First Gen Dash Covers

[Paul K.]

Hi All, 

 

Apologies in advance for starting another first-gen dash cover thread.

 

After reading all of the previous posts, I was ready to purchase one of the Dashtop dash covers for my 64.  But then I came across this QRP brand "dash shell". Anyone used it? Links to both items below on the CARid site.

 

https://www.carid.com/1964-buick-riviera-interior-parts/dashtop-dash-cover-902030131.html

 

https://www.carid.com/qrp/dash-shell-mpn-br04141.html?singleid=100948940&url=89840761

Edited October 19, 2019 by Paul K. (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

Sir, I’ve used the DashTop on numerous occasions for my 63 Riv and customers. I found DashTop to have an direct fit as advertised. I “ tweaked” the fit with basic shop tools. I ordered the color red and the color match was acceptable. I had paint made up to match my interior and painted the cover to suit me.

i can’t say anything about the other product as I have not used it.

Good Luck

Turbinator

[Paul K.]

Thanks Turbinator. I saw you post and your work and its nice. When ordering the Dashtop, it looks like you have to choose a color at an extra cost of $30. From another post, their OEM blue is light blue and was not correct. I would prefer to buy it with no color. 

 

Any comments on the QRP brand are appreciated. The description of the QRP company in their dash shell ad seems very impressive in regard to product quality and their company profile. 

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, Paul K. said:

Thanks Turbinator. I saw you post and your work and its nice. When ordering the Dashtop, it looks like you have to choose a color at an extra cost of $30. From another post, their OEM blue is light blue and was not correct. I would prefer to buy it with no color. 

 

Any comments on the QRP brand are appreciated. The description of the QRP company in their dash shell ad seems very impressive in regard to product quality and their company profile. 

Paul, some advertise shells as ready to install. The original dash board is the foundation you build your recovering job. My sense is the folks that advertise a complete pad does not have the strength or connecting hardware to hold the shell in place. I’m happy to be wrong, just my observation.

Turbinator

ps DashTop comes in black at no extra charge.

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, Paul K. said:

Thanks Turbinator. I saw you post and your work and its nice. When ordering the Dashtop, it looks like you have to choose a color at an extra cost of $30. From another post, their OEM blue is light blue and was not correct. I would prefer to buy it with no color. 

 

Any comments on the QRP brand are appreciated. The description of the QRP company in their dash shell ad seems very impressive in regard to product quality and their company profile. 

Paul, some advertise shells as ready to install. The original dash board is the foundation you build your recovering job. My sense is the folks that advertise a complete pad does not have the strength or connecting hardware to hold the shell in place. I’m happy to be wrong, just my observation.

Turbinator

ps DashTop comes in black at no extra charge.

 

paul, I checked out the QRP. Non returnable and no warranty. Seems the price point for QRP is a tad higher ($60 more) than DashTop. DashTop provides a warranty on their packing slip. See if DashTop is returnable. Being able to return, have a warranty, and less expensive could possibly important factors in a purchase.

( I have no vested interest in DashTop)

 

Turbinator 

[dr914]

these plastic covers are alright for a cheap solution, but now these cars are so valuable that it is best to send yours to JUST DASHES for a rebuild. You only do it once

[RivNut]

I had an upholstery shop recover one for me in the correct vinyl.  I cut away the curled parts of the old hard plastic/vinyl and filled in with minimally expanding foam (aerosol insulating stuff from Home Depot) carved and sanded everything smooth and the upholstery shop recovered it.  Watching what they did, I wouldn't be afraid to get some 3M upholstery adhesive and do it myself.  Some gentle heat and pull and stretch it into place.  My next thought for my 64 is to put a double French seam right along the leading edge of the cover with a slightly different shade of thread. The downloaded picture has too much contrast but you'll get the idea.

 

[Turbinator]

4 hours ago, dr914 said:

these plastic covers are alright for a cheap solution, but now these cars are so valuable that it is best to send yours to JUST DASHES for a rebuild. You only do it once

George, you’ve posted the same comment before and certainly can do so as many times as you like.

The DashTop covers are not Cheap and make a very fine presentation. I have invested significant dollars in restoring my 63 Riv and please know if the goods look or are cheap goods they don’t go on my car. I believe Just Dashes are arrogant and not customer oriented, over priced, and painfully slow. 
Fortunately, gents like us can disagree and still respect the other man’s view.

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

2 hours ago, RivNut said:

I had an upholstery shop recover one for me in the correct vinyl.  I cut away the curled parts of the old hard plastic/vinyl and filled in with minimally expanding foam (aerosol insulating stuff from Home Depot) carved and sanded everything smooth and the upholstery shop recovered it.  Watching what they did, I wouldn't be afraid to get some 3M upholstery adhesive and do it myself.  Some gentle heat and pull and stretch it into place.  My next thought for my 64 is to put a double French seam right along the leading edge of the cover with a slightly different shade of thread. The downloaded picture has too much contrast but you'll get the idea.

 

Ed, a very fine idea and looks good.

Turbinator

[Paul K.]

On 10/19/2019 at 10:13 AM, dr914 said:

these plastic covers are alright for a cheap solution, but now these cars are so valuable that it is best to send yours to JUST DASHES for a rebuild. You only do it once

Recovering one of our dashes with a seam on the facing edge is an easy way to recover and a way most upholstery shops will do. 20-30 years ago, this is all the shops would do and they weren't interested in covering a dash any other way. I never liked the look of a seam where it was not original, however, Ed, I very much like  your example of contrasting color stitching.

 

Today, I hear and see more and more people stretching and covering dashes without a seam.  Maybe the vinyl today stretches better? 

 

Value is relative. Its sad to say, our Rivieras aren't very valuable when compared to the classic car market in general. Under $50k is the bottom tier with auction houses. I have owned my Riv for 38 years. Agreed, Just Dashes from what I have read is the highest quality dash repair and most correct, however,  I have other cars I enter in shows and get judged so a dash cap for me is the best option for me to keep enjoying my car. I don't get hung up with originality details that can be easily corrected or reversed.   

[Turbinator]

Paul, your comments are that of a man with good sense. You know what you are doing.

Turbinatot

PS All Sport has 4 way stretch vinyl at $29.96. A yard.

[telriv]

One of my customers had his done by a HIGH END upholstery shop in leather. IT  came out PERFECT.   We'll see how long it lasts. Probably forever seeing the way most of these cars are driven & taken care of today.

 

Tom T.

[Paul K.]

On 10/21/2019 at 6:11 PM, Turbinator said:

 

PS All Sport has 4 way stretch vinyl at $29.96. A yard.

 

Thanks for the tip! 

[RivNut]

There's a good video (1:00:04) on YouTube that shows a rather complicated plastice dash being recovered in leather. There's also a 3+ minute one showing (without audio) showing recovering a Chevy truck dash in leather with a French seam.  You'll be interested to see in how much stretch there is in leather.

[awk409ak]

Hi All,

 

I'm looking for a replacement too.  I called Gene in PA, but he did not have any that weren't already cracked.  This was after I already removed mine, so now I must replace it before I can drive my car again ( makes no sense to put it back in).  How about the complete dashes from RestoParts.  Carid and OPG has them.  Anyone see them?

 

Art

[telriv]

Have Bob the Turbinator do a cover for you.

[awk409ak]

telriv,

Well I was and was going to take my dash to him this coming Saturday, but was informed by Bob today that he is not doing dash anymore or something like that.  I saw he was on this thread earlier, but did not mention about re-doing dashes.

 

Art

[Turbinator]

Gents, Turbinator recovers dash pads for 63,64, and 65 Buick Riviera. The sale of the dash pad takes  place on eBay. 

[Paul K.]

Just pulled the trigger and purchased the Dashtop cover listed below. I needed the dark blue color for my 64, however, when I called and spoke to the rep, the only color they offer  for 64 is their "OE Blue" which is light blue even though they show about a dozen colors. Sooo... I ordered it unpainted and I will paint it. 

Question: My 64 has the dark blue dash.  Is it supposed to match the rear package tray which is also dark blue but has a slight metallic finish?    THX, Paul

 

https://www.carid.com/1964-buick-riviera-interior-parts/dashtop-dash-cover-902030131.html

[bodayguy]

Hey how did this turn out Paul? I'm at the point where either I have my cover done at the upholstery shop or get one of these Dashtop covers.

[RockinRiviDad]

i can’t answer for Paul
 

But I hope u don’t mind a little game. Hopefully u didn’t see this on the other thread I posted on. If u didn’t see it, don’t cheap. Can u tell if this is a DashTop PVC cover or a dash covered by real vinyl??

 

 

[XframeFX]

David, I can't tell and black is more common for comparison. Used to seeing original dashpads all doctered-up with Armour-All type treatments making them shine a lot. Yours has more of a flat finish, nice..

Don't leave us hanging. I'd want to know which it is!

John B.

[RockinRiviDad]

Haha…lets give it a minute…I’d like to help @bodayguy make his decision…let’s see if he can tell the difference 

 

c’mon @bodayguy where u at!?!? 😆

[bodayguy]

1 hour ago, RockinRiviDad said:

Haha…lets give it a minute…I’d like to help @bodayguy make his decision…let’s see if he can tell the difference 

 

c’mon @bodayguy where u at!?!? 😆

 

I'm going to guess that's a dash cap?

[RockinRiviDad]

1 minute ago, bodayguy said:

 

I'm going to guess that's a dash cap?

 

BINGO...YES, its a cheapo $150 PVC cover from DashTops. I really enjoy the look & the cost. I only call it cheap because its plastic & costs so much less than having an upholstery shop do it. I could have saved money if I would have covered it myself with vinyl. But I don't have those kind of skills & I had bought this plastic one many moons ago anyway  

 

My suggestions:

if u are looking for show car quality, or u have a rare car or u just have stimulus money burning a hole in your pocket  ...then goes to an upholstery shop for your dash cover

if u are on a budget (like me) &/or u are ok with driver quality...then go with a DashTop...(although I haven't really cared to look close enough, but this DashTop cover is so nice I bet some guys show their cars with this cover on them)

 

good luck...hope this helped. let us know what u get & we LOVE pix (well, at least, I do   )

[bodayguy]

43 minutes ago, RockinRiviDad said:

 

BINGO...YES, its a cheapo $150 PVC cover from DashTops. I really enjoy the look & the cost. I only call it cheap because its plastic & costs so much less than having an upholstery shop do it. I could have saved money if I would have covered it myself with vinyl. But I don't have those kind of skills & I had bought this plastic one many moons ago anyway  

 

My suggestions:

if u are looking for show car quality, or u have a rare car or u just have stimulus money burning a hole in your pocket  ...then goes to an upholstery shop for your dash cover

if u are on a budget (like me) &/or u are ok with driver quality...then go with a DashTop...(although I haven't really cared to look close enough, but this DashTop cover is so nice I bet some guys show their cars with this cover on them)

 

good luck...hope this helped. let us know what u get & we LOVE pix (well, at least, I do   )

yeah that does help a lot. My big concern with the dash cap is how it looks under the lip because that’s where mine is the worst. It looks like the cap does come around the lip and cover that too?

[RockinRiviDad]

This DashTop cover is designed to cover every inch of your old ratty vinyl. Here is a pic of the underside. U can see the part that would cover what u are calling “under the lip”.

 

I haven’t heard of anyone being disappointed after buying this DashTop. But u will need some basic skills to get this cover to glued down. I would ask for 2 tubes of glue or buy your own glue from the hardware store. I didn’t think the one tube that comes with the cover was enough 
 

[Turbinator]

On 4/16/2020 at 9:37 PM, RockinRiviDad said:

i can’t answer for Paul
 

But I hope u don’t mind a little game. Hopefully u didn’t see this on the other thread I posted on. If u didn’t see it, don’t cheap. Can u tell if this is a DashTop PVC cover or a dash covered by real vinyl??

 

 

Rockin’, I cannot tell what material the dash cover is made. Whatever it is, it looks real good. I have a DashTop I painted to match my red interior and I’m satisfied with my results.

Turbinator

[bodayguy]

I ordered a black one yesterday. Looking forward to installing it.

[Turbinator]

7 hours ago, bodayguy said:

I ordered a black one yesterday. Looking forward to installing it.

Do yourself a favor. Remove the old vinyl. The the new Dash Top will add unwanted bulk to the appearance of the dash pad. Then fill in the divots in the foam rubber that is left over with silicone caulk. Squeegee the caulk so it is smooth. Put your new Dash Top on.

Others May say you need not remove the original vinyl. Well, with the Dash Top try a dry fit with the original vinyl and see how it fits. If you like the dry fit you have your answer.

Here is one that was hand covered.

[Turbinator]

Here is a DashTop I painted/dyed to a color more to my liking..

[71GS]

3 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Here is a DashTop I painted/dyed to a color more to my liking..

That’s beautiful 👆🏻

[bodayguy]

In the works on mine. I removed most of the vinyl around the edges. I found the one bottle of glue was enough, although I will be going back to add more under the front lip. Instructions say not to use glue over the entire top because the cap needs to expand in the heat.

One nice thing about having a black interior is the adhesive is black also so you can’t mess it up too easily.

[RivNut]

One of the best ways to evenly distribute weight on a surface when gluing two things together is the bags of play sand you get at the home improvement centers.  Best thing I've found for uneven surfaces.  Especially good for gluing the aluminum disc to an air cleaner housing.  When you no longer need the sand, spread it on your lawn or your garden.

[RockinRiviDad]

Correct. It stated not to glue the middle to allow for expansion. The instructions also said to run a “pencil size bead across all edges”. At the time, I thought that was large bead. But I interpreted “edges” as entire front & rear of dash pad, along left & right sides & finally around the speaker opening. They must be selling bigger tubes of glue now with the DashTop or u didn’t run a “pencil size bead”. 
 

looking good tho. I used scrap 1/2” bar stock & clamped it along the edges to hold it firmly. Ed’s sandbag idea is cool. I’ll have to try that on something someday 

[Turbinator]

Placing a thick cloth on the emblem and using a magnet will hold the emblem in place.

[bodayguy]

All done. Overall I am very pleased with how that turned out. It’s not a perfect fit, the sides are just off some, and you end up with a modern plastic textured surface compared to the softer vinyl original, but for the price, it’s a very professional finish. 

[Turbinator]

Bodayguy, truly I have no idea how anyone could do better. Leather, maybe. Even with leather as a maybe it will be close. Did you take off the original skin?

The on;y reason I took my original skin off was because of past experience in retrofitting. I very could have gone to a lot of trouble taking off my original skin for naught. 
Good job.

Turbinator