1965 Chevelle Dash Pads - Super Chevy Magazine

This '65 Chevelle dashpad gets treated to a new coat of color-the last step in the Just Dashes restoration process. Read on to see how the company recovered the dash, and how you can re-color your own vinyl and plastic parts at home.

This '65 Chevelle dashpad gets treated to a new coat of color-the last step in the Just Da

Part 1: Maxi Pad
Finishing touches. We can't say enough about 'em-they're a vital part of any restoration or restification. And the perfect finishing touch for many Bow-Tie interiors is a clean, new dashpad. So what are you doing with that torn, cracked, and stained pad on your ride?

Considering the fact that most of our favorite Chevys are more than a quarter-century old, it's no surprise that sun, dirt, heat, cold, and UV rays have all taken a toll on their dashpads. The vinyl (and padding) gets old and dry, and before you know it your dash is sporting more cracks and crevices than a dried lakebed. So what's an enthusiast to do? Well, you could hide the damage with a cheap-looking dash cover, or you could handle the situation in a classier manner by having Just Dashes refurbish your pad.

As the name implies, Just Dashes specializes in recovering and restoring dashpads and other vinyl interior parts like consoles and armrest pads. If you can supply Just Dashes with a halfway decent core component, the company can strip it of its old and damaged covering, fit it with fresh foam, and cover it with new vinyl that matches the color and grain of your interior. The vinyl is applied using a thermo-vacuum forming process, which literally sucks a sheet of heated vinyl over the dashpads, filling in all of the factory curves and shapes.

The first step of restoration is to sand off the old vinyl. If the original foam is still in decent condition, it's left as intact as possible.

The first step of restoration is to sand off the old vinyl. If the original foam is still

The following photos chronicle the restoration of a '65 Chevelle dashpad that Just Dashes recently recovered. This particular pad was not only restored, but modified as well, since the owner wanted to fill the opening for the factory speaker. It was also re-colored to match the hue of the car's custom interior. Since Just Dashes buys vinyl in such large quantities, all parts are covered in black vinyl, then re-colored to match whatever hue the customer requests. Speaking of re-coloring, Just Dashes now offers "Fade Away," a vinyl re-coloring system that allows do-it-yourselfers to re-color (or renew the color) of their plastic or vinyl interior parts. Details of the system are covered in Part 2 of this story: "In Living Color," which begins on page 124.

Part 2: In Living Color
When it comes to musclecar-era interiors, one word comes immediately to mind: vinyl. It was the upholstery material of choice for most muscle machines (and passenger vehicles in general) throughout the '60s and much of the '70s. And for good reason. Vinyl was inexpensive and durable, and available in just about any color you could think of.

Over the years, however, vinyl interior pieces (and their hard-plastic brethren) have a tendency to fade and discolor, especially if they've been exposed to plenty of sun. When restoring a car, your first inclination might be to replace such faded or discolored parts. But what if we told you that you could save them instead? If the parts aren't actually damaged (cracked, chipped, nicked, dried-out, etc.) the color can be brought back to life (or changed completely) with Just Dashes' Fade Away Vinyl Re-coloring System.

The Fade Away system is kind of a cross between a dye and an interior paint that can be used to bring interior vinyl and hard plastic parts back to life. The complete kit includes all the materials you need for re-coloring-everything from rubber gloves and surface prep cleaner to brushes and a sprayer-and enough dye to recolor the majority of an average-sized interior. Fade Away can be used on most vinyl or plastic interior parts (door panels, dashpads, consoles, kick panels, headrests, etc.) but is not recommended for high-traffic seats and should never be used on carpet. Colors include just about any factory hue you can think of, or the dye can be custom-mixed to a color sample that you provide.

The owner of this dashpad wanted to fill the original speaker hole, so a patch piece was first fit to the metal base of the pad.
The owner of this dashpad wanted to fill the original speaker hole, so a patch piece was f
Then the pad was flipped over and the recessed speaker hole area was filled with a piece of foam. After gluing it in place, the foam patch was leveled off with a stiff brush, leaving it flush with the rest of the dashpad surface.
Then the pad was flipped over and the recessed speaker hole area was filled with a piece o
Here's what the dashpad looked like when it was delivered to Just Dashes-pretty beat up. Most of the dashpads that Just Dashes receives have their fair share of cracks, stains, and holes.
Here's what the dashpad looked like when it was delivered to Just Dashes-pretty beat up. M

We recently put Fade Away to the test on the hard plastic door panel from a '70 Camaro, and came away very impressed. The door panel had been spray painted black in the past (it was originally molded in brown), and the cracked and peeling finish looked sloppy at best. After stripping off the old paint with lacquer thinner, we thoroughly cleaned and prepped the panel (using the surface prep solution supplied with the kit) before spraying on the black dye.

The dye was easy to apply-basically like spray paint-and the finished panel came out looking fantastic, with plenty of gloss and a true black color. In fact, we're planning on re-coloring the other door panel, the back seat, and much of the rest of this Camaro's interior so the whole cabin will have a like-new look.

With the old vinyl off and the speaker hole filled, a new layer of high density closed-cell foam can be glued to the pad (Just Dashes applies a high-quality upholstery glue to both surfaces) and trimmed to fit.
With the old vinyl off and the speaker hole filled, a new layer of high density closed-cel
The new foam is scuffed to help promote adhesion of the vinyl.
When the dashpad is finally ready, it's positioned on the thermo-vacuum forming machine. The platform of this machine is like an air hockey table, with holes that suck instead of blow.
When the dashpad is finally ready, it's positioned on the thermo-vacuum forming machine. T

The backside of the vinyl is sprayed with upholstery glue, then the vinyl is draped over the pad and the machine does its work. The combination of heat and vacuum allows the vinyl to wrap around all the corners and contours of the pad. After it cools, the pad is cut away from the excess vinyl on the table.
The backside of the vinyl is sprayed with upholstery glue, then the vinyl is draped over t
With the pad upside down on a workbench, glue is sprayed on the backside of the remaining vinyl, which is wrapped around the edges of the pad.
With the pad upside down on a workbench, glue is sprayed on the backside of the remaining
A heat gun is used to help stretch the vinyl around tight corners.

Excess vinyl is then trimmed away, and additional heat is used to make sure the vinyl is adhering to all the contours of the pad.
Excess vinyl is then trimmed away, and additional heat is used to make sure the vinyl is a
The final step of the process is to spray the dashpad in its final color. All Just Dashes dashpads are covered in black vinyl, then re-colored to meet the customer's specifications. Whether you're using a factory color or a custom hue, Just Dashes prefers to have a sample piece of your upholstery so they can properly match the color. Customers can send in anything from a swatch of vinyl to an entire headrest (which will be returned) for the Just Dashes crew to use as a guide.
The final step of the process is to spray the dashpad in its final color. All Just Dashes
Here's the finished product, looking brand-new and awaiting installation in a restification project.
Here's the finished product, looking brand-new and awaiting installation in a restificatio

The Fade Away Vinyl Re-coloring System from Just Dashes comes with everything you need to re-color-or revitalize the color of-your vinyl and hard plastic interior parts.
The Fade Away Vinyl Re-coloring System from Just Dashes comes with everything you need to
This '70 Camaro door panel provided a good testbed for the Fade Away system. Originally molded in brown, the panel had been painted black sometime in the past. The paint didn't match the black tone on the rest of the car's interior, and was beginning to flake and chip. We gave it the official Super Chevy "duct tape test," and pulled off big chunks of paint.
This '70 Camaro door panel provided a good testbed for the Fade Away system. Originally mo
We started off by using lacquer thinner to strip all the old paint off the hard plastic door panel.
We started off by using lacquer thinner to strip all the old paint off the hard plastic do

With all the paint removed, we thoroughly cleaned the panel using the Fade Away surface cleaner and the supplied brush. It's important to clean small areas at a time to prevent the cleaner from drying on the surface.
With all the paint removed, we thoroughly cleaned the panel using the Fade Away surface cl
The chemical cleaning was followed by further surface preparation with an abrasive pad. Any remaining dust or residue on the part was then wiped off with a damp, lint-free cloth.
The chemical cleaning was followed by further surface preparation with an abrasive pad. An
After making sure the panel was clean and dry, we sprayed on the Fade Away adhesion promoter. This step is not necessary on vinyl parts, but is important when re-coloring hard plastic. (When ordering the Fade Away kit, you must specify whether or not you want the adhesion promoter.) The adhesion promoter needs to dry completely before color is applied.
After making sure the panel was clean and dry, we sprayed on the Fade Away adhesion promot

The dye comes in a 1-quart container, and needs to be mixed before spraying. As per the instructions, we mixed the dye by dropping a supplied bolt in the container and shaking it around. A small amount of the dye was then poured into the material cup for the supplied sprayer.
The dye comes in a 1-quart container, and needs to be mixed before spraying. As per the in
Spraying the dye was a lot like applying spray paint. We held the sprayer about 8-10 inches from the panel and sprayed on two light coats at a time in a crosshatch pattern. Each set of coats should be allowed to set up for 15 minutes before another set is applied. Two coats of material should be enough if you're revitalizing an original color. If you're changing colors, you might need to continue adding coats until the color is solid.
Spraying the dye was a lot like applying spray paint. We held the sprayer about 8-10 inche
Here's our door panel, looking fabulous in a renewed shade of black. After allowing the dye to dry for 24 hours, a coat of the supplied Vinyl Life Preserver was applied to help protect the surface. Then the door panel was screwed back in place, and the Camaro's interior was one step closer to being show-worthy.
Here's our door panel, looking fabulous in a renewed shade of black. After allowing the dy