Installed new dash-- help with arching vents?

[rileydawgg]

I just put in a new repro dash... and now my defrost vents are arching significantly in the middle. Anybody have a fix for this? Maybe forcing them to bend back down in the middle with some kind of adhesive? Or double sided tape? Or magic??

Riley

[DMCMW Dave]

I just put in a new repro dash... and now my defrost vents are arching significantly in the middle. Anybody have a fix for this? Maybe forcing them to bend back down in the middle with some kind of adhesive? Or double sided tape? Or magic??

Riley

Can't say I've seen that problem, but the dash will fit better if you grind the point off the leading edge where it runs into the windshield.

The vents are screwed to the under-dash fiberglass and should not have moved.

[rileydawgg]

Can't say I've seen that problem, but the dash will fit better if you grind the point off the leading edge where it runs into the windshield.

The vents are screwed to the under-dash fiberglass and should not have moved.

We'll sheeeeooot, I wish I knew that before I spent a couple hours trying to get it to fit. :banghead: ha!

Also trying to figure out how to get the corners to be level with the a pillars... the dash is definitely thinner than my original. At least the texture and look seems pretty spot on.

[EdR5150]

My vents were warped. I was able to remove them, and straighten them with a heat gun.
You'll need a very short, or right angle screwdriver. I was only able to back the screws out a little before I had to abandon the screwdriver in favor of my fingers. Protect your windshield so you don't scratch it. Stuff a rag down the vents so you don't loose the screws, and have a magnet to help retrieve lost screws. Once the vents are out, vacuum out any crud, then clean it out with a damp rag.
I reinstalled my vents, with some shorter screws that I painted black. I wish I had thought or knew to grind down the edge of the dash...
Consider my magnet trick if you use a dashmat: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?9454-Use-magnets-to-secure-your-dash-mat-in-place-on-a-reproduction-dash

[rileydawgg]

My vents were warped. I was able to remove them, and straighten them with a heat gun.
You'll need a very short, or right angle screwdriver. I was only able to back the screws out a little before I had to abandon the screwdriver in favor of my fingers. Protect your windshield so you don't scratch it. Stuff a rag down the vents so you don't loose the screws, and have a magnet to help retrieve lost screws. Once the vents are out, vacuum out any crud, then clean it out with a damp rag.
I reinstalled my vents, with some shorter screws that I painted black. I wish I had thought or knew to grind down the edge of the dash...
Consider my magnet trick if you use a dashmat: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?9454-Use-magnets-to-secure-your-dash-mat-in-place-on-a-reproduction-dash

Thanks, I'll give that a try. I just got a heat gun to fix the eyebrows on my fascia...

[GS450-Junkie]

mine did the same thing... I just left them. :bash:

[rileydawgg]

mine did the same thing... I just left them. :bash:

And they never flattened out on their own at all?

[GS450-Junkie]

nope. And now that the windshield is back in it is probably a bit more tricky to get them back out I'm guessing.