So I have the old dash out, wires laying astrew (and there's not a single "mechanical" device on that dash, since it came from a Berlinetta w/ digital dash, even the heater and a/c is controlled electronically... lotsa wires). I test fit the new dash, it looks great. I know that I'll need to drill new holes for it, and make new brackets for it.

I was just curious where other people drilled holes, and what their new brackets looked like (so I can make them while I still have access to a MIG Welder at school... class ends on the 17th).

I'll post some pics of my progress so far. It's a CLOSE fit with the 4th gen dash in, and closing those doors.

 

(deleted picture so I can use another)

 

Did you guys take out the bracket completely, and then drill new holes to match with the dash, or vice versa?

 

No, I put dash on and put in the bolts that already lined up to hold it and then drilled the two holes that I needed. Didn't even bother takin the braket off the dash was easy enough to just put the hole thing on and drill.

 

Well, after I posted this I ended up going outside and cutting them off with aviation snips (I drilled a lot of holes along the way since I'm not that strong and my aviation snips suck).

This is what it looks like. Yes, that's green spray paint. I wanted to put something over it to prevent the freshly cut metal from rusting eventually. lol.

 

Oh, your talking about that braket, sorry. Thought you meant another. I just cut the tops off like you did and bent the sides slightly inward. I didn't bolt the dash to it at all though. Im using them to pry the sides of the dash out a bit to take up some of the space between the dash and the door.
sorry for the small pics

heres how I just slightly bent them inwards

 

did you install a firebird dash, or a camaro dash? also, what center console did you go w/ ?

I'm having troubles getting my center console to fit correctly... it's an automatic 98+ camaro center console on a 96 firebird dash... They just dont seem to fit right where the two meet.

 

I have a 2000 T/A dash and 2002 T/A manual console. The 98+ consoles for both camaro and firebird are the same (not counting the manual and auto shifter plate) and all 93+ firebird dashes are the same, so yours should be fitting like mine does assuming you are test fitting the console without the Automatice shifter plate in place or have modded the the shifter to work with the 4thgen Auto shifter plate. (sorry if you knew this already).

How exactly is it not meeting up right?


heres some pics of how mine fits.

 

another

 

woah woah...

MORE PICS!

 

Have lots more pics of mine click on the link in my sig above and a ton more I have to put up when I get some time.

 

That's kinda what I meant there hehe. Seems the dash doesnt go back far enough. In that picture it's not supported up except by the center console lol.

Later from that picture I drilled out the new holes for the dash, which might have made it a little better, but I couldnt get my center console back in after I hung it (I am assuming that I need to put the console in before the dash).

I couldnt really tell how yours' sat, because of all the black on black (which is what I'm gunna paint mine after I get it all figured out lol).

 

From that last pic of yours, your console sits way under the dash whereas mine doesn't, if you know what I mean. (the cig lighter on mine isn't under the dash overhang like yours) I am able to remove my console without removing the dash, very easily. Its probably because you are using the auto shift plate and from your pic, looks like you cant move the console back anymore without relocating the shifter back more. Either way, it looks good.

 

How did you get the headlight / AC / etc.. controls to work? Or do they?

 

On mine, I got everything to work except the HVAC, which Im using the 3rdgen for now until I get the rest of the wiring for the 4thgen controls. The guages, headlights, fog, trunk button, and dimmer was as easy as just matching up the wires.