do not buy dash pad for 1970-1981 firebirds from year one

do not buy this its junk its like a bandaid for your dash   i put it on my car was a pain an the ass because theres a gap      

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Just FYI, if you are still looking to get it right, there is a company in CA called Just Dashes (WWW.justdashes.com) that has a boatload of the old factory molds. You send them your dash, they strip it down and re-inject the correct material in the correct mold and what you get back looks like a brand new dash. Almost any color you need or want. They also do gauge resto and have retro gauges for sale.
They are a bit $. I sent off my 71 goat dash to them in 97 and it was about 700$ then. But what they give you is QUALITY work back.  

bird, did you buy just a Coverlay dash cap, or an actual dash pad? Year One's good reputation isn't from selling "crap".    

I'm really glad to see this post. I assume your refering to the thin vinyl cover which fits over the old one. I have been hesitant to order one because I can't see it fitting properly over an old cracked dash. It is definantly just a bandaid till you can replace the dash. It's not Year One's fault, it's just one of many products they stock - the waiter didn't cook the food. I emailed Year One last month about the pads and the tech replied that it obviously is not a new dash and was not designed as such. So, it's basically just a large custom fitted condom.

PS. Thanks for the "justdash" link My71, none of the salvage yards down in my neck of the woods have them any more.  

You're welcome Brazil. I can speak highly of them because they did mine.. Once you check out thier website, you'll see what I mean.  

FYI forum dudes, I have used those Coverlays more than once, sold dozens of them.

I never put one on a Firebird though.

They can be installed nicely and fool chicks who wouldn't ride in your car if they could see what the dash REALLY looks like. In many cases, you really have to look to notice it. Some dashes just lend themselves more readily to this type of cover, maybe not the F-body. X-body ones look fine. Texture is believable.  

ID, good morning.

I'm still curious about the Coverlays. I just noticed the 1966 Mustang I bought in January has a dash cap, it looks fine and I wouldn't even notice it if I weren't looking for it - but it's just the top and doesn't go around anything on the gauge panel. It's actually pretty thick and fits well. Is the one for the X-body just covering the top?

What I'm a bit sceptable... sketable.... scepitble, curious about is how one that fits over an entire old Firebird dash would look. It seems like it would have to be awfully thin to go around all the contours and radio/ashtray recesses.

The original dash is so bulky anyway that it seems like putting a cover over the whole thing would be kind of funny looking. (Hey, thanks again for the pix tips, I've got it figured out now).  

Evening, Brazil (oops, spaced a day)

The Coverlays look good on some applications, not so good on others. Some don't cover the whole dash but just the skyward area, every application is different.

I used one on a 71 Ventura with no glue (a full coverage application) and the only telltale was around the defrost vents. Need one for my 76 El Camino and it looks like a good candidate.

The idea is to match the color exactly and fool the glancing eye. A nice car with a nasty dash is a no sale. These were developed for the used car industry if that tells you anything. It ain't for museum cars LOL. I do not doubt that the early 'birds are not a good one to use this on. They don't cost very much so its not a huge burn if it don't work out. You may have driven a car that had one and never noticed!  

JOE!  A Mustang?  

Yes Milton, a Mustang dang it.
It's a baby blue 66 and it's cute, and my wife's Christmas present!  
Guadalupe, (my 78 TA) has never run better - she is very jealous of the Ford.