Hi All,
Friend tells me there is a early '70's Valiant at local pick and pull...I arrive Friday to see it...FOUND IT! the holy grail, at least for me, a perfect black Dash Pad from a '71 Valiant....I don't have tools and it is late in the day so I go home...this morning I get up bright and early get tools and arrive at 0900hrs....all is well I start to remove the dash and get it out along with other interesting stuff in a little over an hour....I have a wheel barrow with me and I start to load everything and I thought the dash pad was balanced on top but I look away for a second and the pad falls to the ground ( this is where Motion Picture producers would use the slow-motion effect to emphasize the tragedy about to occur and to magnify the horror on my face as I watch helplessly) and gets a small crack on the drivers side edge closest to the windshield but still it is a very nice pad....what is the best way to repair this dash ...please help and thanks, Nico

You can probably effect a good repair with something like this .

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Good Ole Murphy

My experience is that the pads get very brittle with age; the only fixes I know either are to get it redone professionally (JustDashes) or put one of these vaccuum-form shells (J.C.Whitney) on. The latter is much cheaper and the one I've seen done on a '71 Satellite looked great. It didn't feel the same, but I couldn't spot the difference from outside the car.

this isn't a resto repair, but for my dash pad I had some black vynil rubber (the kind used to cover polaris 4 wheeler seats, the kind they would sew over the foam) and stretched it over the pad and attached it underneath. it looks great and I have gotten quite a bit oif compliments on it.

I had a perfect one for my 71 Demon. Until I dropped a Craftsman ratchet on it.

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That sucks, I have not found an easy fix. Nor have I found an invisible fix yet. The $500 bucks that just dashes charges sucks but damn, they do it right. The $20.00 eastwood welding kit will work for a couple summers, if your lucky.

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Chris'
Autobody
Restoration
Service

there is a place in WA state that does em, and much better price than Just Dashes. They told me that them and J.D. buth use the same process that originated in Austria. He also said that he had heard tha J.D. was in the process of being put up for sale, and that the owner who used to be an active participant in day to day shop activities hardly ever goes by there anymore so the workers pretty much do as they please. I definitely know that the price there has gone thru the roof. Around Nov.06 I called there for a quote on refinishing a dash pad for my Volare. Quoted $300. Talked to my wife about the price and basically was OK to send it in at tax time. About the 1st week of Feb.'07, i called in for a shipping addy when I had said tax refund in hand and was ready to do it to it. They told me the price was now $600. Doubled in 3 months? What gives? Well I couldn't do $600, so I did not send it in. Being off on dis., and in front of the computer a bunch lately, I again called in the fall of 07 Now they wanted $900 for the same job that they were willing to do for 1/3 of that a year ago! It took me a while to save $300 I certainly could not do triple, even when I was working. What gives? So I looked around and found the place in WA and was told that they have done many jobs lately that JD had quoted $900 and something, for in the $500 ish range, that they'd do mine for that. I'm still waiting (being no $ coming right now, in between short and long term dis don't help) but give them a try, they're at DASHRESTOREUSA@aol.com. The guy I talked to over the phoneand sent me the quote was Pete, seemed very knowledeable.

Has anybody used legendaryautointeriors.com 69-76 reproduction A-Body dash pads? $375 is not the worst price in the world. I have bought headliners, vinyl Tops, and other assorted soft parts from them and have been very impressed.

Tim

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My Swinger gets the Highlight Valet Parking spot over the German sports cars on the Sunset Strip. I love my Mopar.

lengendaryautointeriors is where i bought the dash for my satellite...
but the repro is made out of a different grain than originals and only offered in black.

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yea my roadrunner is a six pack! 225 six pack!
ill throw twins on the slant6 just to watch there jaw drop when i lift off the six pack hood.

The dash could always be painted. Find a local body shop that deals with modern cars to do the job. Once they can identify what materials are used on your new pad they can apply the right primers/bonders to assure a long lasting paint job. Most replacement interior parts need to be painted to match, so it is no big deal.

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Chris'
Autobody
Restoration
Service