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Good Morning CF,
I am wondering if there is an easy (easier) way to loosen the upper dash pad in the 1969 that I am currently restoring. I would like to loosen it and slide the upper dash pad an 1" or so away from the inside of the windshield so that I can clean the dash, then prime, then re-dye the upper dash. I have removed the 6 horizontal screws that secure the front part of the upper dash pad. I have the LH and RH Windshield Pillar Post trim pieces out - those came out pretty easy.
I looked at the Assembly Manual on P. J95 for 1969 and it looks like the upper pad is secured from the underside by what the AIM is calling "Reinforcement PN 3912681-2" which my not allow the upper pad to be loosened and moved forward slightly. I have not crawled under the dash yet to see if I can find the reinforcement attaching point to the upper dash.
May just have to clean and detail the upper dash pad in place which is not the worst option. I was hoping to get along the edges better so I would not have to mask right at the bottom of the windshield,
As always, any help or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Kevin
RH upper dash pad LH upper dash pad narrow space between inside windshield and upper dash pad
The same AIM page or one next to it shows how the two pieces of the reinforcement bolt together, then bolt to the birdcage. You can remove the reinforcement from underneath the pad, but it's a bit of a chore, including the stud in the bottom of the pad securing it to the reinforcement.
The same AIM page or one next to it shows how the two pieces of the reinforcement bolt together, then bolt to the birdcage. You can remove the reinforcement from underneath the pad, but it's a bit of a chore, including the stud in the bottom of the pad securing it to the reinforcement.
Hi Easy Mike,
I've been looking for the reinforcement attachment points to the bird cage but have not located those yet. Guessing the screws on either end of the two reinforcement pieces are screwed in underneath another piece of trim, perhaps the forward side panels on the lower part of the dash?
Question - do you think just loosening the two ends of the reinforcements will be enough to slide the upper dash back even a 1/2" to 1" so that I can mask and clean the edge area of the upper dash? It should move some, right? Even if I don't pull the entire reinforcement pieces off or loosen the nuts that secure the reinforcements to the bottom of the upper dash?
The screw you need to remove is behind the passenger-side dash pad, toward the top of that area. Once you remove that, the only thing keeping the dash pad in place is the tight fit behind the driver's dash pad and the side posts on the windshield. Be aware that bending a 40+ year-old piece of vinyl coated foam, in order to remove it, is not a wise decision. They are easily damaged and relatively expensive to replace.
Fortunately, the '68-69 upper dash pads do NOT have any radio speakers, etc connected to them.
Be aware that bending a 40+ year-old piece of vinyl coated foam, in order to remove it, is not a wise decision. They are easily damaged and relatively expensive to replace.
Fortunately, the '68-69 upper dash pads do NOT have any radio speakers, etc connected to them.
Hello 7T1vette,
Noted - risk / reward of working on 51-year old vinyl coated foam. I'm being very careful with disassembly and will just clean and dye in place if necessary to avoid damage to the upper dash pad. Appreciate the heads-up on the location of the screw that holds the reinforcement to the bird cage.
Yes a pain for sure , on my 70 I had the center console out and was trying to get the top pad off and noticed the small bracket , agreed a pain but well worth it R
Looking forward to seeing your re-dye, my red dash looks like yours. My car was ordered with clear glass and the sun faded the dash in the short time it was left outside.
This is another GOOD reason to use a polymer protectant on all interior surfaces. Not only will it leave the surface looking like new vinyl and protect it from spills, etc. It will also block UV rays that will fade and damage your plastic interior parts/surfaces. Nu-Vinyl, Meguiar's Protectant for Plastics, etc. polymer products are all similar (probably use the same chemicals) and do a GREAT job of topping off your clean interior.
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Upper Dash Pad - 1969
