Dash cap or ABS/steel dash core?

[lee01]

I'm back after many years of not having an old mopar.
I have  73 Cuda and I need a dash.
Now I could repair the many splits and refinish the textured look to the best I can. (beeing doing this on old trans am)
But what are my ''new'' options today?
I found
-Dash cap
-ABS or Steel core dash

any feedback or input on fit and finish on them?

[lee01]

well after making many forums searches and google pictures.. I will try to repair my dash pas in hoping to save a fews hundred dollars.
Beeing in Canada, most supplier want over 100-175$ alone for postage up north.
With the exchange rate and duty a cap will cost me around 400$ Cnd.

I will repair my dash since its almost out of the car and make a DIY w/pics if I succeed 

[HP2]

Depends on what your end goal and budget are. A reconstructed, oem looking dash will cost over $1000 us. By contrast, a dash cap will cost $125 US. If you are doing a full blown resto on the vehicle, the dash cap will not look 100% correct. It does sit slightly elevated over defrost ducts and the vin plate and can have slight gaps along the bottom edge. If you have a decent driver with a few flaws here and there, the cap may blend in fairly well and not be very noticeable.

I decided to cap my dash. My budget simple isn't there for a $1000 dash pad and for my vehicle, it would be like putting lipstick on a pig. The cap looks a million times better than the cracked, split, and flaking original pad. I did have to do a fair amount of surgery to the original pad to get all the cracks and peaks leveled out so the cap would sit flat, and there is the risk of new cracks developing under the cap or old cracks flaring up and pushing against the cap, but I'm willing to take that risk for now.

Maybe in another decade, I can have by dash repadded.

[lee01]

I will start with cheapest first, my car is will never be a high dollar 1 of none (73 Cuda Green on Green 318), so i'll try to repair the best I can.
I don't like the elevation on at the vent and vin plate.

I will try to do like I did on two of my previous Trans Am
Only issue I have its not the same finsh/grain as the pontiac, but my dash only have two splits.
Will see, I like this challenge.

Past dash work.

[HP2]

Mine was way past a couple of cracks. I have huge gaps and separation with missing chunks of foam and vinyl sections that are gone.

Good luck with your repairs.

[shadango]

Mine was way past a couple of cracks. I have huge gaps and separation with missing chunks of foam and vinyl sections that are gone.

Good luck with your repairs.

I had the same decision to make when I got my car as a roller some 7-8 years ago...

I was worried about the cap as some back then said they looked "bloated" and "out of place".

But at the time a cool grand wasnt in the cards for just a dash, no matter how much I wanted it. I went with the cap and havent looked back often.

Now and then I "notice" it.....but honestky it looks decent...some folks have commented on my "perfect dash!" and I have to point out its "just a cap".

The amount of work and down time involved in replacing the dash - plus needing to have the windshield out -- on top of the money involved convinced me.

I didnt even glue it down all the way....I used trim screws on the side and just a little glue in some high spots.....yes there is the "elevation" at the VIN tag and defrost ducts, but really who notices that stuff when you are cruising around?

I do hope to one day replace the dash "for realsy" -- but for now, that $100 I spent 7 years ago was a great investment.

My son's 80 Volare has the same issue....and I thin a cap is how we will go there too, at least for now.....just finding a 80 Volare dash pad in red is next to impossible as they are not repopped....

[chargerdon]

I also went the cap route on my 74 challenger and i am very happy with it.   I had no windshield at the time, so took out the entire dash, so that i could easily repaint any of the painted areas of the dash and do the job easier.   Again, it is not perfect, but, then my car will never make it to Saturday at Barrett-Jackson.

I will say i have entered the car in local shows, and does fairly well, and no one ever made any bad comments about the dash.   

There are way better places to spend money on the car than on the dash.

Only problem i had with installation, was that the instructions that came with it, said to place it on the dash without any glue as a test fit.   Then take it off and put on the glue and back on again.     WRONG...   without any glue if fits tight enough around the gauge areas, that getting it off from a test fit looked like it would tear in a couple of places.   SO...   Once it was on i simply lifted as best i could and sprayed in the glue where i could, especially around the windshield area as again the entire dash was sitting on a table.   It sits well...  and looks good in my opinion.   

[dodj]

There are way better places to spend money on the car than on the dash.

Not many places. The dash is what you look at ALL the time while driving. Glad I spent the $1K on the dash. 

[shadango]

Not many places. The dash is what you look at ALL the time while driving. Glad I spent the $1K on the dash. 

I think  what he is saying is that from a functional standpoint, a cool grand can go a lot further in other areas....brakes, engine, etc....mechanical stuff that gets you on the road, makes it go fast, stop safe, drive well etc

I have sat and looked at my dash cap for over 20k miles of all-grins driving so far and no problems.....     

Dont get me wrong -- "one day" if the right deal were to come along etc.

But on a limited budget, its not a priority.

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Not many places. The dash is what you look at ALL the time while driving. Glad I spent the $1K on the dash. 

Agreed and it's a quick place for judgement of overall quality. I had the glass out and the entire dash out and went with the full replacement. It was the time to it for the long haul, but I could see the appeal of a cap to a car that's already together but needs some help.


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