Lower Dash Pad Installation (1 Viewer)

[Cactus Camper]

Hey all,

I’m having slight difficulty in re-installing the LOWER dash pads in the 40. My approach so far has been:
1. Pre-insert the dash clips
2. Line up lower dash pad posts with the clips
3. Evenly apply pressure across all posts

Where I’m hung up is failing to fully seat the posts within the clips. At this point, I’ve stopped here to avoid damaging the pad itself. Can anyone recommend a particular method or procedure to safely install? Is the installation really this tricky or am I just missing something obvious? Thank you for the comments and assistance!

 

[Living in the Past]

I haven't done this in a very long time. But believe I did it one at a time. Enough flex in the pad to do it this way. Just line up all pins then used the side of my fist to snap them in rather then try to press them in. I don't know the condition of your lower pads but mine were still soft enough not to crack.

 

[Cactus Camper]

I haven't done this in a very long time. But believe I did it one at a time. Enough flex in the pad to do it this way. Just line up all pins then used the side of my fist to snap them in rather then try to press them in. I don't know the condition of your lower pads but mine were still soft enough not to crack.

My pads are in very nice condition so I’d say they’re soft and flexible. Sounds like it’s a matter of brute force over finesse. I’ll give it a shot and see how it goes. I’m just trying to picture the process during original manufacture back at the factory. Might have been a peak in workers comp for wrist trauma lol. Thanks for the feedback @Living in the Past.

 

[Living in the Past]

Probably not as bad as you think. US market was one of a very few markets that got the later padded dash. Was into the eighties before Australia got a upper padded dash and never got the lower padded except maybe the LX models. My guess is at the factory they had a long solid piece that laid over the padded dash and a mallet to seat the clips. They seat better when snapped into place rather slowly pressed in.

 

[DougAustinTx]

All of my lower pads are held on with dime-sized neodymium magnets. They never come loose and I can pull the pads off any time I need to. The original pads all have dime sized cutouts already in the back, so the magnets click right onto the steel pad forms.

 

[greenbeasty]

Got to love a thinker!

 

[Chris Wilcox]

I found that a small dab of grease on the pins allowed the pins to slip into the rusty clips that were pre-inserted.