A12 - time to get busy

It's been 30 yrs, but I had mine re-done by Just Dashes, (not cheap), but outstanding work.

There is another place that re-does them (https://abcmoparts.com/).

They're out of stock but last time they updated their website, a b-body pad was $399 and a core $100. They will recover a core you send them but no price is listed and I didn't call.

I've got to dye the lower dash pad, the glovebox and a couple of a-pillar moldings. The glovebox is a color change from brown to black; the rest are just recoating black over black. Once that's done, it's time to assemble and install.

Had a happy day when I found this hanging around in the back of a cabinet, saving me from having to dye a brown part and deal with a rusty hinge, then there's the lower pad that would need dyed to match the color. With this glove box door, all I have to do is clean the pads thoroughly and I'm your uncle.




Moving forward ... I got most of the dashboard together. Debated a while about repair/using the radio delete or buying a new radio bezel (I have the original radio). Decided to go with the zero cost option.


Glove box not installed yet in case I need to get hands through there.

IIRC there is one, maybe two, repairs needed on the dash harness, then I can put that in. I already cleaned it. I clean everything, even things that aren't getting refinished otherwise, because the parts car had Texas in every nook and cranny.

I think I used just dashes too,
Had to trim around the A/C vents to finagle those in, but the top & front were otherwise very nice.

Repro quarter skin on first car, side marker light was cut out wrong, drove back up to Conn. & the whole row of 6 or 7 were all cut the same way, took it to the shop & filed back the short side till the marker light fit, I could have done that at home & not driven 2 hours!

Doesn't it feel good that things are finally going back together!

RUSTY Cuda said:

Doesn't it feel good that things are finally going back together!

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No it won't feel good until all the parts I bought are installed LOL.

Electrical in will be a good milestone though. Getting dangerously close to where I can stick an engine and trans in it and drive it around.

I still have a few wires to figure out so I know where they plug in before I install the dash and have to figure it out on my back under the dash.

I'm mostly piddling around not getting much done but I am debating if I should restore the VIN tag or just go with it as is.



It's not bad so I'm thinking the chance of messing it up outweighs how it looks right now.

I also bolted my road runner horn to the rad support . You get your jollies where you can I guess.

VIN rivets courtesy of Bill Overcash, may you rest in peace my man.

Those rivets are a sore spot with me, they wanted a fortune for those "special" rivets, I had a box of 1000 reg rivets from work I paid like 6 bucks for , I got the dash pad guy to through them in with the job for 20 bucks Yep just for 2.
They both popped on installation & held nothing down, I ended up gluing the pad & the crappy rivets down from the bottom!

These rivet to the dash frame not the pad so there should be no problem with them pulling out.

I have riveted a VIN back on a dash before, and if it isn't bolted in, it smacks pretty hard when the pin pulls out. Going to wait until the frame is bolted in to do it.

Done.

Hadn't plugged the dash into the firewall yet ...


For some reason I can't get a bulb to go in the parking lights.

I checked them with a socket on an extension to push the socket in, and it seems like there's one stop, then there's another, and I can't get past the first stop with a bulb on either side. Yes I know they're not made that way, but that's what I see here. Push it in a little and it'll stop, wiggle it around and it will pop in further. But not with a bulb.

b-body-bob said:

For some reason I can't get a bulb to go in the parking lights.

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I posted about this on FBBO and the only real recommendation was to file down the contacts on the bottom of the bulb. I thought that was going to be the answer, but no. I eventually filed all the contacts off one bulb and it still wouldn't go in.

There's something going on with the thing, but I can't push the socket in and see the slots for the bulb at the same time to tell if there's something wrong there.

You can buy any sockets with pigtals at any auto supply, but you'll have to cut & splice the wires.