Filling the dash
 

I like to post finished portions of my projects but this one is going slower than I imagined it would. I'm hoping to have it near completion tomorrow though. When it is finished, a video will be going up. But I wanted to share what I have done so far and if anyone has input, by all means, let me know.https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...68810f6d13.jpg

I started by cutting out eight (8) strips of metal to fill the bolt slots that remained in the metal of the dash after removing the original pad.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...cf830ade8f.jpg

Using tack welds doing my best to keep the heat the down, I welded in all the holes.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...1fd1f82dbb.jpg

Using the edge of a cutoff disk, I ground the tops of welds flush to the surrounding metal. Again, heat management has been paramount.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...774d3a30e9.jpg

After all the metal strips have been welded in and ground smooth, I could move on to the speaker grate.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...b93edb344e.jpg

I cut the grate out and began tacking in a patch made from a 50 year old piece of scrap.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...cf3c862ec6.jpg

This is where I had to stop because I ran out of time. The piece is curved and that curved was made to match in the patch panel.

There is more to be done. When the center piece of is ground smooth, I'll use some Evercoat to fill the dash and smooth it back out. Then I'll seal the dash in epoxy again. Hopefully soon, I can paint the interior and get the glass back in and this cab on the frame.
Again, YouTube video will be going up as soon as I complete this area.

NICE WORK , I wish i would have done this when i redid my interior .

that's looking great. I'm thinking about doing that also, looks so good smoothed out.

Nice work. I'm interested about the speaker placement too.

you should weld up a statue of baby jesus on that dash.

As far as speakers, no clue yet. Likely behind the seat when I get the tank out of the way. Possibly under the dash facing down, but I can't get into the that until I get everything else in and see where I have room.

After getting the welds knocked down to flush, I used a litttle Evercoat filler on the metal to get it perfect. I used hammer and dolly on most but found preexisting dents in the metal too.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...9fdf098c70.jpg

I sanded the filler down by hand using a block and 180 grit. Not much filler was left. I was happy with the hammer and dolly work. But it wasn't perfect so the filler was needed.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...9b485b03a6.jpg

There were 6 holes in the front too and I would have lost sleep had I not filled them in too. At this point, filler wasnt needed. I used it and sanded it almost completely off when blocking.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...dc503f32f0.jpg

Finally, the epoxy went on and I could see if I had done a good job. I have to say, I couldn't be more pleased! Next will be a sandable urethane primer and paint.

that came out really nice!

That turn out really nice, looks a lot better than the pad. ~Pat

excellent !!!

I could not be more pleased with how it came out. Pretty much everything I do is a first for me so when it turns out nice, it's a surprise. I'm editing the video currently. I'll post that here when it goes online.

Just shows how well it can turn out. Good job.

That looks awesome! Nice work!:-X22

I like it. I'm also tired of having to pay 400.00 for a correct original type dashpad. This is how I'll do the next one. Good job blazing the trail and thinking outside the box. ( I hate that cliché).

I wish I could take credit for coming up with this idea. Many before me have done this too. But thank you. Google images is a great place for ideas.