While I was chasing the AC issue, I tore the center console and instrument pod off. I was basically only 4 bolts away from removing the dash, so I did.
Once I had juice to the AC, I could start putting the int back together, hopefully for the last time (I've had the pod off at least 3 times for various reasons). The new dash went on with very little fanfare. It looks so much better than the old one with the hole in it. Next up was the instruments and pod. Did some adjusting so it fit better on the right side than in previous installations. Center console was next, except it needed some prep work.
The edges on both side had curled up. The guy I bought the dash from in OKC said you could hit them with a heat gun and then glue them back down, so that was the plan.
Put the console back in and screwed the HVAC unit and AC button in. Then secured the radio to the cubby hole.
Popped the radio / cubby hole into the console and finished off the side panels. Had some trouble with the glove box fitting correctly. This seemed to be the only issue the replacement dash - the glove box door wouldn't latch and when I finally got it to, there was a huge gap. Took it back out and hammered the attaching tabs on the dash down a bit. Got it to look 50% better but I'm not totally happy with it. She'll do for now but I may work on it this summer when the weather's warmer.
Finished product:
Huge check mark off the To Do list.
I'm going to keep the old dash. May try fixing it this summer and if that doesn't work I can try covering it with leather. You never know when I might need another black dash - maybe for my next shark.
The weather was brutally cold this wk. It took a good hr to heat the garage and even then it was a bit nipply. I took my time and would quit after making some progress but then would run into an issue that stymied me. Would think about it overnight and figure out a way around the problem and would be off to the next step.
I learned patience from dad. When I was in my teens and twenties, we'd buy wrecked cars and rebuild them. When we'd run into a problem, dad would always figure out a soln, sometimes a day or two later. Once he told me his problem solving technique - he was a postman and walked a route every day. He told me it was a boring job but gave him a chance to think and he'd use that time to figure out the solutions to our problems. That method's worked for me many times.
The new dash looks a whole lot better than with the hole in it. Car shows will be more enjoyable this summer.
