Projects Looking for Mercury dashboard ideas

My 51 has a dash that was filled, and round gauges installed. Looks too hotroddy to me. I found a 51 dash with the ribbed trim, which I plan on running .

The issue is I have a Thunderbird interior, and the console runs up to the dash, right into the ribbed area.

I am looking for ideas to clean this up and still look good.

BTW the steering wheel is going away too

 

photos so nice i had to post them twice...

 

My only thought would be to buy a '64 Galaxie console top plate and cut it down as a filler panel to go between the T-bird radio and the dash. Could fit in that unpainted blank spot, and carry the ribbed theme into the radio area. You wouldn't be using a lot of it, so you could start out with a hacked up Galaxie piece. Also those little side filler pieces that run the console into the dash, if you can't afford to have them chromed, wrap them in HVAC foil tape or something so they look like they belong there.

 

T-bird dash with swing away column to match the rest of the interior?

 

Hard to beat the 50-51 (I prefer those over the 49).


Gasp

 

Hard to say without the new dash in place and seeing where things line up. More vertical lines on the center console, if they don't line up with those on the dash, will just make it a bigger hodge podge IMO.

 

Make a plate with milled fins to match the spacing on the dash. Polished aluminum or chromed steel and blacked out lows.

 

Well, I'll throw my .02 worth in here... I've also got a couple of these '50-51 dashes I'm planning on modifying/narrowing to install into my avatar coupe. That factory radio location is the main issue...

Personally, I'd ditch the console but if that's not possible I'd cut it back so it no longer 'flows' into the dash. The heater controls and radio can be moved into the dash proper as it has the heater controls if you have the bits, you'd have to come up with the heater cables. The radio is more of a problem. The OEM radio was too bulky to fit behind the dash in one piece, so it used a multi-piece chassis. The faceplate/pushbuttons/volume and tuning knobs were one piece, the main amp chassis was separate. I don't think any one-piece radio will fit there, but I may be wrong. I know one won't work in my application. Retrosound radios to the rescue. Their product can be separated into the faceplate, amp chassis, and separate knobs. My plan is the faceplate into the OEM location (well, shifted to the left after eliminating the clock), the knobs below that in line with the other knobs, and the chassis in the OEM speaker location. But the knobs could stay with the faceplate if desired.

That leaves cleaning up the factory radio location. The cut-out for the pushbuttons is the main problem. If you remove that, it leaves a pretty big hole. My solution is to cut that out and grind all the tombstones for the starter, lights, etc that stick up down flat then trimming a piece of 18 or 20 gauge brushed stainless to cover that whole area. Superglue or epoxy will hold it in place. Cut the right side of the stock lens off then fabricate a new piece to fill it back in. You now have a place for a new radio. Or not; you could leave it blank, maybe install a Mercury script.

One last note. If you're entertaining any thought of re-plating the die-cast bezel, be aware that the lower side of the instrument opening has a 'pebbled' finish to reduce glare or at least all the ones I have do. If there's ANY pitting there, it's all-but-impossible to repair without visibly altering the pattern. I picked up a very nicely replated bezel but that area is horrible. They tried NOT addressing the pits, which resulted in visible pitting and blisters in the new chrome, which is another reason why I'm grinding it flat and covering it.

 

My dash had a smashed up speaker grille so we decided to section out that area and fill. Just a thought to clean up area where your center counsel meets the dash!
Sorry couldn't figure out how to flip photo ...

 

My dad had a 1953 Mercury when I was a kid, and I've always liked the dash in those cars.

 

Here's a Mercury dash with a console that's painted/covered the same color as the dash. That same color (the flutes in the dash ribbing could also be painted with it) helps a whole lot with transition from console to dash.

 

My idea is hard to describe, but I would cover those gauges with plexiglass. A flat sheet would do it, but you could get ambitious, by heating and blowing out the plastic a bit. I think if the gauge were back-lit properly, you could see them when the car was running. Plexiglass was space-age stuff in the HAMB era. I say it’s not used enough.

 

I actually really like this, it makes for a cleaner transition to the console, gets rid of the unused radio bezel, and leaves a big blank spot to do something else with. Extra gauges, controls, or whatever. Not sure exactly how it was done, but it's got potential. Here it is, rotated correctly.

 

Wow, I like that narrowed insert panel. Well done!

 

Keep what you have except install an engine turned insert to fill the insert for the gauges.

 

I like the "chrome" seat in that last pic!

Dave

 

Yeah, it's amazing how long that 200mph tape will last....

 

Do you have an original dash bezel and gauges, or are you not wanting to go that route?

 

That is the original bezel for that dash....

 

Ha haa, I skipped right over his sentence about finding one. I was going to offer him one that I have hanging from the ceiling.

 

No console in anything.

Sorry. I'm not any help.

 

That silver seat is the updated version of the spray painted black duct tape seat cover underneath it that came with car in 1971 ... sad to admit, but true ... Someday we'll do it right!!! Someone, somewhere said that once, actually I might have ... lol

 

THIS one is staying

 

@RONZMTRWRX mine is pretty rough, so I may be interested.

@anthony myrick I agree 100%

 

I like @Squablow's idea about a finned piece to go up the center of the console. I'll be saving that idea for the same T-bird console in my '64 Pontiac.

 

The '50 -'51 dash is such a good looking piece so I agree that it should go back in. Also think that custom Mercs should have center consoles. Don't know why that should be because center consoles seem to me to be more of an early sixties item while chopped Mercs fell out of favor by then. We seem to get hung up on this "period correctness" nonsense. Modify the console to fit. Happy interior renovations!

 

@millersgarage , if you want to pay the freight from Missouri to you, then it’s yours. It was given to me several years ago and I don’t foresee ever using it. No need in it hanging here collecting dust, doing no one any good. It’s in decent shape except for one vertical bar in the speaker area is broken near the top. I’d JB the back side and leave it.

 

@ronzmtrwrx Thank you, PM'd you

 

That's a heck of a good offer from ronzmtrwrx, and would be a perfect candidate if you decide to cut one up to narrow it or do something custom with it. Chrome even looks nice, a generous offer I'd say.

 

yes @Squablow it's very nice.
if I am gonna cut one up, I'd start with the one I have.

I think I will run the whole unit, and then waterfall the ribs onto the console.