For those of you dash-hackers- - Page 2 - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Slammed67 · 11-20-2002, 02:21 AM

You mean something like this........

rusty ol' 69' · 11-20-2002, 02:42 AM

Dude, you could make a little center console outta wood right underneath the dash and cover it with stuffing and fabric (ie foam and leather) then you could cut a hole in that or a slit or cut a star out of it...whatever you want, but leave that dash alone!! You can also buy an over head one from JC whitney that'll house the head unit and speakers. A console would hide it better though--if you make a little hinged flip up cover, and you could save your dash for the next guy who might appreciate the original real deal dash. just my .02

I hope you change your mind

Project1970 · 11-20-2002, 02:47 AM

And the debate rages on...

Part of how I justified mine...there won't ever be a "next guy", and I want a CD player.

(Which then turned into a CD/MP3 player, and now I want to eventually get a CD/hard-drive-based MP3 deck...hehehe)

chevyhouse · 11-20-2002, 04:00 AM

Slammed that is perfect!!!! i can see now what i want to do with mine!! is it motorized or just falls down? i have done plently of custom stereo stuff in my day so i will be doing this now that i have the insperation. i am thinking motorized flip and have the deck slide out about a 1/2". what did you use for the cover to make it match the ash tray? i was not going to cut my dash until i saw that

DarkFox1 · 11-20-2002, 08:15 AM

looks like lotsa good work in there.. my trucks dash isn't "hacked" to the point that a shafted radio could not go back in there.. but it is to the point that I cut myself a few times taking the whiper motor out.. apparently my cousins uh.. friends.. or whoever the hell this guy is.. put in a CB and couldn't figure out how to take the radio out properly.. so the edges are all bent up.

What I'm going to do.. if they still have radios by the time I need this done.. is have a metal shop cut this peice of the dash out, and weld in/smooth a peice of metal in its place that has the single din hole already in it.. if they can keep the natural curve inward to the radio that would be prefered..

I figure, if you ever wanted to put the stock setup back in, you could just find a cab with it, or show a metal shop a picture and have them fabricate it for you, this area of the truck almost never rusts out (down here in GA anyway)

I would probablly run eclipse or alpine, nakamichi, something like that, no need in going mainstream after I've spent so much already and getting a lower quality deck.

XXL · 11-20-2002, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Slammed67
You mean something like this........
[

Yeah, something like that

Looks great!

As for the dash hack debate that appears to be brewing again, I have a perfect dash in my "old" cab (the one that's on the truck now). I think before I get rid of the cab I'm going to hack the radio hole out real rough and nasty looking. That way the remaining uncut dashes in the world will increase in value

Kenneth

Slammed67 · 11-20-2002, 01:34 PM

Chevyhouse: The cover is a factory radio delete plate. It's hinged at the bottom and it just flips down. I've got two magnets a the top of the plate that keeps it closed.

rusty ol' 69' · 11-20-2002, 04:58 PM

What's the point of owning a classic if you start taking away all the pieces that make it a classic, just go and buy a new truck and you can hack that up all you want. that's all I'm gonna say.

Primered_69 · 11-20-2002, 06:11 PM

I can understand your point in being disappointed if someone is taking a clean original and doing this.

But for most of us we like the clean lines of a clasic and the simplicity but believe that adding our own personal touches can make our already beautiful lined truck some how unique.

Most of us start with truck that if we did not intervine would have been crushed into a flat pile by know.

Chevy made these wonderful trucks to be used. And my truck will be personalized to how ever I like it because it will always be mine.

Anyway if at a later date I want to revert to a restored dash I can always fab one up that will look as good as the original did.

jay-dawg · 11-20-2002, 06:15 PM

I'm a soon to be hacker.

slammed...that looks awesome.

Here's my plan...if it will ever work:
Shave the middle section of the dash and put in a monitor set behind a piece of plexiglass....sort of a stealth monitor kinda thing. I dont know if this has ever been done before in the automotive world. I know when monitors are done, they are usually out in the open.

jay

ps...I wouldnt say hack, "customize" or personalize is more appealing.

rusty ol' 69' · 11-20-2002, 08:40 PM

I just wanted to state my case in the hopes changing his mind, but obviously I'm all alone in this subject so I will bow out disgracefully.

Slammed67 · 11-20-2002, 09:01 PM

LOL.... you aren't alone. There are many that think cutting the dash is a no-no. I think the rest of them just gave up the argument! To each, his own. I choose to make subtle modifications to my truck that improve it, yet don't take away from the classic looks. That's why I went with the hinged delete plate. It still looks factory with the cover closed. I think dashes are one of the coolest parts of classic cars/truck so I'd never make a drastic change to one. But I'm all about making minor modifications if they will improve what is already there. Plus it gives it a personal touch. I think people take offense when a "purist" like yourself says you're "disappointed" that us hack-masters cut our dashes. That'd be like one of us saying that we are dissapointed that some people haven't cut their dashes! What if everyone on the board had a bone stock truck? That'd be very boring and un-interesting. We all have opinions on what should and shouldn't be done to these trucks. I personally think they look much better lowered, and I don't like how the late model beds look on them. But that's just my opinion. And like XXL says, every time somebody hacks up a dash, it just makes your virgin dash that much more valuable! Okay, it appears that I'm rambling, so I'll shut up!

XXL · 11-20-2002, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Slammed67
LOL.... you aren't alone. There are many that think cutting the dash is a no-no.

Just practicing...

Kenneth

greasemonkey · 11-20-2002, 10:41 PM

LOL XXL I hope you're a good welder to fix that,

Rusty ol' '69, I appreciate your point but like Project1970 said, I am tailoring this truck for me, not anyone else. I want it to meet my needs and I simply think it will be less hassle cutting a small portion of the dash and installing a high-quality radio rather than having extra consoles and changers in glove boxes etc. I am not going to actually do it myself- I guess I am somewhat of a pansy but I want it to be perfect so I am going to have professionals do it. They do things like this all the time and really like my truck so I know I can trust them. Thanks for all the replies; and Slammed67 that looks awesome!

rusty ol' 69' · 11-20-2002, 11:01 PM

I'm not a purist. I'm currently in the process of changing my hood over to a 67-68 style hood and I'm gonna lower my truck in the future too. But these things can be reversed easily. Cutting the dash is a little harder to erase if you don't like it that's all-- for the aprentice/novice mechanic. And I was just being a jacka$$ when I said I was "dissappointed" I didn't want to offend anyone. I was just fighting a devils advocate attitude (ie. XXL's pictures) with a devils advocate mentality. Ohh yeah, one more thing for XXL nice overlay pal. Good thing that pic ain't real I might get my britches in tangle over that one.

Slammed67 · 11-20-2002, 11:16 PM

Hey XXL! Why are you always picking on my truck? First you chopped the top, and now you butcher my dash! LOL! You have some serious issues. Oh the bottom edge is a little crooked by the way.

XXL · 11-21-2002, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rusty ol' 69'
Ohh yeah, one more thing for XXL nice overlay pal. Good thing that pic ain't real I might get my britches in tangle over that one.

They you're going to be in a tizzy over this one... that ain't no Photoshopping on this one. That's my dash as it sits today. And wait 'till I get my chainsaw sharpened

Kenneth

XXL · 11-21-2002, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Slammed67
Hey XXL! Why are you always picking on my truck? First you chopped the top, and now you butcher my dash! LOL! You have some serious issues. Oh the bottom edge is a little crooked by the way.

What are you talking about???

Primered_69 · 11-21-2002, 01:10 PM

Hey that looks like a clown car (truck) from the circus.

Man clowns really have gotten better taste.

Slammed67 · 11-21-2002, 01:12 PM

XXL: I knew I was setting myself up for more abuse with my last reply! That's funny!

Mudder · 11-21-2002, 01:29 PM

Really like what you did with the delete plate. Very good security!

11-20-2002, 02:21 AM	#26
Slammed67 Progress = 0% Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,108	You mean something like this........ __________________ Jason - '67 GMC swb \| '57 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop \| '56 210 4dr Wagon \| 2000 GMC Sierra

11-20-2002, 02:42 AM	#27
rusty ol' 69' Grubbin' Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 293	Doooon't Hack man!!! Dude, you could make a little center console outta wood right underneath the dash and cover it with stuffing and fabric (ie foam and leather) then you could cut a hole in that or a slit or cut a star out of it...whatever you want, but leave that dash alone!! You can also buy an over head one from JC whitney that'll house the head unit and speakers. A console would hide it better though--if you make a little hinged flip up cover, and you could save your dash for the next guy who might appreciate the original real deal dash. just my .02 I hope you change your mind

11-20-2002, 02:47 AM	#28
Project1970 14.1 @ 96MPH Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 2,811	And the debate rages on... Part of how I justified mine...there won't ever be a "next guy", and I want a CD player. (Which then turned into a CD/MP3 player, and now I want to eventually get a CD/hard-drive-based MP3 deck...hehehe) __________________ Project1970 - LS1 Swap Complete!

11-20-2002, 04:00 AM	#29
chevyhouse BEER-Vacation in a can... Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: wichita, ks Posts: 444	Slammed that is perfect!!!! i can see now what i want to do with mine!! is it motorized or just falls down? i have done plently of custom stereo stuff in my day so i will be doing this now that i have the insperation. i am thinking motorized flip and have the deck slide out about a 1/2". what did you use for the cover to make it match the ash tray? i was not going to cut my dash until i saw that __________________ Kurt 03' Trailblazer 69' C10 "SPSHL-K", 388 stroker/BTO 700R4, 2400 stall, 3.73 posi, lwb, fleetside long box, 3.5"/5" drop, 18" Budnik 2000 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom For Sale-87' V10-4x4, 408/700r4, 4.10's PM for pics

11-20-2002, 01:34 PM	#32
Slammed67 Progress = 0% Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,108	Chevyhouse: The cover is a factory radio delete plate. It's hinged at the bottom and it just flips down. I've got two magnets a the top of the plate that keeps it closed. __________________ Jason - '67 GMC swb \| '57 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop \| '56 210 4dr Wagon \| 2000 GMC Sierra

11-20-2002, 08:15 AM	#30
DarkFox1 in WAY over my head Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Douglasville GA Posts: 923	looks like lotsa good work in there.. my trucks dash isn't "hacked" to the point that a shafted radio could not go back in there.. but it is to the point that I cut myself a few times taking the whiper motor out.. apparently my cousins uh.. friends.. or whoever the hell this guy is.. put in a CB and couldn't figure out how to take the radio out properly.. so the edges are all bent up. What I'm going to do.. if they still have radios by the time I need this done.. is have a metal shop cut this peice of the dash out, and weld in/smooth a peice of metal in its place that has the single din hole already in it.. if they can keep the natural curve inward to the radio that would be prefered.. I figure, if you ever wanted to put the stock setup back in, you could just find a cab with it, or show a metal shop a picture and have them fabricate it for you, this area of the truck almost never rusts out (down here in GA anyway) I would probablly run eclipse or alpine, nakamichi, something like that, no need in going mainstream after I've spent so much already and getting a lower quality deck.

11-20-2002, 04:58 PM	#33
rusty ol' 69' Grubbin' Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 293	Disapointed What's the point of owning a classic if you start taking away all the pieces that make it a classic, just go and buy a new truck and you can hack that up all you want. that's all I'm gonna say.

11-20-2002, 06:11 PM	#34
Primered_69 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Fort Worth Posts: 1,409	I can understand your point in being disappointed if someone is taking a clean original and doing this. But for most of us we like the clean lines of a clasic and the simplicity but believe that adding our own personal touches can make our already beautiful lined truck some how unique. Most of us start with truck that if we did not intervine would have been crushed into a flat pile by know. Chevy made these wonderful trucks to be used. And my truck will be personalized to how ever I like it because it will always be mine. Anyway if at a later date I want to revert to a restored dash I can always fab one up that will look as good as the original did. __________________ 1969 Chevy LWB - with shaved handles; 3 1/2 front/ 5 1/2 rear drop; (waiting to be put back together)

11-20-2002, 06:15 PM	#35
jay-dawg chevelito Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI USA Posts: 1,609	I'm a soon to be hacker. slammed...that looks awesome. Here's my plan...if it will ever work: Shave the middle section of the dash and put in a monitor set behind a piece of plexiglass....sort of a stealth monitor kinda thing. I dont know if this has ever been done before in the automotive world. I know when monitors are done, they are usually out in the open. jay ps...I wouldnt say hack, "customize" or personalize is more appealing. __________________ New deadline...when my son can drive. Aloha from Honolulu, HI

11-20-2002, 08:40 PM	#36
rusty ol' 69' Grubbin' Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 293	Well I guess I'm out in the cold here. I just wanted to state my case in the hopes changing his mind, but obviously I'm all alone in this subject so I will bow out disgracefully.

11-20-2002, 09:01 PM	#37
Slammed67 Progress = 0% Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,108	LOL.... you aren't alone. There are many that think cutting the dash is a no-no. I think the rest of them just gave up the argument! To each, his own. I choose to make subtle modifications to my truck that improve it, yet don't take away from the classic looks. That's why I went with the hinged delete plate. It still looks factory with the cover closed. I think dashes are one of the coolest parts of classic cars/truck so I'd never make a drastic change to one. But I'm all about making minor modifications if they will improve what is already there. Plus it gives it a personal touch. I think people take offense when a "purist" like yourself says you're "disappointed" that us hack-masters cut our dashes. That'd be like one of us saying that we are dissapointed that some people haven't cut their dashes! What if everyone on the board had a bone stock truck? That'd be very boring and un-interesting. We all have opinions on what should and shouldn't be done to these trucks. I personally think they look much better lowered, and I don't like how the late model beds look on them. But that's just my opinion. And like XXL says, every time somebody hacks up a dash, it just makes your virgin dash that much more valuable! Okay, it appears that I'm rambling, so I'll shut up! __________________ Jason - '67 GMC swb \| '57 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop \| '56 210 4dr Wagon \| 2000 GMC Sierra

11-20-2002, 10:41 PM	#39
greasemonkey Registered User Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Pace, FL Posts: 2,155	LOL XXL I hope you're a good welder to fix that, Rusty ol' '69, I appreciate your point but like Project1970 said, I am tailoring this truck for me, not anyone else. I want it to meet my needs and I simply think it will be less hassle cutting a small portion of the dash and installing a high-quality radio rather than having extra consoles and changers in glove boxes etc. I am not going to actually do it myself- I guess I am somewhat of a pansy but I want it to be perfect so I am going to have professionals do it. They do things like this all the time and really like my truck so I know I can trust them. Thanks for all the replies; and Slammed67 that looks awesome! __________________ 1942 Master Deluxe 1969 C/10 1985 Blazer CUCV 1987 Jimmy 2004 Tahoe 2005 Silverado 1500 2005 Silverado 3500

11-20-2002, 11:01 PM	#40
rusty ol' 69' Grubbin' Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 293	I'm all about customizing. I'm not a purist. I'm currently in the process of changing my hood over to a 67-68 style hood and I'm gonna lower my truck in the future too. But these things can be reversed easily. Cutting the dash is a little harder to erase if you don't like it that's all-- for the aprentice/novice mechanic. And I was just being a jacka$$ when I said I was "dissappointed" I didn't want to offend anyone. I was just fighting a devils advocate attitude (ie. XXL's pictures) with a devils advocate mentality. Ohh yeah, one more thing for XXL nice overlay pal. Good thing that pic ain't real I might get my britches in tangle over that one.

11-20-2002, 11:16 PM	#41
Slammed67 Progress = 0% Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,108	Hey XXL! Why are you always picking on my truck? First you chopped the top, and now you butcher my dash! LOL! You have some serious issues. Oh the bottom edge is a little crooked by the way. __________________ Jason - '67 GMC swb \| '57 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop \| '56 210 4dr Wagon \| 2000 GMC Sierra

11-21-2002, 01:10 PM	#44
Primered_69 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Fort Worth Posts: 1,409	Hey that looks like a clown car (truck) from the circus. Man clowns really have gotten better taste. __________________ 1969 Chevy LWB - with shaved handles; 3 1/2 front/ 5 1/2 rear drop; (waiting to be put back together)



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11-21-2002, 01:12 PM	#45
Slammed67 Progress = 0% Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,108	XXL: I knew I was setting myself up for more abuse with my last reply! That's funny! __________________ Jason - '67 GMC swb \| '57 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop \| '56 210 4dr Wagon \| 2000 GMC Sierra

11-21-2002, 01:29 PM	#46
Mudder Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: East Central, MO Posts: 11,339	Slammed67 Really like what you did with the delete plate. Very good security!

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