What is a dash?

klawockvet

klawockvet

Senior Member
In my last post I discovered the proper terminology for the top of the firewall in my 28 Roadster is called a "dash". For the past 65 plus years of my life a "dash" was the interior part of a car that was under the windshield and ran from the driver's side to the passenger side below the windshield. If I were to advertise the sheet metal that contains the instrument panel and glove box door for my 40 Ford I would say "I have a dash for sale. If I wanted to sell the the top of the firewall in my 28 roadster, would I say " I have a dash for sale"??? . Please inform me on how the terminology works. Perhaps I can win a bar bet sometime down the line.
 
I was once told by a person working in the auto industry in Michigan who said the work dash board or buck board goes back to the wagon days. The dash board was the board in front of the wagon seat where the driver and passengers sat. According to my contact the dash board was used as a reference line by wagon builders where all the dimensions for the wagon were measured from. As the automobile evolved the term referring to the panel in front of the steering wheel remained as the dash board and with term board eventually dropped. The car manufacturers continued to use the dash as the reference or datum line for dimensioning vehicles. However, I would assume this method of dimensioning is no longer used.
 
I will defer to Bratton's catalog on this one. In the world of Model A's, the "dash" panel is Part #16720 for 28-29. And 16730 for 30-31. It is held onto the front of the gas tank with 4 10-32 round head plated screws. It's purpose is to mount the ammeter, ignition switch, and speedometer and to frame the gas gauge. Earlier dash panels were butler nickel plated, while later (30-31) ones were chrome plated. This is not to be confused with another part of the Model A interior called the "dash rail". The dash rail extends across the upper part of the gas tank, above the dash panel, from windshield post to windshield post. The dash rail is usually painted either trim or upper body color.
 
Per the Wikipedia entry:

"Originally, the word dashboard applied to a barrier of wood or leather fixed at the front of a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh to protect the driver from mud or other debris "dashed up" (thrown up) by the horses' hooves.[1] Commonly these boards did not perform any additional function other than providing a convenient handhold for ascending into the driver's seat, or a small clip with which to secure the reins when not in use."
 
Bratton's catalog is wrong, the Ford parts book calls that the Instrument Panel.
Looked in the Ford Body Parts list and what most call the firewall is
indeed called the dash, I didn't know that.



Bob
 
Last edited:
Yesterday, 11:34 AM #9
Bob C
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2010
Location: So Cal
Posts: 5,919
Re: What is a dash?
Bratton's catalog is wrong, the Ford parts book calls that the Instrument Panel.
Looked in the Ford Body Parts list and what most call the firewall is
indeed called the dash, I didn't know that.






Bob: Thanks for clarifying. So Ford calls the firewall the dash? Interesting. mike
 
klawockvet said:
In my last post I discovered the proper terminology for the top of the firewall in my 28 Roadster is called a "dash". For the past 65 plus years of my life a "dash" was the interior part of a car that was under the windshield and ran from the driver's side to the passenger side below the windshield. If I were to advertise the sheet metal that contains the instrument panel and glove box door for my 40 Ford I would say "I have a dash for sale. If I wanted to sell the the top of the firewall in my 28 roadster, would I say " I have a dash for sale"??? . Please inform me on how the terminology works. Perhaps I can win a bar bet sometime down the line.
Click to expand...

About a decade ago in my shop I began pushing for my employees to start using the correct Ford nomenclature as it simplified conversing or discussing a part. There are many items that are identified incorrectly by people who live in different regions of the country, -or even the world. The one thing that should bring uniformity is calling it by the name that a manufacturer called it in their literature.

Now to answer the 'why' the 'firewall' was named the "dash" you must understand the the intent of the part. The dash name was a carryover from buggy days, ....and even the first half of Model-T production only used the dash to separate the engine from the cabin area. Since all T 'Dashes' with the exception of the last 1-1/2 years prior to the Model-A introduction were made of wood, naming it a 'Firewall' would not have been proper as it would have been unable to stop a fire. Additionally on a Model-A, the gas tank was a gas tank and not a dash. Therefore the term Firewall did not become the nomenclature of Ford for several years after the Model-A. Hard to break old habits sometimes it seems.
 
Calling items by their correct nomenclature. "freeze plug" instead of expansion plugs, Expansion cups, Core plugs.
 
The language changes w/time. When I was a young boy, in school we were taught that a kid was a young goat, not a child. Nowadays it's common to call children kids.
YMMV
 
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