The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Radio location patch

Good morning from Utah,
well, I started digging into my dashboard and after removing my BUICK radio someone was kind enough to put in back in the 80's .....based on the penny spacers I found between the radio and the dash to...I'm guessing tighten up the fitment. It appears they needed to customize the dash by opening up the center hole and drilling some new dial holes. I'm debating on a full dash replacement or trying to find a donor dash for a patch panel as I do like the original appearance I would verry much preffer to bring it back to OE....ish. any suggestions on my perdicamate?

Not sure what year , make, model you are working on. Post it and you'll have better luck here. But regardless, there are different places that sell patch panels for dashes. Usually da radio area to be exact. Because of your exact reason. Somewhat limited application tho. Good luck.

Butchered dashes are something we face on a regular basis so for the last several years we have been making filler plates out of 18g cold rolled sheet metal and panel bonding them in place. It's a no stress area and dash can be repaired in a couple hours (plus a day of finish to paint ready). Pics of a before and after 52 Suburban dash done with panel bond. Radio area was left blank till owner decided on what radio to use.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/Sj63zs3B/52-Suburban-005.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/phq0qhvr/panel-and-suburban-004.jpg[/img]

wow, totally forgot to say what I have.....My truck is a 1953 chevy 3/4 ton

that's good looking for sure. I would like however to retain my original radio option.

Unless you love hard work don’t remove the entire dash, it is spot-welded everywhere and is a beast to remove. The windshield area is the worst, once you prep it to receive the replacement it is very thin in that area. When I used to remove them from parts trucks I used a “junkyard cut” trusting the guy that got it would trim it and figure it all out.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/33267066618/in/album-72157631868452754/

Mine just had the 2 holes drilled for the modern tuner and volume controls.
I patched the holes with epoxy and installed the stock radio delete plate and hole covers.
My plan was to go with a hidden radio.
Never got finished with the truck because a guy wanted to buy it ASAP, $$$.

That's a great idea, I've got to check that out more often. thanks

Original radios are very pricey so we often "French" (recess) a modern radio into the dash so it kind of looks like it belongs there. The ones that stick out because of the factory dash curve look a bit funky to me.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/t14597bP/dan-s-49-002.jpg[/img]

I purchased a repair panel from Classic Parts. I welded it in and am pleased with the results.

I found a local classic junk yard that has an uncut dash in one of their 1 ton cabs. I'm definatiely concidering it. He wants $150 for the cut or $300 for the entire cab. floors and corners are of course gone

I have decided to go with a dash out of an existing truck If I can find one locally, I just don't want to have to deal with blending a patch on the dash. I'm not so great at the bodywork side of things yet and I'll spend a fair amount of time seeing the dash whenever the truck gets driven.

I think changing the dash is more work than fixing the cut up area by the radio.

I'm hoping any welding can be hiden by winshield and door seals. I am willing to put in the hard work, pretty sure it will pay off in the long run. I fugure If I can get a "good" dash out of an existing cab verses after market, it in theory will fit better with little "make it fit" moments. 😅

As Kevinsky said, a lot of work to swap a whole dash. No patch panels are available for that trucks radio area. We don't have any pics of your dash situation to judge. That keeps us at a handicap. The best advise by far is to obtain a donor radio section and piece it in.

From what see from pics of dashes, it is possible to fab a piece as Evan has shown. It takes some skill, but not a high tech piece to make. you just mend the metal over a pipe, you don't hammer a piece into shape in this case. DIY Pipe Anvil.

Agree with kevinski and bartamos. Just patch the radio area. You can use the full dash if you wish, but you'll spend a lot more time getting the old one out and new one welded in. Radio area patch is pretty easy (easier than cab corners).

Very weird how title changed @20Mercman post. that should not happen.

I think 20Merchman must have changed it when he responded. I think I can go back and fix it.

Yep fixed. It was easy.

Sooo, not being terribly experienced with welding sheet metal, what size wire would be recomended for this patch job?

.030

I wouldn't weld it...especially if this kind of work isn't something you've got a comfort level for. You can find yourself in deep water quickly welding this thickness of metal. And welding is something I learned nearly 60 years ago and have done commercially. This is a non-load bearing, non-stress area so I'd first get my replacement piece in hand, and then I'd carefully cut out a rectangle in the dash using a saber saw and a thin metal blade. Go slowly with good light. Then make a pattern on a piece of thin cardboard (like cereal box). Hold that thin cardboard under your dash or tape it on so it fits all around the curved area and using a sharp pencil trace the cutout shape onto it. Make careful note of where any knob holes ought to be. Then, cut out your cardboard model and transfer that to the replacement piece carefully aligning for knob holes, etc. Mark it on the replacement piece carefully and cut that replacement piece to fit. Then I'd do two things: 1. epoxy a metal flange (same thickness of the dashboard metal or slightly thinner) around the perimeter of the opening on the back side of the dash 2. bed the replacement piece in on top of the flange you made once it has cured with either JB-Weld or 3M Panel Bonding epoxy. Sand both the flange and the replacement piece well where it will be epoxied. Both of those products are going to work about the same, by the way. Finish with a thin coat of body filler, sand and you'll be done and ready to prime/paint. PS...if you're concerned about using JB-Weld, please don't be. Below you can see an area where the roof pan meets the upright pillar on my truck. Around 1978 this seam cracked and I repaired it using JB-Weld rather than weld it. There's no line at all even after 40+ years. Good luck.

I use .023 wire for mig welding sheet metal.
But Jon G's approach is definitely attractive. Like he said, it's not a structural area and JB Weld is plenty strong enough.

great! thank you

I didnt think about JB Weld. That would be much more efficient to boot, especially for an inexperienced welder.