Delete Reply #225 – January 12, 2010, 11:42:47 PM Quote from: ProTouring442;306116Now wipe a good bit of Vaseline on the dash, let it soak in for a day or so, then buff it out. Do this three or four times before you attempt to install it and you will have much less of chance at cracking it while trying to get it installed. The Vaseline does a great job at softening up the vinyl.Shiny Side Up!BillThanks for you advice Bill! If this dash was the right color I would be on your restoration tip immediately. However, the dash needs to be recolored to match and recovered. I am trying to avoid the typical aftermarket dash cap because I don't want that hard plastic surface. If I had to I could use such a cap but cover it in vinyl. It's going to be more difficult to cover the center to right of the dash because of the elevated contour. It will likely need a seam to compensated for the shift in the vinyl so it will lay flat where it needs to. My idea is perhaps to use a super 3M spray adhesive to lay the vinyl. I am afraid that if I do use vaseline that anything I do will not stick, whether it's using spray adhesive to cover it with vinyl or using vinyl dye spray to change the color. With the few small cracks there is no other option for me to have a decent looking smooth finished surface. The small cracks are mostly at the top near the defroster vents and the vinyl is typically quite brittle on the top. This dash is blue so it will defnitely need to be recolored to match in some fashion. I feel like I am morning the reality of the original dash being unfit to continue to use. It's really sad for me I cannot retain the original dash style because it was one of the things I liked about the car compared to the newer models. It is just impossible to find a replacement dash of that style. I could have accepted a 1980-82 style dash or one from a 83-86 mid-size LTD but they are hard to come by and just as brittle. There are no vinyl pads on those lower dashes either, just hard plastic. I actually did find an LTD with a dark brown dash. I started taking it apart and it just revealed pretty much the same brittle plastic dash shell structure. That type plastic just does not hold up. It's a shame too because the actual dash pad would be easy to recover. I still have a 1980 Tbird dash pad that I was hoping would fit over my old dash but the 1984 dash shell was just modified too much for it to fit seemlessly. You should have seen me running back and forth between the 86 Tbird and 86 LTD trying to figure out which dash I felt like pulling. It works out better using a 85-88 dash because there will be no issues for my original console to match up with the bottom of the dash. The console of course was carried over from 1984 to 1985 and mates to the bottom of the dash perfectly. I swear this entire dash senario has worked my last nerve. I think I did good to even find an 85-88 style dash that was not a completely cracked wreck on the top. Believe it or not I have even re-entertained the idea of using the 94-03 Mustang dash which I still have after the trial fit many months ago. There is no telling where all this will end up.On the bright side, I snagged underside decklid trim from the 86 Tbird and a decent rear body panel trunk trim from an 88. I also c00ched some door panel trim from that 88 Tbird and some interior door window dew wipes which are in perfecly flexible condition. Now if I can find some good exterior side window dew wipes. Quote Selected
Delete Reply #226 – January 12, 2010, 11:49:33 PM You can see in the pictures above that I am test fitting the original 84 cluster in the 86 dash. I think I am pretty well set on using it. I got it to fit just inside the 86 cluster opening. I actually had to put a hole in the left dash vent duct work so I could pass the speedo cable through it since the 85-88 dashes do not use speedo cables. The only issue now is modifying the 86 gauge and dash trim so it sits down flush over it. I will also have to create trim to mask the areas between the trim bezel and gauge cluster so it will have a finished look.Making use of the original gauge cluster will make things simpler for me. I'll be able to retain the original mileage readout and cluster wiring. Plus I worked hard on getting the needles painted blue-green and finding an buttstuffog clock which I painted the hands to match the gauge needles. I also did a lot of work adding the Blue LED's to the gauge cluster. The car I got the dash from had no center console, so the radio and HVAC trim is finished on the bottom for cars without a console. I will need to find a proper trim bezel. The dash trim has the faux brushed aluminum look. I snagged it from a 1988 car. The 86 car I got the dash from had woodgrain. When I had my red 85 Tbird, it originally came with the faux aluminum. I later switched all the trim to woograin. Seems which the character of this black car I prefer the aluminum look. Quote Selected
Delete Reply #227 – January 15, 2010, 09:08:42 PM I am having such a hard time covering the complex contours on the passenger side of the 86 Tbird dash that I dug out the 94-04 Mustang dashboard that I saved which is in very good shape. I am going to try fitting this again and see how I feel with it. I am laying the Mustang dash shell over the original 84 Tbird metal frame. It fits pretty good, especially in the critical areas where the dash angles away for the driver knee panel and glovebox. I told you guys this project was likely to take any turn... Quote Selected
Delete Reply #228 – January 16, 2010, 01:38:29 AM Quote from: Watchdevil;306143Now if I can find some good exterior side window dew wipes.JCWhittney.There is a sticky on here about it. Quote Selected
Delete Reply #229 – January 18, 2010, 12:35:07 AM Well after my unsucessful attempt at trying to recover the 86 Tbird dash in gray vinyl, I switched gears and decided to install the Mustang dash. It went in very well and I had time to finess the install. My main concern before was securing the dash to the area below the windshield. Problem solved. Using small L-brackets from Lowe's attached to the front edge of the dash, I was able to secure the top front of the dash to the Tbird mounting tabs under the windshield. They do not show. The Mustang dash has generous room to work in with the gauge cluster and passenger airbag area open and exposed. Basically, I installed the Mustang dash over the 84 Tbird dash frame. The way the lower part of the 84 Tbird dash angles down and away to the footwells made it ideal for the Tbird dash frame to support the Mustang dash. I was able to retain the function of the defroster vent as well, unlike some SN95 dash swaps into Fox cars. Using the Mustang defroster vent housing, I will have functional side window defrosters as well. I had to use the Tbird's upper airbox housing instead of the Mustang's because the Mustang airbox did not reach the heater box against the firewall. It was easy to mate the mix of pieces together for it to work. Tonight I ordered on eBay the Mustang's center radio, HVAC and dash vent bezel along with a digital dashtop clock which were missing from the donor Mustang I pulled the dash from. All I need now is the side defroster vents that snap into the dash. I am probably going to find a newer Ford radio to use. Using this Mustang dash, it stops at the bottom of the centerstack where the Mustang console mates up to it. I thought about using a Mustang console, but I need all the places for window and seat switches. So I decided to retain the Tbird console for use and I will construct a mating console housing to give the bottom of the Mustang dash a finished look. Quote Selected
Delete Reply #232 – January 18, 2010, 08:30:50 AM Sounds like you should be building custom cars for a living. I can't wait to see the finished product! Quote Selected
Delete Reply #233 – January 18, 2010, 07:02:46 PM Sorry guys I didn't have pics earlier. I took some night shots. I'll take some better ones later. I am not finished assembling everything and I am waiting for a few parts to finish it. With the black on the dash I am thinking of going for black carpeting now instead of the charcoal. Of course this dash is entirely padded and there are absolutely no signs of it becoming brittle and cracking. This came out of a 96 Mustang if I remember correctly. It's hard to find the center stack bezel at a reasonable price. New ones go for $130 on some online store. I found one on eBay for less than half the price. I also got a dash clock for $13. There is a serious lack of late model Mustangs in the salvage yards and all the ones that were there when I pulled this dash had consoles and radio trim bezels missing, as well as the side window defroster vents. Quote Selected
Inspiration... Reply #235 – January 18, 2010, 07:54:53 PM Why the Mustang dash works for the Tbird...Here are the classic Tbird dash designs which actually inspired the twin cowl look of the 1964 1/2 Mustang... Quote Selected
Delete Reply #236 – January 18, 2010, 07:59:53 PM I really like that dash in your car it looks very nice Quote Selected
Delete Reply #237 – January 18, 2010, 10:58:02 PM Those last 2 pictures where the dash flows into the door make me hate new cars' interior. I wish both sides of the dash in either of my cars mated to the doors like that. Quote Selected
Delete Reply #238 – January 20, 2010, 01:07:26 AM Quote from: DVP;306885Those last 2 pictures where the dash flows into the door make me hate new cars' interior. I wish both sides of the dash in either of my cars mated to the doors like that.Ya know the 1994-04 Mustang did a pretty good job mating the door panels into the sides of the dash when the doors were closed.... Quote Selected
Delete Reply #239 – January 20, 2010, 01:17:52 PM The thing to do is figure out how to make that console work. Not sure if I like the door panels as much as the dash though. Quote Selected
Topic: Delete (Read 93441 times)
previous topic - next topic
