Hi all,

I recently acquired a JNC, however it was missing the original dash pad, and had a piece of leather/vinyl put in its place, which has become worn itself.

I am planning to make a replacement dash pad, I don't expect it to come out nearly as well as an OEM dash pad, I just want it looking decent, and provide some protection from the metal dash in case of a crash.

My thoughts were, to get some vinyl from a craft shop, then get some foam, and stick that underneath, punch in the appropriate holes and place it in the car. Any suggestions on what foam I could use? I need something thin, dense enough to provide ample cushioning in a crash, but not so dense that I cannot curve it to the shape of the dash.

for what kind of car?
mock it up using spray on builders foam over the top of plastic sheeting or carboard.

are you from australia? clark rubber tend to have very soft foam. nothing hard enough for actual protection but it'd work for a first draft.
actual safety padding might be harder to get.

_________________
unobtainableisnothing.tumblr.com

in the late 90's it was popular to fabricate a dashpad from hard wood here in our country. if you have the skills you can start off with a wood frame and wrap some foam and vinyl to make it authentic

Go to an upholstery shop, they usually have foam in 1/2" and 1". I use 1" for diamond stitch seats and panels or tuck and roll dash. Sound like a 1/2" foam would be good for a simple wrap. GLUE the foam to the metal dash first, then wrap with vinyl. You'll need a spray glue for the foam and contact/brush cement for the vinyl to metal. A heat gun works if you need to make the vinyl soft to wrap, be careful as it will burn very fast. If the dash comes out, take it to the shop, they may give ya some good tips or even a good price to do it. Good luck.

Might also help if we knew what kind of JNC. Some of the old JNCs actually had removeable dash pads, some didn't. Depending on what you have effects how you approach and solve the issue. I have a couple extra dashes for some of mine that I keep indoors so that they remain decent. On my 76 Celica, it will involve making the basic shape out of self expanding foam, then shaping it. When the shape is correct, then cover with thin closed cell foam(padding) and then wrapping the dash with vinyl or fabric.

_________________
1976 RA29 project car, now a driver!!!!!
1985 MX72 soon to be...
1985 Celica GT, driving the wheels off
1991 MX83 soon to be 7MGTE