Project: '72 Family Hauler

[gringoloco]

Your dash looks salvageable. Check out my build thread, I fixed a similar issue. Optimally, you’d use a full center section and seam it behind the dash pad and under the glove box/gauge panel. In your situation, I think I’d try to repair what you have before going that far.

Love this ‘burb! Love to have it in my garage

[04ls1gto]

Looking good, cut it out and weld new one in. It's only metal

[kehstr]

Nice rig, I will keep watching!

I know this is not what you have planned, but if this was my rig I would cut the dash the rest of the way and put an aftermarket radio in it. If you have ever pulled the radio out of one of these trucks you will know why, there is not much room up there (especially with A/C). However if you have your heart set on a factory style radio I would recommend trying to fix the existing sheetmetal. Would be good practice, and if you screw up, you cut it out and weld the new one in.

[shearjs]

I have learned that the one thing I am not is a metal fabricator. But all in all this has been good practice. With a little more grinding and shaping around the holes I think it will be good enough. Part of me would like to just paint the radio section and blend it in with the original paint, and part of me would like to just go ahead and paint the whole dash but I’m concerned the shiny paint won’t quite fit the rest of this project.

On a happier note, the headers came in and they fit quite well!

[shearjs]

Finally finished up the dash repair. It’s ready for a skim coat and some paint.

[04ls1gto]

Originally Posted by shearjs

Finally finished up the dash repair. It’s ready for a skim coat and some paint.

Nice work, little paint and know one will ever know

[CG]

Originally Posted by shearjs

Finally finished up the dash repair. It’s ready for a skim coat and some paint.

What did you use to grind your welds down in the small space like that. Id have grind marks all over if I tried that. You did a really nice job.

[shearjs]

Originally Posted by 04ls1gto

Nice work, little paint and know one will ever know

Originally Posted by gringoloco

Solid work!

Originally Posted by CG

What did you use to grind your welds down in the small space like that. Id have grind marks all over if I tried that. You did a really nice job.

Thanks guys. Hope to have some paint on it soon. Also rebuilt the steering column while it was out. Ready to start booting this thing back together and start running some wires. For the welds, I used a small roloc style flap disc on a die grinder. They worked surprising well for this application.