Dash Front main replacement

[dirtrich]

Hi Sirriggs (and everyone else)
I don't mean to hijack your thread, BUT.... I'm doing basically the same project and due to the fact that this project sat for about three years I forgot where the heck a couple pieces of rubber are supposed to go.
Normally, I'd just start putting things back together and it would be self-evident where the pieces go at some point. But due to the fact that the danged dash breaks apart if you so much as look at it wrong, I decided to do something which goes against my nature-----and ask for help! lol
Went online, clicked on Ram forum, and lo and behold this thread was the latest post.
If you could tell me where these go I'd sure appreciate it.
I've also included a photo of the repair I made where the dash broke just above the air bag. I plan on getting a couple more packages of jb weld plastic bonder and coating the entire dash with it in the hopes of strengthening it before I put it all back together. Kind of terrifying how brittle it is.
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me
Dave

 

[Sirriggs]

Your not hi-jacking. lol. I thought the first photo was the rubber pieces for each side but looking at the pictures. I really couldn't answer your question but that patch work looks good. My damage is mostly over the cluster to the key switch for the air bag. The repair you done looks like where the air bag goes in?

 

[dirtrich]

Thanks for getting back to me.
Those rubber pieces are definately for 'each side'.....but each side of what? They are stamped with 'L' and 'R'.
Yes, the repair is where the air bag goes in.
I test fitted the dash cover yesterday to see if the screw holes were even close to lining up and thankfully they were!
Unfortunately, I breathed on the dash just above the instrument cluster....and cracked it. Then I touched it....and broke a small chunk out. Decided it was time to go in and light a fire/ get going on dinner lol.
I'm going to pick up a costco sized amount of the jb weld and start strengthening the whole darned thing before I find myself competing with you to find the last dash in one piece in the u.s.a.

 

[Sirriggs]

Ok, That makes sense. The rubber pieces you speak of marked L&R are for the top dash next to the pillars. They are a seal and so you don't hear rubbing. If you look at LMC replacement dash, you will see they come with them. The ones on eBay don't. I thought that was what they were but they also look like hard plastic so that was why I wasn't sure.

Your running into the same thing as to the dash breaking apart from the cluster area all the way to the curve where the air bag switch if. Mine completely gone. I still see a ton of these years trucks on the road so why somebody hasn't taken advantage of doing the main still puzzles me. Donor truck with good parts are slowly slipping away. Lord know how many were crushed in your local junk yards/ Salvage recyclable as they like to be called these day's. lol. If you have around 80% left, I'm sure you can get away with the dash that has the screw slots but cover would be limited. eBay has become very scammy with either cost being exploited or shipping too. I started to see that years ago and very rarely buy from there anymore.

Here is a 99 dash and if you look at both sides. You will see that rubber you speak of. As you can see this is a full dash with screws for main and clips for bezel. Cheaper that eBay or Amazon,

1998-02 Dash Pads and Instrument Bezel

Shop from thousands of parts and accessories to help you restore, maintain, and customize your Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge or Ford truck or SUV. Keep 'em on the road with the right part, right price, right now.

www.lmctruck.com

It wont let me post picture but link is to LMC Dash

 

[Sirriggs]

Still on hold here. Had to fix several things here at the house. Facebook market place is turning out to be working better for finding things wise for these year Dodges. Will be back on it soon hopefully.

 

[GTyankee]

I looked at the LMC site

1998-02 Dash Pads and Instrument Bezel

Shop from thousands of parts and accessories to help you restore, maintain, and customize your Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge or Ford truck or SUV. Keep 'em on the road with the right part, right price, right now.

www.lmctruck.com

Dodge Ram Dash Top Replacement Fits 98-02 Pick Up Truck / Dark Granite Free Shipping ! ! !

Dodge Ram Dash Top Replacement Fits 98-02 Pick Up Truck / Dark Granite USA MADE WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY AGAINST CRACKING Fits 98-01 1500 Series Fits 98-02 2500 & 3500 Series Dodge Ram Pick Up Truck Color : Dark Granite - Trim Color Code ends in C3 Perfect Solution if your Dash Board is almost...

dashpartsplus.com

There is a better product, but so far i have not found it
The product is made of ABS & the sun does not affect it

 

[Sirriggs]

I looked at the LMC site

1998-02 Dash Pads and Instrument Bezel

Shop from thousands of parts and accessories to help you restore, maintain, and customize your Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge or Ford truck or SUV. Keep 'em on the road with the right part, right price, right now.

www.lmctruck.com

Dodge Ram Dash Top Replacement Fits 98-02 Pick Up Truck / Dark Granite Free Shipping ! ! !

Dodge Ram Dash Top Replacement Fits 98-02 Pick Up Truck / Dark Granite USA MADE WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY AGAINST CRACKING Fits 98-01 1500 Series Fits 98-02 2500 & 3500 Series Dodge Ram Pick Up Truck Color : Dark Granite - Trim Color Code ends in C3 Perfect Solution if your Dash Board is almost...

dashpartsplus.com

There is a better product, but so far i have not found it
The product is made of ABS & the sun does not affect it

I have a new bezel and down the road i will get the top replacement from LMC but What I am trying ton get is the core part those attach to. I am currently taking one out of a truck but its at his business so I don't get a lot of time to remove it. It does have some bad spots but I believe I can make it work with some repair. The problem is being so brittle. Its a slow process to remove without causing any further damage. This it's clear he doesn't understand. I am going to message him to delay this till after the holidays so I wont be rushed to remove it. Just in what I have gotten loose has caused a few cracks already that I will have to repair. If he can't wait, then I will just move on and keep looking. Hate leaving the dash mostly out but I wont be rushed either. I'm also buying the steering colum as well for the wheel and lever end so its not like he not making cash.The dash core is what I am trying to get. You wont see any repair work once I put a new cap and bezel on it.

 

[19Slick69]

My 2002 2500HD had a dash that did what all 2nd gens did...cracked beyond repair. The lower dash was ok, but top dash and black trim facia was a disaster. I ordered a new dash(camel colored)from LMC, heater core, and evaporator from Rockauto and paid a local body shop to install it all. They did a great job but told me when it came time to remove old dash(that I had epoxied back together), it came out in a basket of pieces...totally disintegrated. The new dash fit like a glove, color was a bit more satin than original gloss like appearance. The steel frame that dash attached to was all solid. The black trim fascia fit like a glove as well. Overall cost was $750.00 for LMC dash and install, heater core and evaporator and labor to install those as well. This was a job well beyond my skill base, patience and threshold of pain....well worth every f'n penny. Screw Dodge for screw'n me. Thousands bought these ticking dashboard time bombs and no customer service from Dodge. They knew these were falling apart but couldn't have cared less.

 

[Rosebud-da-truck]

My 2002 2500HD had a dash that did what all 2nd gens did...cracked beyond repair. The lower dash was ok, but top dash and black trim facia was a disaster. I ordered a new dash(camel colored)from LMC, heater core, and evaporator from Rockauto and paid a local body shop to install it all. They did a great job but told me when it came time to remove old dash(that I had epoxied back together), it came out in a basket of pieces...totally disintegrated. The new dash fit like a glove, color was a bit more satin than original gloss like appearance. The steel frame that dash attached to was all solid. The black trim fascia fit like a glove as well. Overall cost was $750.00 for LMC dash and install, heater core and evaporator and labor to install those as well. This was a job well beyond my skill base, patience and threshold of pain....well worth every f'n penny. Screw Dodge for screw'n me. Thousands bought these ticking dashboard time bombs and no customer service from Dodge. They knew these were falling apart but couldn't have cared less.

So the LMC dash is worth the $$$ and worked well? My orig dash is completely gone

 

[Sirriggs]

I am thinking I might be able to do some jerry rigging with the front to be able to install a new top part of the dash down the road. I may have enough to carefully drop it to fix a few things and do the repair while its in the position. I figured most of the repair will be hidden under a new top and bezel so it's worth a try for now when I get to it. I did post a guy who is in the process of making a mold for a new replacement of the lower half that most people need but cost is running $1,500. That's out of my budget range but no impossible for maybe someone else? I already posted a thread for that in here.

Right now I am focused on trying to save up money to have transmission rebuilt. I'm searching Facebook Market place as well but haven't had a lot of luck so far. Good luck gents.

 

[GTyankee]

You must be looking at the top of the website page
if you had scrolled down, you would have seen the piece that holds the instrument panel etc, that the top piece sits on

 

[Sirriggs]

You must be looking at the top of the website page
if you had scrolled down, you would have seen the piece that holds the instrument panel etc, that the top piece sits on

The two pieces he asked about are part of the top and you are correct on what looked to be fixed was the lower part of the dash. This part was the unicorn part that is hard to find in decent shape and people are abusing this by over charging for them on EBay. I was happy to see someone is finally starting to take interest in reproducing the lower half. It's worth it and there is still a lot of these trucks on the road today.