That dash is jacked up bad. I asked myself would I charge myself my own shop rate to fix it? (65 dollars an hour) $390 in labor. Hell no. So if I fixed it, I would be wasting my time. Sometimes you have to live and learn. I would cut my losses sell it at a swap meet. I look at it stricktly black and white.
IMHO, that would be a pretty big diameter pipe to get that gentle of a radius piece out of it. The dash may be saved, in the hands of a real good craftsman and welder.. not cheap either. Bob
I'm wondering how a professional could think this was acceptable work. Two possibilities: 1) he was drunk, 2) he was under the impression esthetics didn't matter, like maybe they were lightening holes that would be out of sight.
I agree. It can be saved with sheet metal, lots of time and skill. I don't think hacking up exhaust tubing would help. I think your two choices are another dash or lots of metal work.
So few people and businesses take pride in their work anymore. It's just shameful. Good luck with the repairs
If were to fix that,,,, First there would have to be none available Or just because I wanted the practice. I would form the front section from end to end and weld in one patch. I think your pipe idea is not going to give you anything comparable to what you started with. But that may be exactly what you're after , different.
I would take a piece of panel plastic, heat is and mold it over the section where the holes are, then glue on padded material to match the rest of the interior, padded dash, less work....no welding.
I'll do something really off the wall here and actually respond to the quesiton you asked. Have you simply considered cutting that whole area out, taking a panel flanger and putting a joggle around the perifery of the new opening, and tacking or spotting in a new piece? Using a lighter gauge of steel might allow you to get some of the contour in it, then fill and sand. Just a thought.
We all tend to use the term "machine shop" loosely in reference to those that do our engine work but there are other types of machine shops that don't know diddly about engine blocks or heads but do great work on other stuff. There was an awesome one in my hometown of Paris, KY that was family owned and had been there for 3-4 generations. Those guys were true craftsmen but there's not much call for that kind of facility nowadays, but I digress. Hope you get your dash squared away in any case...
Just sucks, I bought pearl white paint and metal flake for it. The rest of the interior came out nice. I just figured that the pipe idea would be easy and look decent. Thank you for the advice though guys! I am seeking a new dash
A. Forget the hole idea. B. I would never go looking for a new dash. I don't get it. C. Take the time (when you get your tools back) to make plugs (holesaw or otherwise) and weld them in. It will take a few hours. Bondo to suit. D. Paint.
Pat yourself on the back for not backing down on your idea with all the ribbing you been getting on this thread. The holes don't look bad at all, and cookie cutter cars get boring to look at. Lightening holes are traditional!
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