After letting this crappy new dash pad upset me so badly before, I decided that I was going to make it work. I won’t be defeated!
I first mounted the large built-in bolts in the top corners, then mounted the grab handle above the glove box. The rest will be just a few little screws across the top and bottom.
It’s WAY too long of a stretch to get that screw from where it is to where it needs to be. Also, the provisions for the dash knobs are all wrong.
The ash tray won’t fit without a big trim.
Since the dash pad is rubber and is pretty flexible, despite having metal plates inside, I removed the grab handle and big bolts in the corners. I figured that it would maybe line up better if I started in the middle and worked my way out.
Nope. I still couldn’t get the screws close enough to mount them. The next surgery I attempted was to cut off the ears around the screw holes, hoping to let it snug up to the windshield.
Instead, I broke my tin snips. After binging Forged in Fire over the course of the last couple of months, I instinctively checked out the grain of the metal where it broke.
Anyway, I finished cutting the ears off. Still too far away!
I realized that the back side of the dash pad doesn’t have enough space for the rounded contour of the metal dash panel and won’t allow it to be pushed on any further.
I’m giving up for the night.
