[Tigers] Dash Pad Install

[Tom Hall]

On 11/13/2013 12:36 PM, Larry Mayfield wrote:
> Ok, so I have my old dash pad off, in a zillion pieces, cracked all 
> over the place. I see from both the metal onder it and frm th epieced 
> togethr old pad, tht it was glued down around the outer edge about an  
> 1 1/2  inchesd wide from one end to the other. And around the vent 
> openings.   Contact cement of some sort was used but sparingly.  Also 
> under the dash behind the front metal facia, it was glued down.  I 
> seem to remember that there was a short discussion on gluing the pad 
> down.   I am going to put the new pad on like the old one was on.
Doc,

Denis beat me with his response about drilling the four holes down where 
the toneau studs used to be.  If you use a small drill (~#50) you can 
use a sharpened welding rod to push up from the bottom and puncture and 
accurately locate the holes that the new studs can be screwed into, 
after the pad is glued in place.  Before you get to that, you could also 
drill the top sheet for riv-nuts and then use threaded studs in place of 
the OEM sheetmetal style.  They come with longer studs and this makes 
them more permanent (as if 50 years wasn't permanent enough).  I'd also 
advise using small diameter stainless flat washers between the bottom of 
the studs and the vinyl cover. They spread the depression at the studs 
and reduce the tendency to crack the vinyl when tightening the studs.  
The riv-nuts also hold these threaded studs in better alignment, and you 
don't have to tighten them as much.

Centering the pad is typically done to split the material on either end 
at the windshield/seal mounting fins.  You can "adjust" the vent holes 
and their mounting screw holes, and the center windshield hole with an 
Exact-o knife after the pad is placed.  As delivered, you may find 
excess foam in the area that will be under the windshield frame.  You'll 
want to remove this or you will be fighting it when you replace your 
windshield frame and seal.  You will also need a decent heat gun to warm 
the vinyl at the ends and to wrap and bend it under the lip of the dash 
sheetmetal.  I hope your dashboard is either removed or is at least 
dropped from it's normal location.  If not, you'll be fighting with it 
to wrap and "place" the vinyl under the lip.  I spend a lot of time 
"preparing" the dash-pad in a dry configuration, before gluing it down.  
It should pretty much drop into it's final location before your ready to 
glue it down.  That's really the easy part.

-- 
Tom Hall
ModTiger Engineering LLC
www.tigerengineering.net