TheSamba.com :: View topic - Mystery dash foam rubber thing from the early 70's

Sun Jul 13, 2014 11:31 pm

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time to the original owner, but now it's shot and has no purpose.

The story I heard from the second owner is that it was an accessory installed to prevent the OO's kid's head from smacking the stock metal dash since actual shoulder belts had yet to be fitted from the factory.

Anyway, it's ugly and rotting. See pix below, but the worst thing is what I forgot to shoot, is that around the defroster vents it had to be sliced up to fit it around the contours there, but 40 year-old vynil and foam aftermarket stuff like this tends to not weather well, and this thing hasn't.

Any advice on what this is and how to remove it without messing up the OEM paint that it was seemingly glued to would help me a lot!

Thanks in advance!

[img]

Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:23 am

Not familiar with that myself, but I would suggest taking a real good look with a mirror on the other side to see if there may be studs bolted through the dash. Thats how the padding was installed on lates.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:58 am

Maybe it's the angle of the pictures or the camera used, but that that dash pad doesn't look to be in that bad of condition to me.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:40 am

It's an EMPI dash pad, a pic from the gallery:

Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:50 am

andk5591 wrote: but I would suggest taking a real good look with a mirror on the other side to see if there may be studs bolted through the dash.

Yep, here's a pic I found of another one in the gallery. You can see a stud attached to the left side of the pad. You'll probably have a big hole in your dash now. :cry: And there may even be another stud in the center somewhere. The right side likely just utilizes the original holes for the grab handle.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:04 am

In the early 90's my buddy had a couple of nos Empi dash pads, still in the box, and I had a chance to buy one. I passed when I found out I would have to drill a hole in my dash. Cool looking pad, but not worth drilling a hole in my opinion. :wink:
Btw, there is an early and late version......60- 65, and 66-67.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:04 am

Hopefully, it was only secured using hardware. There maybe a small market for that pad, and it doesn't look to be in too bad of shape. You could find a plastic plug for the hole and either try to paint it to match the dash, or hang a bud vase over it. Hopefully, the pad isn't hiding some other, WORSE sin.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:17 am

I recently ventured into the Type 3 world.....There are several vw original equipment plugs made for dashboards......Might help you keep your original paint

NOTE :I dealt with vendor Boo Zoo K in type 3 classifieds...he was very helpful

Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:12 pm

Seems simple enough- pull it and look underneath. If the dash is fubar'd- then reinstall and have a rare accessory that tells a story. I think it's really cool. They do not surface very often as indicated above due to drill scare.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:29 pm

glutamodo wrote: Maybe it's the angle of the pictures or the camera used, but that that dash pad doesn't look to be in that bad of condition to me.

Only because I stupidly forgot to photograph the top of it, which is all cracked up and rotting.

I appears to be both bolted and glued. Bolted on the passenger side via the grab handle, and one on the drivers side. Which is fine, I'd rather have a little hole than a dying old EMPI dash pad (thank you, vdubmyk).

Things to do with the hole? Bud vase is a non starter, because my bud would just dry out and make the car smell skunky. There are also legality issues.

I'm thinking of something useful, like an idiot light that's triggered by a dipstick oil temp sensor in an overheat situation?

Or triggered by a carbon monoxide sensor? Oh wait, that would probably be on all the time.

What about a flashing LED to give someone pause before they steal the car anyway?

grandpa pete, where did you find those grommet plugs you mentioned and are they color coded?

Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:10 pm

Ha ha! I meant the strictly legal kind, approved for all 48 states...

(Credit 79supervert)

Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:16 pm

That dash pad is an old EMPI add on. I have that in my GTV. They are getting hard to find, especially the ones that fit 66 and 67 cars with the center dash vent.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:06 pm

panicman wrote: Ha ha! I meant the strictly legal kind, approved for all 48 states...

(Credit 79supervert)

Flowers are illegal in 2 states? Joking aside, a bud vase just isn't for me, but that's a cute one you have though, says my wife.

Even if it was in perfect shape I'd still want to remove it. One of the 2 reasons I paid extra for a 67 was for it's "12 volt metal dash," as someone else described it while he checked it out with a "yes, I might just steal this one" sorta way. Creepy.

Still looking for clever ideas for the hole that was drilled - it's on the high side of the dash and over the right side of the speaker cover.

Wire a filament bulb in line with the Sapphire's speaker feed that pulsates with the music? Naw, too disco.

High beam on indicator? I could actually use that since sometimes I forget to just keep them on so people can actually see me at night.

I still like my flashing LED light idea. How to wire it (or how to find one) so it only turns on when the car is turned off is a mystery to me though.

Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:20 pm

You might also leave the hole and put a magnetic odometer over it if the hole is on a flat surface:
Examples: http://www.go.familie-mades.de/Tageszaehler_2004-11-05__14-55-16.jpg
Stevie

Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:55 pm

when you pull it out i suggest that you try to do so gently, I'm sure there are people out there that would love to have it.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 4:09 am

That's cool as kcuf! if you don't want, it, send it down to me :)