Dash Restoration

[Hawg_man]

I have a daily driver tribute Roadrunner I'm preparing to sell and discovered it had a Dash Cap which is now cracked and needs replaced. I have 2 choices either go with a new Cap or a New Dash Pad. The new dash pad requires more work and cost so it may not return the time and investment when I sell the car. Need some advice and rate the difficulty replacing a dash pad.

 

[plymouthman72]

I personally would sell it as is and not worry about the dash pad. I do not think it is going to affect your overall value that much.

If you want to replace it, it will not be a super easy task to remove it. I can not remember exactly where the mounting tabs are as its been a while since I did mine. You might be able to do it with it still in the car but I took my whole dash out of the car which made it much easier to play with.

If you feel the need to fix it, I would try and get the old dash cap off, clean up the surface area, and lay a new dash cap on it. That, think you can do with the dash still in it. New pads are usually $400+ vs $100 dash cap and I do not think you will get that kind of return out of a full replacement. just my .02

 

[Hawg_man]

I've decided to go with a Dash Cap and found that the last one was not installed correctly and has a ton of RTV Silicone that needs removing. I also need to remove the AC Woodgrain Insert but don't have a clue how it is installed (See Photo) I found this on e-bay in case I break mine but could use your help in how it's removed. I've removed the glove box and have access but no luck so far. Help!

 

[plymouthman72]

Hawg, Sorry I did not respond sooner, I was out all weekend and did not have a chance to respond. You might have already figured it out but there are several screws on the back that hold it to the dash pad. With the dash being in the car, it may be difficult to get all of them but make sure you do. If you feel resistance when pulling it out, you probably missed one. The hard ones are at the corners and not much room for a screw driver to get in there(Especially with the vents).

I do not have any pictures of mine but here is a link to ebay that shows the back of one. Hopefully this helps.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOPAR-1971-...ash=item238e80f847:g:YGgAAOSwKytZNxcY&vxp=mtr

 

[Hawg_man]

I did locate the screws on the back and got all but 1 out and it is almost impossible to get a screwdiver/bit on it. I have an endoscope camera hooked to my laptop and can see it but am not quite sure how to remove it. Thanks for th response and ebay link.

 

[plymouthman72]

I did locate the screws on the back and got all but 1 out and it is almost impossible to get a screwdiver/bit on it. I have an endoscope camera hooked to my laptop and can see it but am not quite sure how to remove it. Thanks for th response and ebay link.

Not sure if there is room but what I have in the past for tight spots like this is to take a small 1/4 " socket wrench with a small extension, use a 1/4" socket and use a small 1/4 inch size screw driver bits. It fits in the socket and lets you ratchet it at a different angle. That way you can actually turn it and put some torque on it.

 

[Hawg_man]

Has anybody used a dash cap from dantesparts.com? If so how was the quality and fit? Thanks