I got my dash back!

Conner · Post by **Conner** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:50 pm

My dashboard came back tonight from Dashboard Restorations USA in Washington state. The recovered the frame in foam that won't crack again and recovered it in new vinyl. Looks good!

No more cracks on the top:

Of course the car isn't anywhere near ready to accept a new dash at this point, so I won't know how well it fits for some time.

DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:57 pm

DELETED

garth · Post by **garth** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:26 pm

Looks great!

What were the costs and can you post contact info and details.

Thanks

Conner · Post by **Conner** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:49 pm

It was definitely more expensive than a dash cap. I shopped around and found three places that do this kind of service. Dashboard restorations was the least expensive at $600 for the dash, glovebox door, and the pad that goes under the dash on the driver's side. They will also do your console and lid for another few hundred bucks, but I'm going to have those recovered here locally.
This is one of the areas I splurged on, because I figure the dashboard will be the centerpiece of my car's new interior.
You can find them at http://www.dashboardrestorations.com/. This company originally was the U.S. branch of a well known Australian company (Dashboard Restorations), but apparently the two are no longer affiliated. Not sure what the details are there, but there was some kind of falling-out. The guy I dealt with, Pete, is a good person, very knowledgeable. Again, I can't speak to how well it will fit yet, but the dash looks very nice.

Victor_laury · Post by **Victor_laury** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:17 pm

My Z's dash was done by the Aussie branch, before they opened the Washington site. I hear tell that the two have split up now. It's good to hear the the Washington folks are still in buisness, giving JustDashes a run for the money

Post by **ppeters914** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:33 pm

Looks nice...pricey, but nice. Wonder if the early flat-dash would be cheaper?

Victor_laury · Post by **Victor_laury** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:44 pm

How is it Pricey, Pete? He's got an uncracked dash. He'll be able to know it's not some phoney dash cover like mine. This aint a cheap hobby. at least he saved a couple hundred from the Just Dashes price.

Yes the flat dash is cheaper, for a flat dashed car. If ya got a late model and you don't want to tear it up to engineer a flat dash conversion or just keep it original, recovering is the way to go. Any Idea what a NOS late model dash would sell for today? Dashboard Restore's price is cheap in comparison.

Conner · Post by **Conner** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:03 pm

I did research on prices back in June before I decided to go with Dashboard Restorations: http://www.mydatsunroadster.com/2005/06 ... icing.html

There are just some parts and pieces that are fairly expensive, i.e. later windshield gaskets and lower ball joints. It would be nice if there were some way to get these prices down a bit, but let's face it: we've chosen a pretty obscure car to dedicate ourselves to.

And oh yeah, when I first got a quote from Just Dashes he thought I was talking about an early (flat) dash and quoted something definitely lower, maybe $450, if I recall correctly.

Post by **ppeters914** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:02 pm

Didn't mean to offend anyone. I thought the only difference between the Dash Resto job and installing a vendor dash pad is paying someone vs Do-It-Yourself - the end result is still a covered dash.

If I'm off-base, someone enlighten me

Post by **Linda** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 11:03 pm

Is the dash restoration harder to do or can auto upholstery places handle the job? If not it sounds like only a couple of places do the dashes. Not the best way to get a lower price. My car needs a new dash.
Linda
68 1600

Conner · Post by **Conner** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 11:14 pm

It is a specialty service and I found three vendors in the U.S. who do it. This one was the cheapest and I am pleased with the result. It was expensive, but it should never crack.
A dash cap is a more economical solution. It is essentially a plastic covering that you can place over the cracked dashboard to make the dash serface smooth again.

JoeK · Post by **JoeK** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 11:43 pm

Pete, yes there is a difference. The vendor dash cap is a thin piece of plastic that sits atop the old dash. They rarely sit flat and make the knobs hard to reach, at least on mine.

A recovered dash will fit much nicer and look better, plus should last longer, assuming they use new materials.

I know of only seen one original dash that wasn't cracked, and the guy wants $500 for it. And that one will crack eventually, so the recovered one seems like a deal to me. If I had the extra scratch.