custom dash pics?

Anybody have any pics of or ideas for a custom dash. I'm a little unsure if I want to use my stock one. I thought about a mid to late 40's plymouth or chrysler since it would pretty much bolt right in(whole dash suround)or I could experiment with some metal fab.Thanks in advance. later plmczy. Here's a pic of an original 40 dodge dash.

 

here is my 30 A pickup with a 57 ford dash

 

i had to make the garnish molding from scratch to make it look right. the dash got shortened 15 inches to fit

 

Nice job on the 57 dash into the 30! I like a 51 ford dash for plmcrzy's mopar. That would be different!

 

shawn,
how 'bout a dash that mimics that aluminum grille?
got that sucker polished up yet?

 

Mix N Match... [image][/image]
Would be hard to find stuff to look good with square holes, I would strip trim and fill the holes in instrument area and start with a clean flat space to lay out. Then de-chrome the corresponding passenger side, leaving the center as-is?

 

I'm suprised at how similar that Dodge dash is to a '47-48 Olds dash. Maybe that would be a good one to substitute and mess with the people who actually know what the Dodge dash is supposed to look like.

 

[ QUOTE ]
shawn,
how 'bout a dash that mimics that aluminum grille?
got that sucker polished up yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think thats what the factory kinda did when they designed it, except that the bars are up and down. Nah I haven't done anything with it yet, it still sits in the box. It doesn't look like the car is going to get in the garage this year . I'll have to wrap it up good for the winter. later shawn

 

Here is mine..............it's not a dash thats cut down and made to fit,it is made from a "Blank sheet of aluminum"
(I know,fuck billet!) but it WORKS for me.

 

SKR*PN If My dash lookid that good, I might sleep with it too...

 

HA HA HA ..............Thanks man! That is just about the ONLY place I could find to put it, for a pic,and NOT scratch tha damn thing!

 

Hey, just do what I did: Go to a swap meet with no tape measure, no clue, and a hangover - grab a cool looking dash and bring it home to realize its about twice the size of your car. Then spend a month of spare time whittling and sectioning it down to size.

My original 40 Chevy dash compared to the swap meet 52 buick dash:

 

Here it is in-progress of making it fit:

 

Here's how it turned out:

 

Hard to get a good shot of it in the car 'cause my camera has only a wide angle lens and the distortion makes it look fugly.

 

But you know Plmczy...the more I look at the pic you posted of your orig. dash, the more I like it - lots of cool trim - and I REALLY like the steering wheel. If it was me, I think I'd keep em.

 

Here's a pic of my 48 Chevy truck with a 64 Impala dash
Bill

 

Cleatus, wow that looked like a lot of work. It looks like it was worth it, that's nice. The pic I posted is one I got off of E-bay for reference, as my dash is all apart and some trim pieces are missing. I only have the wheel which has seen better days, no horn ring. I plan on using a moon purple metal flake wheel that I have. The instrument panel I have needs some repair, the speedo dial is broke. My problem is I like so many different things and styles,it's hard to settle on one thing and stick with it. Like with the whole car, I like mild customs and I like hot rods. So what is a person to do Thanks for the help so far guy's. later plmczy

 

Mine took 10 minutes.. Just Junk...

 

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The instrument panel I have needs some repair, the speedo dial is broke. My problem is I like so many different things and styles, it's hard to settle on one thing and stick with it.

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I orginally intended to restore the gauges out of the 52 Buick dash and use them, but I got a quote from United Speedometer for $900 (4 gauges)and a ONE YEAR turnaround time, so I went aftermarket.


Using the 40 Chevy cluster wasn't an option for me because mine was rusted into one solid part - no more individual pieces. So I fugured as long as I have to hit the swap meet, I may as well look for something really cool. - which of course allways leads to another project.


As far as choosing a style, I think it dosnt matter if your car eventually ends up hotrod or custom, that the design elements of older dashes generally are pretty sweet, it's just a matter of cleaning them up some refining and simplifying a bit.

Stuff like that is timeless.

 

Here's dash, started off with a stock '49 Ford vert dash:


Cut and rearrange, ended up with somethign liek this

 

cleatus.
I took the buick route also. mine is a 48 Buick had to narrow it 9 inches to fit my ford then hammered out a complex panel across the bottom half to the glove box. then cut two ford and 1 buick window frame for each door. I like the fact that it has a speedo and clock very similar to the original ford. you'd be suprised how many experts never catch the swap. they just comment on how the dash flows to the doors

 

cleatus, that is SWEET!!

nicanor, I like it!

Paul

 

shawn

heres a pic of the dash thats in my truck I wanted to put a shoebox dash in it but the dash I had was too cherry to do so..
anyway, i started with 3/4 round tubing 1/16th wall and began bending it all up.. i already had the aftermarket gauges and if I were to do it again I would have fewer..

anyhow heres how it came out.. NO bondo..

sawzall

 

here's the one I cut out of my coupe,

a real old hack job from the sixties or seventies

 

Hey guy's thanks for the ideas and pics,you guy's do some amazing work. I think I'll pull my dash out this winter and play with some idea's and see what I can come up with. I'll most definately go with aftermarket gauges. I always heard to have the stock ones redone was pretty expensive. later plmczy

 

let's see some more..

 

Cleatus, that is truly outta site, love it.
Nicanor, great job, looks cool.

plmczy, I gotta agree that yer dash has some stuff I would try and retain. I too have a mopar dash (54). It has the same stainless slotted trim pieces that would really compliment an otherwise smoothed custom dash. Mebe cary some of those pieces over for a bottom border or too seperate a two tone theme.

Let's see more!

 

Justin415, that's a good idea, I'll have to write that down. Thanks, later plmczy