mydatsunroadster.com

My dashboard has cracks in it and is just in generally rough condition given that it is nearly 40 years old. So I've looked into my options for getting a new dash. It is a high-cost item, but will be front-and-center in the new interior, so this is an area worth getting a quality piece.

Dashboards are not available from Nissan and the roadster parts vendors do not offer reproduction dashes for the high windshield cars (though they do for the early low windshield roadsters). So I am faced with finding a dashboard restoration company that rebuilds dashes using new foam and recovers them with new vinyl. I have found three such companies, all of them on the west coast:

• Just Dashes comes recommended by some roadster owners on the roadster mailing list, but I've heard that their prices have increases significantly in recent years. They are located in Van Nuys, CA and have been in business for 24 years.

• Dashboard Restorations, located in Brush Prairie, WA, was formerly affiliated with an Australian company of the same name. This company has done a lot of work for the Classic Z-Car club guys and they seem to be very happy with the results.

• Dash Specialists of Medford, OR has over 15 years in the business and has a reputation for doing concourse-level work.

The dash is in three pieces. There is the main dash unit, the glove-box door, and a small panel that mounts under the dash on the driver's side. I got price quotes from all three of the potential vendors.

Just Dashes charges $600 for the main dash plus $120 for the glovebox door and there may be an additional charge for the small under-dash panel. The radio console ($100) and armrest console and lid ($400) would be additional.

Dashboard Restorations quoted $600 for the three dash pieces. The radio console would be another $150 and the console would be $250.

Dash Specialists would charge $800 for the three-piece dash. I did not ask for a quote on the radio console or armrest console.

So that is the range of pricing out there. I am planning to try to save some money by having a local upholstery shop re-cover my consoles (radio and armrest) in new vinyl, because the foam on both is in pretty good shape and those pieces don't require a full restoration like the dash.