cutting out a welded in dash

Hello Hamber's,

My '51 Pontiac Chieftain is far rustier than I thought. I'm considering cutting out the welded in dash to make acess to some areas to repair easier. Is cutting out the dash a bad idea? I know it's not gonna be easy to weld back in, but will it be impossible to weld back in?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ed

 

not sure about your particular situation, but a lot of dashes are held in by spot welds run along the windshield area. just drill em out and it should pop out. then just re weld the spot welds. at least thats how my ford was and my 59 chevy is

 

you could always weld in a different dash for a custom touch if you wanted.

 

Thanks guys.

I'm ok with using the original dash. It is hard to see if the dash is spot welded in along the windshield. I know it is on the sides.

Ed

 

Its just spot welded all the way around. By carefully using a small bit, instead of a spot drill, and carefully separating it, you can either re-use the original dash, using screws to put it back in, or use a different dash. I have a 53 Buick dash in my 46 Chevy, that is screwed in, so I can paint and detail it out of the car.