Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

In a discussion from about three years ago, someone noted that a good job of restuffing can be done with sheet foam after heating the vinyl.

I was recently quoted a thousand dollars to redo my padded dash, which included a new sheet metal stuffing. I don't know either.

If you have had a go at this, how did you do it and what (as exactly as possible) did you use? Did it work well, great, so-so or..............

I looked at justdashes, which looks extremely expensive since I could find no mention of price.

At those prices I'd like to try this--and I'd like it to work well the first time.

Ideas? Specifics? I assume the original used a cast pad, which seems extremely hard to do. Based on looking things over, it seems to me to key on the front edge, which probably needs to be both stiff and flexible. Can't help but wonder about taking a knife to those kids foam pool sticks and wedging them on the leading edge to firm up the pad, then firm but thin padding on the rest?????????????

If you are referring to the 1955-'56 pads, they were made by the U.S. Rubber company, the vinyl skin was vacuum-formed into the mold first, then foam rubber was injected afterwards. some folks have made their pads more supple using heat, then stuffed new foam rubber in the back of their pad covers, the original stuff turns to powder with time.

the vinyl skin used when vacuum forming is different than normal vinyl upholstery roll goods. The compound has something like ABS included so that it sets after forming. There is no scrim (woven backing). Get this type of sheet if you can before trying to do it. The back foam is two component urethane - I don't advise trying to do that as it involves mixing isocynate.

Just to repeat what I said previously, you can do a credible job yourself if you're not looking for absolute perfection and if the vinyl skin is in good condition. Myself and others I know have done the same thing with good results. Does it look as good as a $1000 new dash? No, but depending on how fussy and patient you are, it can look very good indeed.

I put the top down to let the sun beat on the vinyl skin for a few hours (you could use a heat gun for a closed car). Removed the lower inside windshield trim and pulled the vinyl skin back carefully, letting it just hang from the front edge. Cleaned all the old residue and solvent-cleaned the metal panel. I purchased adhesive-backed closed cell polyurethane sheet padding in a couple of thicknesses and durometers from MSC and cut a new pad, put it in place adhesive side down, and then did a bit of fussing with extra pieces for the corners where the little "dip" is. You'll need to chamfer the edges on extra pieces and fuss a bit here and there. Then just pull the vinyl skin back and refasten. No magic, just fussy work. Sorry, I don't remember the thickness I purchased for the main pad, nor the durometer selected.

The other thing to watch out for is possibly it has gotten brittle. Cars that spent any time in the desert where the sun has beat down pretty hard in the summer seem to be prone to this. While heating may soften slightly, if the brittle part is there it will tear quite easily when you pull on it.

the vinyl skin used when vacuum forming is different than normal vinyl upholstery roll goods. The compound has something like ABS included so that it sets after forming. There is no scrim (woven backing). Get this type of sheet if you can before trying to do it. The back foam is two component urethane - I don't advise trying to do that as it involves mixing isocynate.

Not trying to precisely imitate the original procedure, which seems fairly impractical for a DIY project. Just looking to do the best practical job possible, which is why I asked for specifics, if possible.

Where would I find peel and stick foam suitable for such a project? (That seems to be what was suggested......)

Special thanks to Owen_Dyneto; that's the sort of help I need here.

Quick quote from justdashes was $950. I expected it to be noticeably more.....

Where would I find peel and stick foam suitable for such a project? (That seems to be what was suggested......)

As noted above, I purchased it from MSC in Harrisburg, PA. MSC is a very major supplier of industrial equipment, kind of a mega McMaster-Carr or Graingers. Sorry I didn't record the catalog #s of the material I purchased, and haven't looked again to see if it's still in their catalog. Hop on their website catalog and browse it to see what's currently available.

Recently saw one that looked great, but the current owner had no idea as he bought the car from an estate.....

The dash was covered with vinyl that had no padding. It was well fitted and looked great.

They say all the great answers are simple......

Anyone had this done?

How hard is it to remove thew top of the dash?????????

I can't find this in the shop manual....

Unless you are a great contortionist and more nimble than most, I think the entire dash is best removed to separate the halves. It may be possible to do in place but not something I would try. There are several clips and retaining screws holding the two pieces together. Some can only be accessed from very tight areas or if something just adjacent is removed first.