1957 Thunderbird Dash

1

1967 Camaro

Member
The dash pad in our '57 is marginal. Has a couple tears that we could live with except the foam padding has deteriorated to the point it is coming out in fragments each time someone touches the dash or opens the glove box. New dash pads run about $450 and we really do not want to spend that much. Now we're thinking we can pull the pad and paint the dash. Anyone out there have experience doing this? Anyone ever pull the dash out of a Thunderbird?
 
As far as removal, the whole dash comes out of my '55, so I'm sure a 57 is the same. When mine was out I'd already pulled the steering column, the seats, and everything else in the way, including the heater. I was redoing the whole interior, and rewording the whole car. So just what you have to pull to just get the dash out I'm not sure.

If the wiring is original, you're likely to find the insulation cracking, and one thing is going to lead to another. I'm not a resto guy, so I used a modern kit and wired the whole dash on the bench with multi connector plugs for the re-install.

My dash was pretty smooth, as it just had the simple vinyl cover that glued down. The 57 has more complicated curves, and I don't have a clue how much body work you might need for paint. The other thing you might consider is the resale value for a non stock dash. The 57 bird was a real step up for Ford, and the key change (including the gauges) from prior years
 
I have a 55 and a 56. The 56 had a factory padded dash similar to the 57. My 56 dash was rusty under the padding, very pitted when I took it off. And where the seams are on the sides will require some filler work to get them smooth. But I have seen painted dash's and they look pretty good. As for taking the dash out, it was a pain in the butt. As pointed out wiring will be or make more problems. There is a lot of stuff to do to get the dash out.
 
just my opinion but with some things they aren't many good shortcuts. This job is one of those things' You won't be happy with the way that dash looks without the cover. New dashes aren't cheap but they look like a million bucks when replaced properly. I have replaced several and it's a long-winded job. Luckily I have a 55 bird. somewhat easier to deal with.
 
If you decide to remove the dash, I have a written procedure on the things that need to be done. email me if interested.
 
The replacement dash covers for the '57's are available from Larry's and most of the aftermarket vendors.. I think it would be false economy to try to do a short cut type of job.
 
I think the cost you mention for a pad is peanuts compared to value of the car.
Get a new pad and you won't regret it unless those pads are poorly made.
 
Larry's Thunderbird in Corona CA lists new dash covers in all of the colors for $450 plus $26.27 for the accessories to install the pad on page 50 of their 2016-17 catalog.
I replaced the dash in my '57 many years ago, yes it was a chore but the results were worth it.
 
You can call the various '55/'57 T-Bird restoration houses for (free) parts catalogs, talk with them and decide what you want. Most have Shop or Tech Support folks you can ask questions of.

Hills, Casco, Concours and Prestige all do restoration work in their shops and aren't just 'part sales'.

http://hillsresto.com/

www.classictbird.com/

http://concoursparts.com/

www.prestigethunderbird.com/

Amos Minter Thunderbirds is a high end restoration and sales facility.
https://www.amosminter.com/

and, Gil Baumgartner quite literally wrote the book on '55 / '57 Thunderbird restoration.
http://www.tbirdsbygil.com/
http://www.ctci.org/gilsgarage.php


https://www.google.com/search?q=classic+1957+thunderbird+restorations&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
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