AxeGrinder30thZ

I have a small crack in my top dash which resulted in a small chunk falling off and breaking. I need to replace my top dash before I can sell the car. Are 93-96 year top dashes different from 97-02? And do all the 98-02 dashes fit each other as well? Also, is it very difficult to take off the existing top dash and replace it with another? Thank you.

GreenDemon

You're talking about the part under the windshield, right?
They're not too hard to take out, but they're pretty fragile, and the replacement piece is expensive for just being plastic.

93-96 are the same, and I'm pretty sure 97-02 are the same as well.

Do not let the plastic bend, and do not put pressure on it. I tried to repair mine, now I have to get a new one. It actually looked awesome when I finished working on it, but it didn't last.

Of course, when you take the old one out, keep it around. Once you get the new one in you can take out all that frustration out on the old one.

BTW the dash pad is basically just velcroed in place.

shock6906

93-96 are all the same, 97 and up all got a different dash layout. the trickiest part about getting them out (I have a 93 camaro) is maneuvering it the right way to get it in and out. first and foremost, you have to take the a-pillars out. as far as going from then, just practice a few times with the old one before you put in the new one. you only have one chance with the new one, if you know what i mean.

1BigBird3

Hola,

Not saying your post is the incorrect procedure but I'd like a second F-Bud member to confirm that you actually have to remove the a-pillars out of harms way to make the installation easier for the top dash install. I only want to do this once and the price on these is ridiculous.

Thanks and good post!

Ruben F.

shock6906

well, just to let you know, at the edge of the top dash, where the a pillars join to it, there is a groove that is molded in that the a pillars sit in...the groove pretty much cradles the bottom edge of the a-pillars so that they do not move around. all in all, you basically have to take the a-pillars out if you want to do anything with the dash. by the way, im not talking about the entire a-pillar itself...just the plastic molding on them. just incase you were thinking otherwise. and i hear ya on the price of those things, over a hundred bucks for some plastic...when mine broke, i went to the fabric shop and got some vinyl and re-upholstered mine. comes out a lot cheaper than replacement.

Don't Look Back

Its not necessary to take the A-Pillar trim off, but it makes life easier. I took my dash pad out without removing them and it worked fine, but it back with them in place and it worked fine. Took it out again after I received the part I needed without removing the A-Pillar trim and it worked fine, but I cracked it putting it back in. You can definetly remove and replace the dash pad without removing the A-Pillar trim, but it probably reduces the likeliness of it cracking if you do remove it.

Indy93Z28

Remove the a-pillar trim. That way you don't scratch any pieces and besides it hardly adds an extra time to install. The whole thing should take less than 30 minutes.