Hi Guys,
So in shopping around for some upper door pads, I've found a guy that has a pair in rough condition. He suggests that I buy them from him and have "Just Dashes" redo them so they'll be just like new.
Anyone try this? How did they turn out? How much are we looking at here?
Of course pictures are most welcome and I'm open to suggestions other than "just dashes"
Thanks!
What color are you looking for ? This is for a '68 correct ? I have a spare set in descent shape....and i'm located close by. Pm me your phone number.
Ron
I need to get mine sent out soon, too. I've heard of Just Dashes, but I'd also like to know if there are any others out there doing this component restoration?
Totally Auto, maybe?
Ron - you have mail. :icon_smile_big:
dc-f - my thinking is the door pads are a lot like the dash pads and should be the same type of restoration other than the place for the Charger badge but I've never seen one that was recovered.
I am only going on what I have heard about Just Dashes recovering the door panels (and please if anyone has had theirs done, please speak up and let me know) but I have heard that Just Dashes basically covers over your old one and a lot of the sharp lines and edges are lost. I have also heard that they charger a HUGE fee to redo them.
I have also heard that the detail is lost when Just Dashes does them. I checked with them a few years ago and they quoted me a price of $600.00 + shipping to do all four of my pads. I just decided to shoparound and pay for a good used set that I could redye myself. I managed to find the rears on ebay for about $50.00, the P/S front at a swap meet for $30.00 and a set of fronts on Moparts for $150.00. Good luck!
I had Just Dashes redo my '69 dashpad a few years ago. I can't remember the exact number but it was several hundred dollars.
The good:
-- I was impressed with the vacuum-forming job. It really looks like the skin is correctly molded in the shape of the pad now. You couldn't re-create this with any amount of folding & gluing a sheet of vinyl onto the pad.
-- The pad also fits perfectly onto the car like it should. (I hear none of the repro dashpads are anywhere even close.)
The bad:
-- The pad is noticeably harder than the original pad was. Just Dashes tells you this from the beginning. They say they're using stiffer foam so that their job lasts longer in the sun than the original vinyl & foam did.
-- The crisp edges are a bit more rounded off, as people have said. It's not terrible . . . but it's not quite original-grade either.
The verdict:
Would I use Just Dashes again? On a driver, yes. Probably not on an OE resto.
I'm glad I had the dashpad done. It fits my purposes. It looks reasonably close to the original and I can treat it like a normal car without worrying about it now.
IMHO Just Dashes should be doing better work on the creases in the pads for the money they charge. It's just a matter of putting in the necessary hand labor to shape everything right.
Lots of good info here - thanks everyone! :icon_smile_cool:
For the price Just Dashes charges and the results you get I'd spend my money on a nice set of originals.