dash pad removal
 

Can anyone tell me how to remove the dashpad in a 65 bonneville? Is it glued in, snapped in or are there screws to remove?

Thanks, Josh

Im in the same boat, Im still working on removing the dash in mine, however it would appear everything is screwed in, it will take a few more days to let you know completely< I will let you know what I find out

That would be great. I need to remove the dash pad so I can have some work done on it.

Thanks, Josh

ok, you will be happy to know that the dashpad isnt screwed in, However I would recommend pulling the dash in the following steps

1. remove the pillar chrome/plastic on both sides of the dash by removing the screw down by the glass in the corners and the one's up near the top. (4 total 2 on each side)
2. there are 2 clips one on each side near the bottom of the rounded edges slip your fingers or a wide flat object such as a wide flat tip or gasket scraper(not the kind with a razor blade) and slowly pry the edge out, it will pop as the dash comes free in the front.
3 now the worst part, since mine is a convertible the underside of the dash was extremely rusty around the guide pins. when I tried to slide the dashpad forward the pins were rusted so bad it had rusted together requiring a great deal of pressure to break free. the outsides were good just the middle under the dash. once that piece was free the dashpad slid out fairly smooth.

I would recommend doing anything else that needs to be done while this piece is out as its a nasty bugger.

If you need pics I will get some taken and figure out how to post them here. just let me know.

Thanks

Griddly

Griddly,
I did get the dashpad out. It was just like you said with the exception that mine had a bolt that I had to romove the cowling to get to. I unscrewed the nut from out side, just in front of and below the windshield.

New issue, what condition is your steering wheel in? Mine was the clear type and has quite a bit of damage. There are several gaps in it, I guess from shrinkage. Do you know of a method of repair.

Where are you located?

Thanks, Josh

I am in Phoenix, my Sled comes from Washington, so there are lots of places that need to be repaired due to rust, in addition to that the rats got after the wiring, which is why I need to take everything apart right down to the bulkheads.

As far as the steering wheel? there is a number of things you can do, it just depends on your preference

1. You can find a nice repro piece from places like Year one http://www.yearone.com/Look in the GTO Section and search for steering wheel , While they don't explicitly state Bonneville This item was relatively the same across models, or ebay, I found this one, it is NOS (New Old Stock) and it looks clean, I wouldn't recommend painting it if its not the correct color, get the color/type you need http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/65-PO...Q5fAccessories

2. If you want to try your hand at repairing it you can buy kits to assist you in doing this, it is a matter of applying some some epoxy resins to the spots that need it then sanding them down to match the contours of the existing wheel, this is time consuming however it can net some great results if you take your time. http://yearone.com lookup part number SWRK1

3. You can update to a new one, just remember if you are looking for a retro look or trying to restore to OEM. this may not be a good fix, you will find that these wheels are not the same diameter wise as the original, frankly they look nice but can be obnoxious since they are smaller, they don't fill the dash correctly and it requires a little more to turn the wheel, you can find these at Year one as well by performing the above search.

4. The easy way out by leaving it alone and placing a steering wheel cover over it. =)

Let me know what you decide, I would be interested in hearing how it turned out, What size engine do you have the 389?

btw, I'm not a salesman for year one however they do have great stuff, maybe a little pricey but worth it in the long run. There are many places that have the same stuff and less expensive these folks are just my preference

Eric

Eric,

thanks for the information on options for sterring wheel.
The car has the 389 with a carter afb. I also have some rodent related wiring issues but it seems to be limited to one circuit. I will let you know what I do about the wheel.

Thanks, Josh

I may have a correct decent driver quality black and clear steering wheel.

The Ebay auction link is not for a 65-66 Bonneville.

Steve,
can you send me a picture of it? What do you want for it? I tried to send you a PM, but I do not have enough posts.

Thanks, Josh

You can email me @ sgp358@hotmail.com.