Sorry if this question has been asked multiple times before but here goes...

The dash in my '73 is original and has about eleventeen cracks in it. It's easily the giant sore thumb of the interior. Ideally a new factory dash would be ideal but I'm not sure they are even available and if so at what cost? Repros seem to be available but what has your experience been with fit and appearance? At a minimum, has anyone had a good experience with a dash cap that doesn't look like crap?

with dash cap

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I’d check with 914Rubber as I believe he makes good replacements. Otherwise, there are companies that restore/recover the dashes (Classic 9, Just Dashes), but I have no experience with them.

Just took this dash cap off. Replacing it with a 914 Rubber dash.......
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Thanks for the business.

Will be interested in the reviews on the 914rubber dash. Any firsthand experiences as to installation and appearance?

@ndfrigi - your dash cap looks good from your picture. Where did you get it?

The 914rubber dash pad is a good repro using modern manufacturing.

Installed in a car I'm working on. Project Ice Green

Just Dashes charges double to restore your original and it's the wrong grain, domestic not european.

914 rubber reproduction dash looks great. We had a group get together a couple of weeks ago and put one in my '76. Probably took about 6 hours including stopping for pizza and generally screwing around. My after market radio was a PIA to get out and wasted a lot of time. But to be truthful it was somewhat a PIA to install. There was that last nut that we just could not get on untill we did a little bending on the metal dash structure. Dash caps are cheaper and easier to install but will never look as good. No comparison. Sorry we did not take any pix. Be careful not to over tighten any of the nuts. John your old friend Rex L. helped me put it in, so give him a call.

Danny

Here's what Brad Mayer has to say about it -
https://youtu.be/QZPoQd_V-6o

914rubber is the way to go. Their product looks great. Just dashes will recover at 2x the cost of the 914rubber dash but doesn’t look bone stock. They add some foam to smooth out the cracks. Dash cap is ok if you want cheap as possible.

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Thanks everyone. Danny, I saw where you Colorado guys were getting together to do that and was hoping to make it but obviously that didn't happen. Your description is very helpful - thanks! And @Chris914n6 , thanks for the tip about maybe needing to shorten the nylon studs.

The CF dash is very cool!

Now just need to save up a bit or wait for the next 914rubber group buy!

914Rubber dash. Bought one of the very first made- still looks great 2+ years. Installation was a bear. Not technically difficult, just extremely frustrating. Remove seats, steering wheel, and knee pad. You’re going to have to get upside down on your back. The nuts behind the gauges were diabolical. Get a set of stubby ratcheting wrenches from Harbor Freight.

Having said all that, I’m only moderately mechanically inclines and my kid and I did it from beginning to end over a weekend, including removing the old dash and having to walk away for several “sanity” breaks. Well worth the effort. It looks fantastic and you’ll be filled with a sense of accomplishment every time you get in the car.

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