Reproduction Dash Pad Quality
 

I’m thinking about replacing the dash pad on my 68 Firebird. It’s a repo that’s about 25 years old now. The grain is way off and the front edge that attaches to dash by the glove box, instruments, etc is really poorly finished.


I’d like something that looks more original, but it looks like there are several different types on the market. What’s the most original looking dash on the market today? My interior is red, so not having to paint it is a plus.

I’m not opposed to finding an original core and having it redone. This is a driver, so if the repos have gotten way better I think it would be ok for this car.

Thanks in advance.

Repops are still a crap shoot. Fitment not great and grain off. Only Just Dashes restoring an original one will you get a proper looking and fitting one.

But $250 vs near a grand and 6-9 months usually makes that decision easy for most.

I went through this on a 69 Bird... Earlier repro dashpads have a plastic core, horrible fit, warped like crazy the first hot day. Then I bought the metal core one, fit was better but not great, grain was off but presentable but warped the first time it sat in the sun. Then I sent out my original pad to just dashes, grain was nice, fit was nice, they got the color wrong-too dark but biggest problem (same as one I had them do for a 69 GTO) was it looks way too puffy, like it forgot to take its thyroid meds. The leading edge near the windshield is way too fat and rounded and the edges around the cluster bezel are too puffy also. I finally found a nice used dash, perfect fit.

I have an OER that is a couple years old. It is a decent pad that looks nice and fits okay. It’s fit on the down legs of the 69 pad is marginal but you don’t notice.

The grain is not really correct. If you have a driver that you want showable and something better than a cap, it does the job. If you have a show or concours car, you’ll want to find and restore an original.

Just Dashes did my 1969 firebird dash a decade. Still perfect today.

They always were a bit puffy but it seems like their quality has really slipped lately. It is especially noticeable on more complex dashes like the 69 GTO dash pad.

Good originals do Yuen up now and then, the Gold and red ones seem to be more resistant to cracking and the worst were the blue and green with black in the middle somewhere. The best candidate cars are northern cars that had softray glass, the tinted glass really protected the interior from UV but most northern cars didn’t have AC so they tended not to have soft ray all around.

I have an original '68 dashwith a crack down the middle if anyone is looking for a core. Been sitting in storage for about 15 years. Can ship. Near Minneapolis.

Just Dashes did my 1970 Firebird for a Sandlewood interior last year. I thought the result was excellent, but it was a 9 month wait and $1850. The price included replacement of the brace under the steering column and the color match of the dye. Their packaging of the dash for shipment was also excellent.

Al Knoch Interiors recovered my original for under $300. It's a good alternative to the substandard aftermarket dash pads or the Just Dashes 1K option.

https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...0EQ0Qx6BAgKEAE

This looks pretty good in comparison. What do you think of the quality of the work? How was the turn around time?. Does it fit well now? Mine is dark Blue original in really good shape but has a small crack and has been re-dyed so would like it redone….

Idk who did them but I’ve seen some high end restos on 69 bird dashes that are just too puffy and rounded on the corners especially I have 2 cars with originals in good shape and they are much flatter more linear. I dread having to replace them after seeing the resto dashes . The resto dashes looked like someone pumped them
Up w too much air . Lol. I had a nice original I could have grabbed recently w no cracks but I was out of room on a parts haul and man am I kicking myself for not grabbing it right now.

My recovered original by Al Knoch looks like a new original - not puffy at all. I had it back in 6 weeks.

When did you have it done? It looks great!

Should post his contact info so everyone knows who’s good .

Did you review the thread? I put a link to the website in post #10

January of 2022

So, did they just apply vinyl over the original vinyl on your pad or did they strip it down to bare metal and redo it with new foam?

Also, did it come out soft like the original or is the material harder? I have a couple of sets of Al Knock door panels. They look good, but aren't as soft as the originals.

Thanks for posting this.

Old Joe

They applied vinyl over the dash pad - based on the look and feel I assume the old vinyl was removed before doing so. The feel is the same as before. My original dash pad was already in great shape with two small, non-separated cracks. When I removed it, one crack became larger probably from flexing. Before sending out I called at least three local upholstery shops and they all wanted 800+ to do the same service, which is crazy. I'm sure the Just Dashes work is great and I was gonna send mine to them before I found out Al Knoch recovers them.

Is the Al Knoch seamless vacuum formed?