Opinions Please...contains large images.

The PO of the Yellow Cab had Vintage do a customization on the dash. The entire dash is covered, rather than just the upper half. I'm trying to decide if I want to remove the lower portion and place the chrome strip like the typical Vintage has. It would be pretty simple to do, since the dash is painted underneath the material and the glue comes off easily.

I think it looks ok with the all black interior, but what do you think?

This is what it looks like now.

Troy, I'd do several things. One, I'd lose the bottom half of that vinyl because it looks very "kittish."

I'd do exactly as you suggested, and lose the bottom half in favor of the paint and chrome trim, then lose also the key fob in favor of something more "P-car" and less Auto Zone.

I'd also lose the Speedster script in favor of a more traditional P-car logo and keep the grab handle, but with a twist. Maybe have the handle and the heater actuator arms paint-matched to that yellow?

Follow that with yellow piping on the seats or a yellow shifter boot in good leather, replace the dash and shift knobs with unadorned wood or faux ivory (off of a Bus, maybe?) and she's ready to rock.

Very, very clean car. And that yellow really is a good pick. What's it look like underneath?

Peel the bottom corner of the vinyl back and see if the yellow paint still has a gloss or if they sanded it before applying the glue.

Troy,

It looks OK, but if it were mine I'd do what you said and remove the lower part on the dash. But then if it were mine I'd change those pedals out for black rubber, lose the underdash gauges and the fingerloop shifter and the rest of the stuff that gives it that blingkitcar look. I like the black for the yellow car but for me there's just too much that looks like it came from the Cal Custom bubblepack rack at Grand Auto.

Note that I said 'if it were me' a couple of times. The main thing about these cars is that you can and should do what YOU like with them.

I'm with Cory. The vinyl over the whole dash, as well as the chromey pedals, scream "kit car".

All good suggestions and I will do some of them.

I did peel back some of the vinyl as you suggested Alan and the paint appears to be fine underneath. The glue appears to just ball-up as I ran my fingers over it and comes right off.

I'd agree with Cory and Lane ---loose the covering. It's attractive and certainly not a horror story but doesen't seem to work as well as the painted finish.

This would be a perfect chance to see about obtaining the dash set up of the Beck Speedster which is quite faithful to the original Speedsters----which Vintage is not. Get the measurements from Beck and see if it all fits and install it. I am seriously considering going this route myself.

I like the yellow color--a great shade of yellow and very visible for added safety. Black is a nice interior color too. Nice ride and congrats of scoring it.

At the risk of running uphill here:

You're all worried about looking like a "kit-car"? In a superwide? If the car's got flares, it's obviously not an original (which is fine, IMHO), so why would anybody care about an original-looking dash? The dash is not my cup 'o tea, but it's done.

Everything Stan said is correct. Still, I have always thought the body-colored dash is one of the nice features of the Speedster.

Another option that I've though about if I ever did a full custom Speedster would be to reverse things and cover the bottom of the dash in vinyl and leave the top painted. You could then do the door tops, gauge visor, and dash padded thingies in wood like Barry Crone did. That would be a unique, somewhat nautical look.

The painted dash is more period correct for most kinds of vehicles from the 50"s, but I'm with Stan.

Wish I could magically transfer it to mine! Mine had cutouts for the larger CMC Vintage gauges, I fiberglassed and sanded opening to make them smaller to take VDO Night Design gauges. I plan to do similar covering on mine but to include the rubber dash brows (covered with vinyl) to break up the expanse. I might even do it two tone - black on top and red below (seatss & carpets are red in a black car). Hummmm - if I could find some bright yellow - I'd have the German flag!

Troy, looking through your pictures has given me a new appreciation of the wide body speedsters. The blue one especially and the orange - are those yours, or yours previous to the yellow?

Troy's hobby is catch & release. Somehow he finds them, totally cleans them up, name's them, and finds new adoptive homes........ with killer photos and ad copy on EBAY.
Troy's Widebody Rescue. If he successfully keeps this up his blue one will have been paid for.

The problem with that dash is that it is terribly plain. It comes across like a giant naugahyde sofa with a speedster script on it.

But I like things that are weird/different. So how about this... Imagine a french stitching across the dash surrounding the instrument bezel, and maybe horizontally across the dash. Also fill up some of that sofa-naugahyde-void with a period style clock and approriate knobs for accessories. Knobs need to CONTRAST not be black. I think a brushed look aluminum/stainless, etc., would pop nicely. See how nicely the defrosters pop? Like that.

The fact that it's covered isn't the issue. The problem is that it's big and bland. So spice it up.

angela

Angela is right you need to spice it up by adding things ...changing the knobs to brushed and maybe adding another 3rd dummy switch will help busy it up. Maybe hange out the two gauge housing to a chrome one, using a green scuffy pad to make it look like a brushed one and while you're at it maybe loosen the three gauge set, scuff the bezels and the grab handle too. Pedals gotta go change them out for the three pc aluminum ones at CIP1. To finish it off find a brushed shifter knob and E' brake handle cover.

Alan.
Check your email!

The problem for me is always that I need to appeal to the masses and compete with what is normally the standard for these cars. I love Angela's stitching suggestions, but while it may look cool to some of us, it might not appeal to as many potential buyers. I definately will be changing out the knobs.

I went through the same thing with Black Betty when I was trying to decide what to do with her original blue paint. There were lots of suggestions for strips, but in the end, I decided to go with all black.

Here is my best non-photoshop effort to picture it with the yellow dash. I think it pops pretty good and it will have a dash emblem too.

better - i'm thinking something like this to finish off the lower dash:

That's pretty nice. Number two, with the finished lower dash piece installed.

Nice job Mango. That does look good!

Here is what she actually looks like with the lower vinyl and all the glue removed. It's going to require some hole patching and repainting. The 3M adhesive remover caused some very small blisters in the paint, but no big deal really.

You guys crack me up, it looked just fine the way it was originally, but your not happy unless your focking with things...now it will look like everyone else's tub....Troy, you need to move to the "other Coast" so your closer to your "bro's"....

These cars are nowhere near as fun to own if you're not 'fock.ing" with it continually, and how that bright yellow beauty will look like every other speedster is beyond my comprehension.

IMO, this car is amongst the nicest in the forum filled with variations of red, black, silver, or cream colored look-alikes. The car is unique but the dashboard was butt ugly, again IMOHO.

Troy, if you can mount those two low hanging gauges in the dash...like one each side of the cluster.

A little thing that bugs me about my IM is why the wiper switch is right of the cluster while the washer button is to the left. I'm looking for a new washer button that can fill the right side ignition switch hole to put those controls together while moving the ign to the left ide of the wheel.

And then it's got a cable pull for heat defrost below the dash on the right while the 3speed fan switch is below the dash on the left. Makes no sense - heater controls together, washer/wiper controls together, starting with choke together, even Henry FORD understood that stuff.

LOL! Like I said, what fun would it be to keep them the way you get them? Do that with your Accord sedan.

I went for the dash bumper, not just the plain chrome strip. fooled w/ the piping along the seat seams too -- have to look close in these shots. Lots of variations are possible. I was not truly offended by the vinyl "sofa" thing, but I agree that it is not really Speedster-ish. Might have had to see it in person to be certain, but pulling that bright yellow inside is going to be a better deal, I think.

TROY MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO GO TO SMALLER PICS SO WE CAN SEE BETTER

Get rid of the pedals...

Yes yes yes, the pedals will be gone.

So here is how the dash on the Yellow Cab turned out. And a couple of other pictures of the engine and car. You can see where the electric heater is installed, just to the left of the stereo. I still need to do something about the wheels and it needs to be lowered.

looks awesome Troy!

MUCH much better. i love yellow cars and that dash is 100 times sharper now.

only comment - minor one at that - remove the decklid latch bolt/washer/nut and strip/wirewheels the paint off.

Sweet, but what's with the exhaust? One pipe or 2?

Way better!!!

Not sure what you are seeing Nolan. It's a dual tip exhaust.

Ah, now I see it, the passenger side pipe is hidden by the nerf bar, it looked like a stinger in the picture. Still Sweeeeeeet!

Man, you do nice work. Beauty job!

Troy, will you be bringing along another "subject" to Carlisle that you will transform right before our eyes?

Troy,
Lets do a stretch limo version, you and I surely can be done with it before the egg sammiches get cold ~

You guys, I don't know the best way to tell you this but I really don't think you should eat egg sammiches.

Seriously. I think they will kill you.

angela

Cory. It would be more correct to say I pay people to do good work!

Alan. Here is how the stretch limo project would work. I pay you to do the good work and then I sell it and take all of the credit for how nice it turned out.

Troy ....you ARE da MAN! period.. no question...

What did you use for the "chrome" dash edging? Is it brushed aluminum, chrome or plastic chrome? And how does it attach (under the dash vinyl)? I like the silver look. Did someone say it was fender well trim?