The dash pad was scrubbed with some powder type laundry detergent to remove any contaminants. You want to scrub as best as you can especially if Armor-All has ever been used. Next, the dash was wiped down a few times with wax and grease remover and lastly with some lacquer thinner. The before picture doesn’t show much fading but it was definitely there. Some Dupont vinyl dye make the dash look brand new again.
YearOne’s custom dash insert is replacing the old stamped aluminum piece. YearOne’s panel is machined from 1/8″ aluminum plate and engine turned to give the look of the original. The panel will oxidize over time so you may want to clear anodize or clear coat if you decide to go this route.
A fair amount of modification is required to the dash in order to use this panel. If you don’t like the idea of cutting on your original dash, I would suggest you steer clear. The clean look of aftermarket gauges and modern a/c vents was enough justification for me. Note that this mod will also require relocation of the headlight, wiper, and defrost switches.
So let’s get right into the installation. The original stamped piece is comprised of two panels riveted together. The route I chose was to drill out the rivets of the top panel. This is the piece which holds the original panel to the underside of the dash with 3 screws. With the upper piece free, it was fastened back to the dash. The new dash insert was temporarily set in place. Some aluminum angle brackets were cut about a 1/2″ wide with a 5/32″ slot milled for adjustment.
With the panel still in place, the brackets were bonded in place using Fusor 109B metal bond. The two pieces have to be roughed up a little to get a good mechanical bond. A rotary tool with a medium/heavy grit sanding drum should do the trick. After the bonding adhesive was dry, the dash insert was removed. It can now be fastened to the upper panel with some #6-32 screws and nuts with plenty of adjustment.
I figured the gauge panel needed an update that matches the rest of the car. I decided on Auto Meter’s Sport Comp II gauges. I felt the they held the closest resemblance to the original gauges with a modern look. The gauges look great against the updated YearOne engine turned dash insert. The only problem is the the Sport Comp II’s only come with a silver trim ring which gets washed out against the silver dash. Fortunately, Auto Meter agreed to swap the trim rings from silver to black on all 6 gauges for the Trans Am project. Thanks Auto Meter.
Completed installation of the Dynamat on the floor pans today. It’s really straight forward and easy to install. I bought the heavy duty rubber roller with the wooden handle sold under the Dynamat name. I started out using a cheap plastic roller. I would definitely recommend paying the extra for the better roller. Just remember to wear gloves when installing. It took me two deep cuts on the same finger before I got the point.
It would be my guess that all the major brands of this type of sound deadening are exactly the same. Thin aluminum sheet adhered to an 1/16″ of sticky butyl backing but what can I say, I’m a sucker for name brands. It is expensive but a ton of money can be saved by making your purchase from Amazon or Ebay. In fact, the bulk pack is nearly $100 cheaper from these websites, making it just about the same price as the Summit brand. It doesn’t go as far as you think it would. I’m working on my second pack which are both 36 square feet so you’ll need the cost savings.
Finally unmasked the car today and took it outside to inspect the new paint in what was left of the sunlight. Paint looks good so far. There’s a couple of areas that need some more sanding and polishing but overall pretty good.
