Hey there, I have a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie 500 and the dash has a vinyl padded covering. Well the car sat for quite some time and that vinyl is now hard and brittle. I noticed in the corner where it has started to seperate from the chrome trim that under the vinyl the dash is actually painted. My question is anybody else has seen something similar. Im wondering if I pull the vinyl off if the dash under it will be solid and painted. Kinda like the hard wood floors under carpet deal. Or are there access holes under there? If you have any idea or suggestion, I would love to hear it. Thanks in advance.
It was most likely a accessory dash kit, most all ford of that era are solid. Except in the center top where there may be a speaker grille opening.
No, its an option. I think it can be removed to reveal a painted dash. I did this to a 60 Impala once best to just check and make sure its not bolted on the underside.
battersea boys is right. The padded dash was an option in 1959. Some had it, some didn't. I'm not sure if there were extra holes drilled to install the padded dash. Mike
Thanks guys, I think Im going to crawl under the dash and see what I can see from there. I will post before and after pics and let you know what I can find. Again thanks for all the quick and useful advise guys.
It's no problem to remove the pad, carefully clean the remaining glue and have a nice looking painted dash. The only additional holes may be on the edges of the dash by the doors. IIRC there is a trim piece there that you can put back on after you remove the pad. HTH
for what its worth my old man had a padded dash on his '59 wagon he bought another cover & replaced it. had he taken the old pad off before he bought the new pad he would have cleaned of the glue & painted the dash, i think there are a couple holes to fill from the trim around the pad. my 2 cents, hope this helps
My 58 is all steel. Ive seen your pad before, and Im pretty sure they used trim and some adhesive to hold it down. I dont remember EVER seeing them drill the dash for the pad. I hope you yank it, aint nothin ***ier than a steel dash. Cheers Hodge
Once again thanks for all the help guys. I had an idea that the pad would come off and I would have something nice under there. I guess I just needed that final push to do it. I will probably tear it off this sunday. I will try and take some before, during, and after pics so you guys can check it out. Im sure I will have more questions, so hope to hear from you again.
The Jalopy Journal
