Molding Your Dash Pad - Lowrider Garage - Restoration

This month, we wanted to show our readers some tech that most of us can do at right at home. We visited Cars Inc., in Fullerton, CA, a shop that has been in business for over 35 years and has become a key figure in the Impala restoration world. They are the leaders in sheet metal replacement and have become the standard for interior restoration. With that said, we picked up a dash pad cover for a ‘69 Impala that we wanted to use in a restoration piece. When we picked it up, we realized that this dash pad cover would be easy to add to the original dash pad and also customize it, giving our interior a custom look. Loving custom cars like we do, I’m sure you can guess how this tech piece had to turn out. As we walked off with the Cars Inc., dash pad, our minds spun as we remembered that Summit Racing has a great selection of automotive bodywork supplies at reasonable prices.

After going through the Summit Racing Catalog and website, we ordered the supplies that we needed to help us trick out the dash. Whether you’re working on a barn-find basket case or simply keeping your Lowrider’s finish fresh, they have everything you need to create and maintain the flawless look that you want for your vehicle. If you’re starting from the ground-up, they have the resto products you need, like body fillers, rust removers, and interior dyes. Want to make an unforgettable first impression? Create a one-of-a-kind look with their selection of professional paints and choose from their premium-quality washes, polishes, and waxes to keep that showroom shine. Now follow along, as we use some Summit Racing body and paint supplies to mold up the Cars Inc., dash pad.

1. This dash was the original one and it had to be restored, whether it was to be upholstered or painted.

2. The weather had really taken its toll on the dash pad, as it had dried out and cracked from the elements.

3. The edges of the dash pad were cleaned up before the dash cover was installed.

4. The high spots on the cracks needed to be knocked down, so the surface was even when the dash was installed.

5. All of the high spots were knocked down, and the Cars Inc., dash pad cover was ready to be attached.

6. It’s always a good thing to read the instructions before jumping in head first.

7. The inside of the dash pad cover was scuffed up so the adhesives could make a good bond between the dash pad and the dash cover.

8. The dash pad was cleaned using some Eastwood prep cleaner.

9. The dash pad was wiped clean to ensure a strong bond.

10. The dash pad received some glue around all of the key parts, assuring the panel didn’t come loose.

11. In the sections that we thought would take a lot of stress, we made sure that there was a strong bond as we used some super glue.

12. We purchased supplies through Summit Racing, who has competitive pricing in automotive paint supplies.

13. To keep the edges from lifting, we used some kitty hair fiberglass.

14. When molding panels like this, you need to make sure that all of your components that you want to keep still fit in the proper places.

15. Once you know everything is in place, you can sand down the whole dash to knock down the texture and assure a good bond between the high-build primer and the dash pad.

16. After spraying and letting the high build primer dry over night, it was ready to be sanded.

17. The high build primer needs to be sanded down in order to knock down the texture.

18. After shooting the dash pad with more sealer and high build primer, it was ready to receive paint, as we mounted it one last time in the dash before spraying it with the final finish.