1932 commercial pickup instrument panel fit

[Drew]

I was test fitting an instrument panel to my firewall and then fitting the dash panel. The dash touches the instrument panel along the bottom edge and along the top I have a pretty significant gap probably around 3/8" The instrument panel and dash I have have not been modified, nor has the fire wall. Any suggestions on how to make up the gap. I have some photographs of a pretty original pickup and it has the gap as well. Is it possible that they all had a gap?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[JSeery]

How about posting some photos?

 

[DavidG]

There should be a small gap all the way around to avoid their touching one another, but not 3/8" worth.

Did you remove all of the insulation on the front of the firewall insulator in the C-shaped sections where the instrument panel attaches? (Originally there was no insulation in those sections in order to obtain a firm foundation for the instrument panel.)

Do your control knobs at each end of the instrument panel line up in the centers of the ends of the oval in the dash?

With the answers to those two questions, we can resolve the problem.

 

[L head fan]

Is the dash tunnel for a commercial application? I understand the tunnels for trucks are different, but I'm not sure what the differences are. Anybody know?

 

[maneri]

truck tunnel is short

 

[deuce_roadster]

While the face looks the same as a passenger version, a truck instrument tunnel "legs" on each side have a jog in them where the passenger car ones they are straight. Like David says, check your insulator first if you have the right one.

 

[Carl]

I've been working on this problem on my Phaeton. I have a repro. firewall insulation assembly and repro. dash gauge panel. The left(drivers side) gap was close but right side had a 1/4" gap. I used hard rubber spacers between leg base and firewall and cut and sanded until I achieved the gap I wanted. I also had a bow in the repro. gauge panel and I managed to flatten it out before I installed it. Also while putting dash panel light socket in tack welded bracket on panel, the bracket broke off and I used another panel and started over...Oh, the joys of working with reproduction junk...