't so appealing. If it needs to be done though...

So, how difficult is it to get the dash out? I can get the kick panels, glove box, glove box backing, instrument surround, column cover, etc out fine, everything from there is unknown territory to me.

I don't mind spending days on this if I really have to, but if i'm going to find some aspects overly difficult or just a plain pain in the **** (such as if the steering wheel needs to come off again, I just replaced it :rant:) then I may need to reconsider.
1) talk to madmagna
2) get a gregorys manual
3) read workshop manual maybe?

Or you could just add Nanna-mat like mine has at the moment.

Guaranteed to take 10 points off your sex appeal!

']1) talk to madmagna
2) get a gregorys manual
3) read workshop manual maybe?

The most obvious solution is of course the one I overlooked, having a tired (see "half alert") day today. Cheers, i'll see to those this week. :)

Peter_Pan, about the "Nanna Mat"... already got it covered. (pardon the pun) It looks pretty crappy, but the dashboard cracking hasn't gotten any worse, and when it comes showtime I just lift it off. Unfortunately the damage is out of the range of the mat, it's actually below the air vents, just above the glovebox.

Bugger..... well good luck then!
Taking out a dash isn't fun

Dash is easy to get out, even for the first timer provided you have some logic to the way you think.

My web pages show the dirnk holder installation, was easier with the climate control but still the cables for the heater are not hard to get to either.

Go to a wrecker, grab a dash out of a TS or similar, while you are at it, you will work out what has to come out.

Tips, you have nuts under the little speakers, take off the covers and take out the little speakers, you will see them there

Pop your seat right back, drop the column, is only a few bolts

Remove the auto shifter, will make getting the dash in and out very easy.

The section that goes down to the console comes out with the dash

Dash is easy to get out, even for the first timer provided you have some logic to the way you think.

My web pages show the dirnk holder installation, was easier with the climate control but still the cables for the heater are not hard to get to either.

Go to a wrecker, grab a dash out of a TS or similar, while you are at it, you will work out what has to come out.

Tips, you have nuts under the little speakers, take off the covers and take out the little speakers, you will see them there

Pop your seat right back, drop the column, is only a few bolts

Remove the auto shifter, will make getting the dash in and out very easy.

The section that goes down to the console comes out with the dash

Ahhhh...I had removed every bolt in that lower section for it to only not budge at the top where it meets the dash.

Wow guess i need another dash then, Lovely:doubt:

']Ahhhh...I had removed every bolt in that lower section for it to only not budge at the top where it meets the dash.

Wow guess i need another dash then, Lovely:doubt:

Well I'm going to grab cocopopz dash paul, I'll find out how they come off and get em for ya. I've also tried to take them off to no avail, but there's got to be a way.

I've put the black coating over the dashboard for now and actually quite like the look of it, deep black, like a Valiant Charger dashboard colour. Whether it stays or not is the question, but it'll at least hold out until I can pick up another dash.

Only thing that's been able to get the black coating off is mineral turps... then again, mineral turps can strip just about any paint off anything, so it's no real surprise. Otherwise it's very durable.