Dutch W.

Hello,
Multiple people look at the glove compartment/breadloaf in my '87 and ask if its an air bag (I can't blame 'em). Zip Products sells a replacement kit (p.14) and says "Installation requires no modification; dash can easily be returned to original." MAD seems to offer the same kit for $10 less, but doesn't describe installation.

Two questions:
Does this crashpad (that's what it is, right?) greatly enhance the safety of the passenger?

Does anyone know how easily this modification is; someone told me the switch out is not easily done at all despite ZIP's (and I think Eckler's) description, but he had no firsthand experience.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Kale

The crashpad is useless

The replacement just "sits" in there, and doesnt' even match the dashboard.

It is not easy to remove. I had to cut 2 screws to get the dashpad out.

I dread the job of putting the dash pad back in.

if I'd have known then what I know now, the dash pad would still be in there.

96VegasVette

I did this mod to my 89, as Kale stated, the 2 lower screws are a bitch to get to. I also had a re-occuring problem with the air duct assy. coming loose, the double sided tape provided to secure the duct bezel to the panel is worthless, I had to use a 2 part epoxy. The look is ok, the finish is not that great, the edges of the panel looked like they were cut with a hacksaw. :(

Aggravated4life

That crashpad is worthless...I dont see it offering any benefits in a crash.

That replacement plastic panel is a piece of crap...it rattled and flexed in my dashboard.It wouldnt have been so bad if it was longer on one side and had screw holes to use with the stock piece over the cneter console to keep it more rigid.

I had one made out of plywood and wrappedin black vinyl.it looks excellent and almost factory to non vette owners.

Of course I drilled the ends 2 holes and 2 holes on the front side dash piece to hold it in place.You do that anyways when you buy a woodgrain kit and they give you the wood panel for the end.Same idea.

GRX

When I bought my car, it had some aftermarket panel installed there. I opted to restore it to the original look. The after market panels are IMHO ugly. My .02 worth. :flag

Dutch W.

Wow, definitely more downsides to this than I thought there'd be. I appreciate the heads-up. Doesn't sound like anyone out there is happy with theirs. Gotta disagree with GRX though, I'm mostly into stock items, too, but the breadloaf looks cheap and cheesey IMHO (but with what I've heard so far, I might end up and keep the darn thing). Oh well, different strokes for different folks. Thanks for all the responses.

gh86E

Actually, in redoing my interior, I found it wasn't really that hard to get the crashpad out. If you just get several other things out the way first, and none of them are hard, it's actually pretty easy. See my web link below (look for the SPECIAL: How to remove 'bread box' and knee panels! link). I removed the carpeted panel just under the crashpad - once that's out, the crashpad is easy. Now I already had some of the car disassembled - dash trim panels, top dash pad, and seats were already out, and it took me only about 1/2 hr to get the carpeted kick panel out. It would take me only 15-30 minutes to remove the trim panels, dash pad, and passenger seat again, so i figure it's 45 minutes to get to where the crashpad will easily come out, and a replacement going in.

The pages are a little out of date - I'll update them in the next few days. The car's actually getting back together!


[Modified by gh86E, 7:26 PM 10/26/2001]

Ezgoin721

I removed mine also, and have to agree with most others...it's a pain in the neck. I had to actually break two of the rear braces to get the old pad off, which would make replacement of the pad unlikely. I do like it better without the pad, but I think you need something on the replacement panel to break up the big flat surface! In my case it ended up being a chrome "Corvette" emblem.

Dutch W.

ttt

gcrouse

Since I already had my dash apart anyway, it wasn't too much of a pain replacing. I opted for the version from Eckler's with the map pocket; its about 3" deep in there! The pocket was cheap nylon crap so I had my wife find some leather-looking vinyl and took it to an embroidery shop for the "Corvette" logo.

Dutch W.

Hi gcrouse,
I saw those others with the vinyl pocket, but since they cost an extra $20 and I didn't like the vinyl look, I had ruled them out.

Your solution sounds nice, though -- its just irritating that for $70-$80 you still had to change it around so much.

Does anyone else make/sell any kind of kit besides the generic flat panel and the generic vinyl pocket a la Ecklers, Zip, etc.? Getting a Corvette emblem with it/on it is a cool idea, since with a switch out a person is losing about the only stock one in the cockpit.

Aggravated4life

Hey dutch,
If you want to see my custom panel go to http://community.webtv.net/TunePort86/

and its on the last page...excuse the pics on some of them, had a crappy camera at the time.
If you like it enough, I can send you a template on tracing paper so you can make one.

A few years back they had a breadloaf box,looked like the GM piece but it was a Glovebox that opened up.
Price tag was 200-300 bucks I think!
I havent seen anyone who advertised it lately..must not have been a popular item,but it was a glovebox.
They also sold a flat panel that opened up as a glovebox with a compartment and had the Corvette logo on it.

Just wanted to pass that along...ecklers ed to sell these but I havent seen them in the catalogs..maybe Corvette America still carries similiar items, and maybe a phone call will verify.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.
:)

November Soul

Greg, that's a gorgeous looking 'vette!

I want to repaint mine now :cry

pablocruise

I got rid of mine real quick. I didn't really sweat it, just did it. Thinking about it was worse than actually doing it. Ezgoing has a good idea of adding an emblem to dress it up a little. Vegas is also right: The double sided stick tape provided is worthless!

Dutch W.

Wow, this has been really great input. Thanks! While I am a bit of a do-it-yourselfer, my first inclination was to purchase a replacement panel if I do the switch out -- although seeing what others have been able to make has raised my curiousity and interest.

Should anyone know of another product like the one mentioned above (GM glove box), I'd love to hear about it. While interested in learning what is out there, I think I would prefer a flat panel with an integrated (indented) CORVETTE lettering -- that doesn't flex/squeak (obviously).

Dutch W.

"They also sold a flat panel that opened up as a glovebox with a compartment and had the Corvette logo on it."
:cool: Cool; I'd like to find that somewhere. Not on the CorvetteAmerica website or in the Ecklers, ZIP or MAD catalogs.

If anyone still has there install instructions for any of the commercial dash panels; I'd sure like to see a (scanned-in?) copy of them. Thanks.

War Machine

Dutch,

Click the link for the instructions and from there you can type in part # 603136 or scroll down the screen. They're in numerical order. http://www.madvet.com/tech/instruction.html HTH :)

-John

Aggravated4life

Hey Dutch,
I seen an Instant Message from you but I cant read it or scroll,or reply on it..I dont know why..must be this webtv I have.
Anyways sorry I couldnt asnwer you back...I just seen it now when I got back on.
You may need to call some of the Vette companies and ask them if they still have anyt other golvebox or panels left in their wharehouse.
:)

Dutch W.

Thanks, John, it was there; you da man. :)

fuzyface

Did mine, removed dash pad for eaisier access to the passenger side. Soked the new panel in armorall, at least the shine is the same now. Stopped rattle by putting felt on the inside bottom of the new panel. Had to use silocone to glue vent on. Tape provided is crap.
:smash:
:cheers: