Frankie the Fink

As requested I will randomly post pics as work progresses - I watched the Al Knoch dash install video twice and his guy "Gilbert" makes it look way too easy. He doesn't even remove the dash cluster or steering wheel! Just pulls the cluster forward on the column on top of a towel and installs behind it...wow.

Anyway these pics show old (top) and new, untrimmed (bottom) dash pad; (the color and grain match - its just the camera angle and lighting); the passenger side, infamous windshield pillar 'tab' (and I don't know if mine is original or just well-repaired); looks repaired to me. These are notorious for being broken and, in the worst cases, allow the windshield frame to lift off the glass when the convertible top is put up.

The final shot shows how nicely a lounge chair cushion fits on the windshield to protect it from 'dropped' items before installation. Windshield also lays nicely on my Silvertown wide-whitewall bias tires too!

Now the cutting begins! (* GULP *)

Coves4me

My confidence level continues to rise with every photo you take. Thanks. Mark Oh, yeah,......Good luck.

Frankie the Fink

Did the initial cuts and fit..not real happy with CC's Romeo Engineering pad if the factory slit on the right behind the dash cluster shows (1st pic)...I think that should have been horizontal. (What the hell is it for anyway ?)

Next pic is the "holy grail" of pad install - meaning that the speaker hole lines up (I'm not quite there in the 2nd pic) I cut the hole after the dash pad was getting close on the car and NOT on the floor as per instructions. Too much moving around that way. I removed all foam from directly behind 'flaps' where dash cluster will meet pad.

The grab bar brackets are the "ego busters" (especially the driver's side) if you tear or cut too far (see red circle in 3rd pic) you are major-league screwed. I just made it here and the bracket will cover my too-large hole. Not much room for error. It gets worse the bottom lip where the Corvette insert goes will flop up and down once you have cut out for it and easily tear this area...big caution here.

Its a toss up if its easier to remove dash pad brackets or not - its a PITA either way...this may be the worst part of the install from what I saw on the video - even Al Knoch's guy had to dick with it a lot.

kwkenuf

You windshield post is repaired. Much stronger than the original cast piece....
Question. Did you lengthen the cut for the grab bar bracket or was it already that way from Romeo? Also, do you have any pics of your foam removal efforts from the rear of the pad?

Frankie the Fink

There was NO cut on the grab bar side of the pad (see the pics I posted a while back for the out-of-the-box pad) - so you have to cut the insert hole and slits for the brackets.

The attached pics are removing nearly ALL the foam behind cluster area (hard to see); I did a test fit of the cluster and it will still be ugly and take some persuading but I don't know how to make it any easier. Highly recommend one of those adjustable length Exacto knives with the 'break off' blades when doing this job. You can expose just enough blade to say, remove foam, without going any deeper and damaging the pad vinyl cover. Also removed some foam on back of pad just above the right radio area to let pad settle a little farther onto the dash and this little bit extra ensures my driver's side grab bar bracket cut will be hidden.

The vette gods are smiling on me so far..

vette61

Frank,
When you cut away the pad to install the defroster bezels chances are you will be able to see the edges of the light colored foam which will not look good so before you put your pad on or windshield back on take a black sharpie and "color" the edges. It just makes for a neater appearance....Mike

Frankie the Fink

Yup! Already read that trick elsewhere and thanks !

1st pic is the dash basically installed with the front 'flap' up. The blue tape on the right keeps that bottom 'lip' from flopping down and tearing the grab bar bracket holes.
2nd pic is the front flap glued down.
3rd is the side (driver's side glued down. Notice the slits to allow the flap to fold down.

Used 3M Super Trim Adhesive and the wife's hair dryer and just heated the flap UNTIL THE TOP EDGE STARTED TO FOLD OVER. Then pulled hard to eliminate wrinkles but not so hard I tore my slits open at the curves. Do NOT overheat or the Seville grain will come out of the dash. NOTE: Return wife's hair dryer to bathroom before she notices.

Frankie the Fink

Insert and grab bar in - easier than I expected.

Haven't "screwed the pooch" yet on anything so I'm calling it quits for today. I'm tired and will start making mistakes; hitting the pool then a cigar and Corona...dash cluster tomorrow, defroster, mirror, interior light, speaker & final trim & glue.

UNLIKE the Al Knoch video I'll do the mirror before the speaker install so I can access the mirror nuts through the speaker hole....I don't know why Al's guy reversed this and made it a PITA.

Hope I'm not boring folks and the pictures will help any other unfortunate soul that has to do this !!

wmf62

Frank
looking good... with all the $$$ you've saved you'll be able to buy a LOT of cigars & corona.
let me know when you want to put on the windshield
Bill

Coves4me

WOW!!....I'm impressed. Thanks for the pics. I'm getting the urge to start mine and your picture taking has certainly helped me get over the jitters of this task. Thanks, Frank.

Frankie the Fink

I'd normally say Sat but its a 3-day weekend and most folks have plans and there sure isn't any hurry...so next week sometime probably.

Frankie the Fink

Well I've put 3 dash pads in my old Mustangs (long since sold in a fit of insanity) so I'm not a complete newbie and knew the basics...other than that its mostly patience... When you get ready I can loan you the Al Knoch video but it really doesn't show you a lot more than I'm doing in this thread (1/2 the video is 'ole Al holding up all the products he sells and telling you about them!)

Plasticman

Frank,

You are doing great! Keep up the good work (and documentation), and I will "let" you do mine next!

John

bigearl56

Frank, Looks like "The Force" is with you. That d#^m grab bar drove me crazy. Didn't think I would ever get the chrome ends to slide over the cover and attaching screws. I too put the mirror on through the speaker hole and plugged in the console light. Sorry the video was not more help, others told me it was a God send. As always your work is super.

That "Stang" looks sweet, post more pics. I sold a '66 or '67 coupe (can't remember) back in the day for $800. Sure wish I had it back.

Earl

KC John

What is creating the dent just below the speaker grille?

Frankie the Fink

It actually looks worse in this pic than it is due to lighting - its a VERY slight shallow spot - these pads usually take time to 'settle' and a few weeks in the sun and expansion/contraction usually helps things smooth out. Also the rear view mirror mounts close to this and will most likely pull down the vinyl just enough to tighten the area up along with the speaker grill. Remember there is NO glue on the pad except at the very front so it 'floats' until all the do-dads are bolted down.

We'll see when I post pics tomorrow after more stuff is installed...

Frankie the Fink

One trick is to NOT put in the inboard clutch head screw on each end of the grab bar until the chrome end plates are in place and use plenty of silicone to slide them around. The inboard screws stuck out on my car just enough to prevent the end plate from moving easily. Put these screws in AFTER the end plate is positioned.

The wife called my Mustangs "Beauty and the Beast" - the convertible is a fully-loaded 289 2bbl auto with power everything and just a sweetheart to drive. Sold it last year to buy the vette. The red fastback I had prior to that was a monster...Shelby suspension, 4-speed and a "street Boss" motor (a 289 with 351 heads with spaghetti headers and Holly 650 dbl pumper) -- only picture I have of it. I had it up to 125MPH one night (for reasons I won't mention) and it was rock solid
The guy that bought it in Virgina was white-faced after I took him for a performance ride and cashed in his 401-K to buy it!

Frankie the Fink

Well this thread has had nearly 600 views so we'll keep going. Installing all the do-dads now...interior light installed now the speaker. The speaker grille has funny oblong standoffs and if you want it to sit flush on the pad you need to cut more than just a round hole. I used my dividers to measure the oblong (1st pic) then marked the limit of the grille surround with blue tape at the studs so I would know NOT to go past these when cutting the oblongs (2nd Pic). The defroster grilles leave NO room for error so scribe the inside slot (don't use grease pencil or anything that leaves a wide mark). Cut out the slots then touch up the inside of the slot with a black sharpee pen just for looks sake. Don't bolt the grilles down until the windshield is installed and you can easily get to the two windshield T-bolt nuts that hide behind the defroster ducts this way.

Last pic is pretty much done except for the dash cluster final trimming at the bottom of the pad and at the dash end caps and some slight gluing of the bottom piece under the dash insert (I just don't like this piece being loose.) There are some minor wrinkles at the round front edge (which will be covered by the windshield molding) and very minor 'wavy' places but my experience is you can get most of these out with a heat gun and a few weeks in the sun takes care of the rest.

Frankie the Fink

Last pic of the install the rest is upside down under dash doing final cut and glue and I'm NOT going to try to take pics of that -- none of it is very critical in any event. Sprayed silicone all over the dash pad around cluster hole and it was a big non-event; cluster slid in and holding it in with one hand and tightening cluster bolts with the other did it. Guess removing the foam where it mounts did the trick. Last picture I'll post on this topic as its basically done.

1snake

Looks great. One suggestion for those about to replace one. The front flap should be run to the front of the windshield channel and glued securely. The windshield will be an additional anchor for the flap. These things tend to shrink and try to pull out of the channel over time.

Jim