Dark Red Dash Pad

[JoelK 11]

Has anyone replaced their dash pad in any color other than black?

 

I have a '69 coupe with a worn out dark red interior that I am currently working on replacing from top to bottom. I wanted to keep the dark red because it is a little different than the usual black interior. But I'm quickly finding that not all of the dark red parts are easy to find. The dash pad is my current dilemma. I can't find a dark red dash pad anywhere online. All I'm finding is white or black. Does anyone know if they make reproduction dark red dash pads? I see that most people in my situation have bought the black and dyed it, but I'm weary of this. Mainly because I've never messed with anything like this before and dying a $300 dash pad would be painful if I messed it up.

 

Also, I'm seeing most websites have the option between original Ford tooling and not. Any recommendations on this?

[Kris 90]

You could try one of the dash cap overlays and dye it. I have seen them as cheap as $50 so it wouldn't hurt as bad if it didn't turn out great. Cant say how good they look as I went with the black ford tooling dash pad as my original was black. Got mine from a guy by my house for $100 new in the box. He sold his car and the guy that bought it didn't want to buy the pad and he got tired of it taking up space.

[69RavenConv 286]

I went through the same thing, my interior is red also. I was really nervous about ruining a $300 dash but figured I could always re-do it in black if I botched it. It actually came out terrific. Take your time, do it in a warm place, prep the vinyl properly and apply the dye in several VERY thin coats and you'll be ok. You can see the results in my build thread:

 

http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/showthread.php?t=10243&highlight=raven

 

 

[MN69Grande 203]

I went through the same thing, my interior is red also. I was really nervous about ruining a $300 dash but figured I could always re-do it in black if I botched it. It actually came out terrific. Take your time, do it in a warm place, prep the vinyl properly and apply the dye in several VERY thin coats and you'll be ok. You can see the results in my build thread:

 

http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/showthread.php?t=10243&highlight=raven

 

 

 

+1

 

I also bought a black dash pad and Dyed/painted it (Dark Ivy Gold). It takes a while. I would add to shake the can a minute for every minute of spraying. The stuff I used would come out uneven otherwise. I always started a few inches away from the dash to see how the spray was flowing. I found 4 even coats did a great job. Also I found the color was slightly different than the faded 40+ year old interior so I ended up doing the doors, sail panels, and center console as well. But I had everything out anyway.

 

I went with the OEM Dash and it went right in now problems. I've heard of people having issue with the reproductions.

[JoelK 11]

Thanks for all of the advice. It sounds easy enough and I feel a bit more confident about it. Looks like I might try dying a black OEM dash pad.

 

CJ Pony Parts has a black OEM dash pad for $288. Is this as cheap as it gets, or is there a cheaper vendor out there?

 

69RavenConv- your dash looks great. Thanks for the links to the pics.

[69RavenConv 286]

$288 sounds like a good price but CJ's runs regular 20% off sales so you could save a bit more if you're not in a hurry. I used SEM dye and prep from NPD. After each coat of dye flashed - about 30 min I think - I brushed it down with a 4" horsehair paint brush (the kind you paint a house with). This really knocked the gloss down and made the dash look like it came in red, rather than dyed. Good luck!

[JoelK 11]

$288 sounds like a good price but CJ's runs regular 20% off sales so you could save a bit more if you're not in a hurry. I used SEM dye and prep from NPD. After each coat of dye flashed - about 30 min I think - I brushed it down with a 4" horsehair paint brush (the kind you paint a house with). This really knocked the gloss down and made the dash look like it came in red, rather than dyed. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I'm sure they will save me from a significant amount of frustration.

 

Turns out the dash I found on CJ Pony Parts was on sale. Checked today and the sale ended. Looks like I'll be waiting for the next sale!

[JoelK 11]

Does any one know if there is a difference between "dark red" and "maroon" when it comes to interior colors? I took Kris' advice and got a cheap dash cover and painted it to see how it looks. When I ordered the paint, it was labeled "dark red". But when the dash cover was complete, it looked nothing like the red of the rest of the interior.

 

I did a bit of research and everything that I find says that there isn't any difference between dark red or maroon. Just different vendors putting a different label on it. Is this true? I'm just trying to figure out if the color I ordered was wrong, if my interior is just that old and faded, or a combination of the two.

 

If my interior is just that old and faded, I don't mind painting it all to match, but I'm just worried about parts that aren't easy to paint like the seats and headliner not matching.

[69RavenConv 286]

Does any one know if there is a difference between "dark red" and "maroon" when it comes to interior colors? I took Kris' advice and got a cheap dash cover and painted it to see how it looks. When I ordered the paint, it was labeled "dark red". But when the dash cover was complete, it looked nothing like the red of the rest of the interior.

 

Unfortunately, it's a crap shoot with colors like red. I went through several rattle cans of dye. All were supposed to be "1969 dark red". One was perfect, others were "close enough", one I didn't even use it was so far off. The SEM from NPD was the best but not perfect, one off-brand can from CJ's was pretty good. If I did it again I would look to see if a paint jobber could mix a good color match and shoot it with my paint gun (I don't know if that's a real possibility)

[JoelK 11]

Thanks for the info. You were able to confirm what I suspected. Bummer. I do like your idea of having paint mixed and spraying it all at once with a paint gun. I might look into that.

 

Has anyone had any luck with matching colors when ordering new trim pieces? If so, any recommendations on vendors?

[Dave R. 85]

My body guy is trying to have the local jobber match my dark red interior. He is going to spray all of the hard parts at the same time. One thing to keep in mind is that all of these pieces didn't match when Henry installed them 45 years ago anyway. He used pieces from several vendors and there were differences when brand new. From what I can tell the dark red and maroon terms were used interchangeably even if incorrectly.

[69RavenConv 286]

One thing to keep in mind is that all of these pieces didn't match when Henry installed them 45 years ago anyway. He used pieces from several vendors and there were differences when brand new.

 

That's a good point and one I agree with. It's quite normal for the upholstery, dash, and hard plastic parts, etc, to be different shades. In fact, it would look odd it they weren't. In my case, though, I got hues that ranged from pink to purple and weren't remotely close to the factory color. I was very fortunate to get a great batch of dye for my dash and it came out great.

[Dave R. 85]

Dashes Direct doesn't list a red dash for '69's on the website but it might be worth a call. I think that their parent company, Universal Urethane, actually makes the dash pads that Dashes Direct sells.