I'm working on a new dash for my '52, I was planning on upholstering it, but maybe painting it body color might be pretty good looking, too. That just means I have to do a little more work on the fit and finish but I can handle it. There's a lower half to this dash, separated by a piece of trim. I'm thinking paint the top half and upholster the bottom half. Any other ideas? I'm trying to keep it reasonably period-correct, but with a touch of luxo-cruiser..

Here's a pic of the top half. It's fiberglass, with a layer of kitty hair over top to help me level it out.



And a rough picture of what I want it to look like:

i would paint the top and cover the bottom only if the rest of the interior is going to be custom and covered with the same material.
if not i would just paint the whole thing.
looks good though

what he said...

i think cars with the dash painted to match the exterior look good. especially if you could bring in something from the out side. like a pinstripe, piece of molding, or an emblem.

I think paint would be a good idea, not only for the continuity it would bring but it's practical as well. After a period of years the upholstery will begin to dry and crack or fade and look washed out. It's much easier to repaint than to re-upholster.

just my opinion.

Chickie.

I'm with everyone else. I would paint as much of the interior as possible (without going too far). Something about the look that makes it look a lot "cleaner" if you know what I mean.

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like we're all thinking along the same lines here - painting the top half and upholstering the bottom half to match the rest of the upholstered interior. There will also be a molding that runs from the dash, along just below the windows at the top of the door panel, around the whole interior. I'll paint that as well (once I build it ) to match the body color.

Spooki - good point about bringing something from the outside to the inside. I wanted to do some chrome trim, but didn't have an idea what it should look like. Maybe a chevy emblem on the glove box door.. Still gotta come up with something good.

looking good, & like everyone else I'd paint it too.. Easy to maintain & a place to throw your cr@p lol.... as for what to bring into the cab of the truck, hell use those graphics that i see of the interior... hell if you can do that, you should be able to play around w/it & see what looks best. Write down some ideas of what you want like a pinstripe, piece of molding, an emblem or whatever & then throw thoses ideas onto your virtual dash and truck. Then make copies & study them... We all know what we have seen at some of the shows we've been too.... Some WILD & CRAZY STUFF stuff to make us go and even a few .... SOOOO no matter what you do, it'll come out GREATTTTT..............joe

Hey could yall tell me whit kinda program you used on the computer to design things like the dash. Please

Chris - check out GMax by Discreet software. It's a stripped-down version of what I use and should do all you want. But it's free!

It's strictly a modelling program, though - to render a picture, you may need to find another (free) rendering program. There's probably a link on their web site to something. I warn you, though - there's a fair learning curve to it. I had a quick look on the web and didn't find a 3D mesh of a Pinto, which could set you back a ways too..

There may also be an exporter to the Cult3D viewer - have a look at that here - you'll have to accept the installation of the viewer, but it's quick and painless. Please excuse my weak modeling skills, too.

Thanks I owe u 1