new dashpad show and tell 62 buick leSabre

[bullheimer]

decided this was the only way to go, almost duplicate the factory. no upholstery yet but.....
first pic all foamed up with Dow crack sealer foam, DONT use the stuff for 1" and larger gaps, it is stiffer and expands more and i thought was easier to cut, but it shrunk after i cut it. the cheapest stuff was best. used a old school wood saw to cut the foam to fit, i just ran the back of the saw right up against the metal on the defroster side and kept my gap in front to about 3/4", fine tuned it, test fit it. it needs a little more foam on the side edges and on the bottom side of the front. then i think i will be better off to get a piece of foam underlayment for wood flooring from Lowes (foldable, not on a roll, like Home Depots) and cover it with that before upholstering it. hope it works for you too. lay tah.

 

[bullheimer]

more pics that wouldnt fit in one post;

 

[rcfryer]

Dash Pad restoration

In the 38 years I have been in the auto upholstery business, I have found that the 1/4" foam for padded vinyl tops works the best for smoothing out dash pads. Once it is glued in place it can be trimmed with razor blades or serrated knife, then sanded with coarse sandpaper to get the final shape. A vinyl covering can be glued over this to make the final covering. Heat can help the vinyl stretch to the shape of the dash pad, or it can be patterned and sewed to fit before gluing it in place.

 

[bullheimer]

hey thanks, dan, i have a toggery shop right down the street. i'll get all jiggy widdit!!!!!!!! now that the surface of this thing is somewhat smoothed out, this will be perfect. yes, i am slower than slow on this project, esp since the monsoons hit. trying to get the dash painted but fell one day short of having enough nice weather to getter done. now got to clean out garage so the car will fit in there.