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I have read all the recent threads on reproduction dash pads, overlays, repairing them, etc. None are encouraging.
I got a quote from Just Dashes. Until they inspect it, it will range from $1500-$1800.
This is very expensive but I am trying to convince myself it will be worth it. I don't like the idea of installing an incorrect reproduction 84 and up pad for my 83.
Has anybody got their pad done by them? The one thing I am particularly concerned about is the "seam" on the rear edge. They know how the early pads had it, although they are incorrect by stating the 82-84's had this feature. No biggie.
Just to satisfy my concerns, I will be asking them a ton of questions about their quality, accuracy and attention to detail. While I am at it, I will see if they can do the arm rests and console lid.
Good luck! The '82-'83 dashpads are made of unobtanium. It's a steep price, but there are few other options besides finding someone who has an NOS one and willing to sell it..
Yeah, and after viewing several of their videos, none of the dashes have a feature like our seam. They were all smoothly laid out with no other detailing added.
Yeah, and after viewing several of their videos, none of the dashes have a feature like our seam. They were all smoothly laid out with no other detailing added.
Upon closeup inspection, it looks like theirs has two ridges where mine has three. The speaker holes are round, not elongated.
Hmmmm, I want to say I can live with that. Just the fact that the overall look seems to be better than the repros and it should fit the car since it's the original pad, makes me want to say yes.
Hopefully, that example represents what I would get.
I take it that the hot sun (uv A + uv B) is the root cause of all the damage.
My grandson has a 1988 Firebird with a damaged dash pad so he installed a cover purchased from Classic Industries. Looks food to me & he is happy.
theyve gone up in price in the last 6 months from when i got my quote.
They will make it to what your dash came with. The Gallery they have is from what they have done.
This is why the price is so expensive. They will make it darn near concourse perfect reproduction.
I'll take my dash to them when it's time, im still probably a year out now.
But, there is no other way. Either you want it to be like it came off the assembly line, or you buy one of those
cheap rubbery ones. Thats it, no other choices.
your local upholstery shop could sew on some nice leather for you, but, to me it doesnt look correct.
I asked about Just Dashes doing the arm rests and console lid. The arm rests were $800. I don't know if that was for each or both, I didn't catch that because my brain was recovering from the sticker shock. We both laughed at that. It would be a ton of labor and it still wouldn't be the same process; basically it would be wrapped in vinyl.
The lid would be $300. I told him I would try what I found from Camaro Central and Hawk's, then choose the one I like.
The lead time at the moment is 4 months, so I'm preparing to ship now.
Well when you are the ONLY one doing such repairs there isnt really any competitors so you set the prices you want.
and really $1500 to rebuild a dash to new perfect status is right on the money.
I once paid $1500 for a near perfect dash for my S10 project, only to have it crack like a 3rd gen dash in the az heat/sun.
I'll get just dashes to do mine, as it last form 1991 to 2017 before it cracked, and in that time frame i'll probably sell it or pass away do to age, or fast women..
Well when you are the ONLY one doing such repairs there isnt really any competitors so you set the prices you want.
and really $1500 to rebuild a dash to new perfect status is right on the money.
I once paid $1500 for a near perfect dash for my S10 project, only to have it crack like a 3rd gen dash in the az heat/sun.
I'll get just dashes to do mine, as it last form 1991 to 2017 before it cracked, and in that time frame i'll probably sell it or pass away do to age, or fast women..
But there isn't $1500 worth of material or labor in such a small dash pad. And it will eventually crack just like the original since it made of the same material.
They have a monopoly because there is no competition. 'Sucks for regular guys like us...
I asked about Just Dashes doing the arm rests and console lid. The arm rests were $800. I don't know if that was for each or both, I didn't catch that because my brain was recovering from the sticker shock. We both laughed at that. It would be a ton of labor and it still wouldn't be the same process; basically it would be wrapped in vinyl.
The lid would be $300. I told him I would try what I found from Camaro Central and Hawk's, then choose the one I like.
The lead time at the moment is 4 months, so I'm preparing to ship now.
I think I got a replacement console lid from Hawks, and it's not a bad repro. MUCH better than some of the other cr@p that's out there.
I got the invoice from Just Dashes. Gawd… $2,027. The basic cost was $1,700. The estimate was going to be $1,500 -$1,800. I knew it would be too good to be true to hope for the former amount. Shipping to them was $100 and shipping back will be $170. Go figure. But, they make it sound like it’s boxed very securely.
No taxes, which is nice, but they tacked on a $59 Credit Card Convenience Fee. If I write a check or do an ACH transfer, they will waive that.
This is ungodly expensive but what choice do I have?! NOS is next to impossible, an original one could crack at any moment, reproductions suck, (plus they are incorrect for an 83).
So, I agree that these are reallllly expensive for what they are. That said, our options really suck. I spoke w a high end interior guy about my dash. It has one small crack about 1 inch long in the driver side corner. More from an impact at some point. He was able to repair it and make it minimally noticeable. He said he could cover it in vinyl/leather/suede. He couldn't recreate the ridges and lines and if was leather suede would have some stitching in spots. He also would need to make speaker grills cause my stock ones are really brittle. The whole deal was gonna cost about 1300-1500. The guys does crazy stuff and is extremely talented.
the idea of buying an OER pad for 5-6-700 and having it be sub par and needing lots of work is BS.
the interior guy I got the estimate from also had experience w this refurbishing company. He recommended them if I wanted it as a stock replica. He's used them on vintage car restorations and was happy w the product.
in the end, they have a process that refurbishes the stock dash pad quite well. I watched some videos on the process they have. It's a bit of labor and time. And shipping these is a miserable situation. I can respect the price and though it's not for me it has its place. I feel like this a pick your poison!
ps, kitts customs makes a fiberglass replica for 82-84 firebirds. It's $350 and $370 to ship from Mexico!
I don't know...The quality looks awesome. It looks very well built.
But, there are a couple of things I am concerned about. The shape of the pad is off. It's kinda close, but I can tell right away it's not correct. The rear edge on the new pad is not vertical. It is rounded and has a slight slope, approaching the slope of the 84 and up pads. The ribbing is also in the wrong location. It is on the top of the pad and about 1/4" from the edge. My original was on the very edge, just about on the corner. The defroster vents fit OK, I just need to trim a little on the edges of the vinyl.
I can't tell right now how well it will fit as the car is too far disassembled. Unless it is too thick, it should fit since it should be my original structure. I wish I would have taken more detailed photos of the old pad.
I am going to reach out to them and see what their response is.
In the meantime, can I ask everyone a favor?
If anyone has time, could you post some pics of the rear edge of your 82-83 pad? One showing a straight edge against it would be great too.
I wish I would have known to take pictures before I stripped my dash down during the rebuild, I would have taken some pictures! The back of the dash and top vinyl was contoured and sealed down. You can kind of see the lip of the old dash in the indention of the foam. What I did was remove all the old foam, then applied new 4mm foam with 3m weatherstrip and gasket adhesive. After that I used the 82-83 specific plastic cover overlay. For less than $250 or so I am happy with the results. I am not going with a concours restoration. The only thing I did not like about the overlay was the driver's speaker perforation was not in the correct position.
That's an interesting method. I've read reviews where those caps don't fit very well over the old padding. Removing it and starting from scratch sounds like a way to fine tune the fit. I haven't heard of speaker hole location issues.
This opinion will probably be unpopular in this type of thread, but I think you are being too picky and unrealistic. Even the factory dashes weren't as perfect as you seek, so expecting some company using different equipment from the factory to turn out a 100%, no flaw, no difference dash is an impossible task. This is probably a huge factor in why people don't want to reproduce parts for these and other old cars.
Be happy with it for what it is. Put your car together and ENJOY it.
Hard to make out - but the speaker perforation is crooked on the driver's side. The cap follows the contour of the original dash. The cap also wraps around the bottom lip. Test fit for the picture request. Excuse the mess as I am about ready for paint. Side defrost vents fit under the overlay. Yes, not factory correct - but better than the state it was in when I started. I still have the dash pad/carpet that hid the massive cracks I may or may not use (just lay it on top) when I am done with assembly of the interior post paint.
This opinion will probably be unpopular in this type of thread, but I think you are being too picky and unrealistic. Even the factory dashes weren't as perfect as you seek, so expecting some company using different equipment from the factory to turn out a 100%, no flaw, no difference dash is an impossible task. This is probably a huge factor in why people don't want to reproduce parts for these and other old cars.
Be happy with it for what it is. Put your car together and ENJOY it.
True, today's repro parts can't be expected to look and perform like OEM.
But, I can't agree in this case. These dashes are a product of a technician's ability. They aren't stamped out on a machine like the usual junky sheet metal we have to put up with.
I can't profess that I know everything it takes to build one of these dashes, but it seems to be a matter of properly shaping the foam to the correct contours before applying the vinyl.
And, for $2K, I do expect more. I feel it should look like their example on their website.
The options as you mentioned at the beginning of the thread are limited for 82-83 Camaros. And the aftermarket stuff is "okay" in its own way.
For my build (and everyone is unique at what they want their car to be when completed and that's cool), spending an entire week of evenings in the garage, and the price of material/ parts, I am "satisfied" with the results. Happy? It's not factory correct and I accepted that. I was really hoping for your dash for that price would have been "spot" on in reproduction quality.
If it can't be perfect (and it probably can't), they shouldn't be charging a "perfect" price.
That's all I'm saying...
Agree. That is a very premium price. They have a lot of spin on how great their dashes look:
"We take pride in delivering high-quality, factory-authentic dash restorations."
"It will also get the curves perfect so the final covering will look correct."
"...we are able to hand build it back to its original contours and dimensions."
"...the pad can be sanded and hand shaped back to it’s original contours."
Here is a pad from a member that was rebuilt by them. It looks better than mine. The ribs are in their proper location. It's a little hard to tell for sure, but the edge also looks correct. I will reach out to him for his opinion.
I wish I would have known to take pictures before I stripped my dash down during the rebuild, I would have taken some pictures! The back of the dash and top vinyl was contoured and sealed down. You can kind of see the lip of the old dash in the indention of the foam. What I did was remove all the old foam, then applied new 4mm foam with 3m weatherstrip and gasket adhesive. After that I used the 82-83 specific plastic cover overlay. For less than $250 or so I am happy with the results. I am not going with a concours restoration. The only thing I did not like about the overlay was the driver's speaker perforation was not in the correct position.
That looks good, but im afraid you are going to be very disappointed the first day you pull the car out into a hot sun. I tried two different brand dash overlays and both warped a LOT the first exposure to a warm day. One even began cracking all over months later. Very frustrating, because I KNOW better plastic exists.
I hope I'm wrong. If so, please report back later so the rest of us know what brand is a good dash cover. What brand did you use?
I just got a used like new dash pad last night. It’s for my 83 Daytona . $140 US dollars ish as I’m in Canada .
i guess it’s harder to find Camaro ones but seems like lots of dashes available up here
I just got off the phone with Andy at Just Dashes after he called me to address my issues.
They are going to make it right. They will send me a free shipping label to ship the dash back to the them. They will also take care of the return shipping.
I told him how this is being discussed here and that I was hopeful they would take care of me. He made it clear that they take customer service seriously, and so far, I believe it. I am giving them an A+ for the time being. Let's just see if they can get the contours right this time.
Now, I wonder if the repair will be worse than the defect. I would imagine to do it right, they will need to completely strip off the vinyl and foam. I'm sure the vinyl can't be removed without destroying the foam. I hope they don't cut corners and try to reuse the foam.
I also noticed that on the underside where the forward mounting screw holes are located, on one side there are two inserts/pads of some sort, the other has none. He said those pads are part of the structure and the broken ones were missed by the estimator. Normally, they would have charged to repair those missing pads but he said they will waive the charges.
I just got off the phone with Andy at Just Dashes after he called me to address my issues.
They are going to make it right. They will send me a free shipping label to ship the dash back to the them. They will also take care of the return shipping.
I told him how this is being discussed here and that I was hopeful they would take care of me. He made it clear that they take customer service seriously, and so far, I believe it. I am giving them an A+ for the time being. Let's just see if they can get the contours right this time.
Now, I wonder if the repair will be worse than the defect. I would imagine to do it right, they will need to completely strip off the vinyl and foam. I'm sure the vinyl can't be removed without destroying the foam. I hope they don't cut corners and try to reuse the foam.
I also noticed that on the underside where the forward mounting screw holes are located, on one side there are two inserts/pads of some sort, the other has none. He said those pads are part of the structure and the broken ones were missed by the estimator. Normally, they would have charged to repair those missing pads but he said they will waive the charges.
Don't think so... I plan on getting mine recovered. I was going to do it myself as I recovered it years ago with a generic cover, and it turned out good, but I don't want to trust myself this time.
That's a bargain! Of course, what the guy is wanting for the Z28 wheel is ridiculous. He might get it. I'm watching it. Someone out there with money to burn will have nothing better to do than to spend his fortune on this kind of stuff.
From: Franklin, KY near Beech Bend Raceway, Corvette Plant and Museum.
Car: 1992 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 5.0L L03 TBI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73
Re: Dash Pad Restoration by "Just Dashes"
Originally Posted by Jay-GTA
I just picked up a new old stock never used 89 ws6 trans am steering wheel for $180.
I get the feeling Camaro stuff costs more then Firebird stuff.
That is a great deal you got there. But that is not a 1989 steering wheel for a Firebird, Formula, Trans Am, or Trans Am GTA. 1988 and 1989 Firebirds had a 4 spoke steering wheel and the Firebirds with steering wheel radio controls had their own steering wheel. 1990+ had the airbag steering wheel.
That is a leather wrapped steering wheel for a 1987 Trans Am GTA. It might also be for a 1987 Formula or Trans Am with the NP5 Leather Appointment Group.
I don't really know my earlier Firebirds that well but that style might have also been used on 1986 and earlier Firebirds too.
Also you live in Canada and I guess it's possible Z49 Canadian Export Firebirds came with different steering wheels than US spec models.
I've seen this style leather wrapped steering wheel go for around $550.00 to $750.00 USD in mint NOS condition.
