Classic Dash A-body instrument panel "review"
I have the same dash, my only issue was that its fitment is not great. This was the original pic when set it in place. It was crooked and not every hole lined up. I had to apply a good bit of pressure to get most of the holes to line up.
However, it still looks better than what I had in there and the gauge orientation is nicer than the fastlane west panels.
I just got finished putting in one of the plastic gauge panels from Classic Dash in my Duster. I am very happy with the results, going from a stock dash with sucky factory gauges and broken speedo to this was a HUGE improvement.
Before:
Gauges mocked up:
And here's a video of it all finished and working:
https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xtp1/v/t42.1790-2/10528219_10205033666613588_1107445900_n.mp4?oh=4c68995378d82ad99dbf3c715876586b&oe=554D790B
This is a pretty straightforward install except for a couple issues. One is that the hole for the wiper switch is way too big; I left my windshield switch out anyway because I HATE the original location. I will probably drill a slot into my dash somewhere and relocate it. The other issue is that you can't use a mechanical-drive speedo unless you want it to loosely sit in the gauge hole; the location of the two larger holes is such that the speedo cable hits the support brace behind the dash panel. You can't tighten down the hold-down bracket on the back side without putting lots of strain on the cable, so I just left mine "free-floating" for now. You may notice in the video I swapped the tach and speedo positions so the speedo would fit; I had already wired everything up and I was so close to being done I just cut a slot between the two holes so I wouldn't have to disconnect and reconnect everything. Looks pretty bad when you see it but at this point I couldn't care much about it I'm thankful for everything else working right.
Overall, this gets a big thumbs UP from me. Unless you are building a restored original car you should trash that horrible factory dash ASAP and get one of these so you can actually know what's going on with your engine instead of just "suggestions" lol.
I have the same dash, my only issue was that its fitment is not great. This was the original pic when set it in place. It was crooked and not every hole lined up. I had to apply a good bit of pressure to get most of the holes to line up.
However, it still looks better than what I had in there and the gauge orientation is nicer than the fastlane west panels.
