Suggestions on what to do with this dash mess

qwertyd10n · Post by **qwertyd10n** » September 22, 2009, 9:19 pm

Hi everyone,

I've managed to round up pretty much everything I need to redo the interior on my truck... with the exception of the radio situation.

What you're about to see could be disturbing for nostalgic viewers. Viewer discretion is advised...

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy9/ ... G_8570.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy9/ ... G_8572.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy9/ ... G_8573.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy9/ ... G_8570.jpg

Given that the entire truck has already been painted (before I bought it), I'm really not keen on welding in a patch panel, doing the body work to make it look good, and trying to match the paint color.

So, thought I'd throw this out there to anyone who might have a good idea... fabrication, using a radio/faceplate from another vehicle, whatever comes to mind. If you look close, I've put some dimensions of the opening on the last photo.

Cheers,
Dion

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » September 22, 2009, 9:24 pm

Your right it is disturbing. Some people should not be allowed near a truck with any type of cutting tools. I was always one to be satisfied with just an AM radio, just as long as I can get the news and a little weather is all I care about.

f100jim · Post by **f100jim** » September 22, 2009, 9:24 pm

My God man , what did they have in there, aTV!!!

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » September 22, 2009, 9:27 pm

that is worse than mine (but not much).

f100jim · Post by **f100jim** » September 22, 2009, 9:32 pm

I know you don't want to, but unless you put a huge trim plate around your radio, you'll have to patch the hole and redrill. In the end you will be glad you did.jim

loosrp · Post by **loosrp** » September 22, 2009, 9:40 pm

Wow!! A double Din with knobs?? You have 2 choices.... What Jim said

MadMaxetc · Post by **MadMaxetc** » September 22, 2009, 9:46 pm

I would get someone to cut you a section out a good dash (but bad cab) and weld some studs, cut a hole and tabs for the radio. Then drill a few holes in the dash for the studs to pass through.

If you did it right you could paint it black and make it liike like a stripe the runs down from the upper portion of the dash.

Then if you ever want to weld it in later you would already have the radio mounted and you could just patch it in.

61 Merc · Post by **61 Merc** » September 22, 2009, 11:16 pm

I would agree with Dan about making a patch panel out of another dash. Or get a portable DVD sytem and have it installed. I like Dan's idea better.

Dean

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » September 22, 2009, 11:51 pm

patch panel is the way to go.

glad i do things like save a whole dash

gre8one7 · Post by **gre8one7** » September 22, 2009, 11:57 pm

put a new ford radio in like the one in my marauder or in the escapes...color wont match but it will fill the hole pretty much

dotcentral · Post by **dotcentral** » September 23, 2009, 12:18 am

It probably got a "real sweet" Kraco AM/FM 8-Track back in 1977. Then a double din or who knows what in the more recent past.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vintage- ... 06.c0.m245

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » September 23, 2009, 7:42 am

You could go to Overhead door and see if they make a model that fits that hole!

Or you could find a radio almost the same to fill the hole, or do the patch panel Mad Max Dan says. You could follow up on that thought and find a chunk of thin chrome or stainless and do the stripe in bright metal, you might even find that it satisfies a latent Chromaholic within you.

I feel yer pain Bro, I had the identical hole. One of the very few bang-up jobs my 3 body men did, they filled it in perfect. Can't bring myself to drill it out for the stock radio plate now.

Think I am going with Hidden Audio.

Sadly I remember one of our younger members telling us he was cutting that hole in his dash, and everyone trying desperately to talk him out of it. Except the "It's your truck" crowd.

You know the ones.."I'm taking my truck to the crusher to have it made into a Subaru" their reply is always"It's your truck,do what you want". This was the same kind of thinking that explains the Plains Bison (or lack thereof) now.
Well after seeing a few hundred of these abortions, I always make it a policy to "encourage" people to NOT do this, or put goofy wood box floors in their styleside trucks. There were other encouragements too, but I have now confined that advice to different forums.

Unfortunately, the bottom line on advice is.,, you cant fix stupid.

Tech · Post by **Tech** » September 23, 2009, 10:31 am

I'm thinking a nice piece of black lacquer mahogany contoured to the dash on the back and flat on most of the face with the appropriate size radio hole might get it covered up.
I don't think that that is a radio hole, I think it is an auxiliary engine access port for adjusting the carb while driving or a place to put a big screen tv! Was this truck on pimp my ride?
Tech

Post by **Greg D** » September 23, 2009, 11:16 am

One thing, if you patch the hole you will only have the lower dash to repaint. Does it have the door inserts? If so you wouldn't have to match the metallic red - match the inserts, ie - good quality rattle can.

douglloyd · Post by **douglloyd** » September 23, 2009, 12:38 pm

Check with banjopicker (John Sutton) If I remember correctly he was going to use an extra glove box door for a patch panel. Same curve and metal thickness.

Sounded like a good approach to me, but I can't weld so YMMV.

Doug

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » September 23, 2009, 2:46 pm

cut in the right place the section becomes invisible.

at the top hidden by dash trim
then glovebox at right and directly under steering wheel at left.

this was my first thought at the piece but then decided to use a the wider version i described.

Truckrat · Post by **Truckrat** » September 23, 2009, 4:19 pm

Ok, these are all great. Brian, your dash section replacement sounds best to me. I read all these and came up with one more, but probably won't anyone like it. Well.....maybe they will. Anyhow, here goes. If you know anyone with a mill, maybe you can get them to make a faceplate out of billet aluminum and have them cut it out for whatever radio you want to use. No welding required, and no chance of burning anything behind the dash like heater ducts, wire, etc. Not original factory looking, but simple, easy, and if done right could look like part of the radio. Just my TR

Total Gearhead · Post by **Total Gearhead** » September 23, 2009, 5:00 pm

seeing you have a chrome strip on the dash you can get some of the thin chrome strips they put on the outside of newer trucks and stick it on there. I've done it before it doesn't look too bad. It is self adhesive and cuts and bends easily. You can also recut the hole to fit the radio you want to use and add the chrome behind it.

qwertyd10n · Post by **qwertyd10n** » September 23, 2009, 5:22 pm

Truckrat wrote:Ok, these are all great. Brian, your dash section replacement sounds best to me. I read all these and came up with one more, but probably won't anyone like it. Well.....maybe they will. Anyhow, here goes. If you know anyone with a mill, maybe you can get them to make a faceplate out of billet aluminum and have them cut it out for whatever radio you want to use. No welding required, and no chance of burning anything behind the dash like heater ducts, wire, etc. Not original factory looking, but simple, easy, and if done right could look like part of the radio. Just my TR

I had this exact idea, except I don't know anyone with a mill and I've been told going searching for someone to do this will cost me a fortune.

Tech · Post by **Tech** » September 23, 2009, 7:43 pm

If you like aluminum then buy a piece of .060" thick probably 6061 T-4 so that you can form it. Bend it around a piece of pipe until it matches the dash curvature. Then do a machine turn finish with a scotch bright pad and a drill press. Old school look and simple to make.
Tech

Suggestions on what to do with this dash mess

Suggestions on what to do with this dash mess

butchered dash

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