The dash pad on my Cutlass is warped right in the middle above the speaker. It rises @ 3/4". Is there any way to straighten it, or will I screw it up more (crack it) by trying?

 

What causes it to warp? I haven't seen any of them do that. Did one of the mounting bolts on the back break? I'd be curious to know if there's a metal inlay (stiffener) in the pad. If that's the case I don't see how trying to put downpressure on it will hurt. After all the dashpad probably looks kind of wonky like you describe it and will probably need to be replaced if the "rebend" doesn't work. I have to drill my dash pad to position the seatbelt light for my U21 rallye pac so I'd be really interested in what you find out. BTW there seems to be lots of dash pads on the market lately, so you're in the drivers seat about what to do.

 

Can you post a picture? I'm used to seeing them sag over the instrument panel, but not warp up in the center. John

 

Interesting that it warpped but didn't crack. You can always have a dash rebuilt by Just Dashes. It is fairly expensive but I've only heard positive things about their work and service.

 

Here is a pic. The dash is not cracked. There is nothing pushing up on it. (I know because I am one more contorsion and 8 more cuss words from having the dash out, I hope.) I'm curious, like Alan R, if there is internal metal that will bend and hold the shape or if the pad is just formed foam. The original speaker is there and there was another speaker wedged up in the dash close to the original. I'm thinking, in an effort to change the speaker, the PO tried to pry the dash and bent it up???

 

OK, got the dash out, that's fun. The pad is formed high density foam. I don't believe it has any metal in it. The foam is pretty rigid so I didn't feel good about trying to bend it because I was certain it would break.

I called Just Dashes and asked them what could be done. He said send them the dash and for $850 they could fix it .

So, I decided to try heating and bending it. I clamped a length of 2x4 across the warped area and used a heat gun to heat the pad up from the underside. I kept the gun moving to prevent melting the foam and heated the dash up slowly. I got the foam hot to the point of being spongy and then let it cool. Removed the clamps and viola, the leading edge was straight again.

 

Robert, what a great post!!
I'm so glad you could repair it yourself. $850.00 is about $850.00 too much to have them do pretty much the same thing. I have 2 more things:
1. If it warped once, it may warp again. Since you've "massaged" this area I don't know if the foam will retain its shape indefinitely. If it was my dash, I'd contact cement a thin piece of steel along the inside edge to make sure the shape held forever.
2. I'd love if you could post pics showing ALL the locations of the mounting bolts. Also please describe which ones are easy and which are a PITA to get to. I have to take my dash apart this year to install the seat belt warning light assbly for the rallye pac.

 

You sure made that look easy.
"Just pop the dash out, apply heat, presto! - ready to put back in!"

Lady's dash has that same buckle, not quite as high and more gradual. I am going to leave it alone for now.
I am guessing that heat or chemical aging expanded it over many years and it had to give somewhere...
Let us know later on if it stays flat or if it buckles again when it gets hot.
Hopefully it will stay flat...

 

Great tip on how to fix the dash. Is there any way you can attach a thin piece of metal on the underside to keep it from warping again?

 

Good point on adding a metal stiffener. I'll add something.

Here's a thread where 2blu442 posted pics of the stud locations for the dash. The assembly manual shows the locations too.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...2-cutlass.html

My advice is take the front seat(s) out. My car is gutted so it was not an issue, but it would be dern near impossible to do it with the seats in. Take out the glove box liner, lower air ducts, fuel gauge, radio and the light switch. With these out you will be able to get to all of the nuts. The only (real)hard ones to get to are the one next to the wiper switch and the one above the light switch. After I finally located the one above the light switch I found that there was no nut on it, never was, I guess the assembly line guy didn't feel like screwing with it either. Before the dash comes out you will have to disconnect the vacuum lines and all of the wiring and drop the steering column. Just be sure to mark everything...

Removing the dash is a PITA, took me two evenings. Take your time because those studs will break off. I managed to keep everything in tact, but I got up and walked away more than a few times.

Quote Lady72nRob71
You sure made that look easy.
"Just pop the dash out, apply heat, presto! - ready to put back in!"

Yep, Just like one of those 30 minute TV shows .
Now, I've just got to put it back in...

 

Robert, the stud above the light switch that didn't have a nut on it usually has something like a barrel nut clipped into the metal. The stud just presses into it. That's the one that I've broken off a couple times! John

 

AWSOME!

 

As always, thanks for the comments and input.

OK, this is what I did to hopefully keep the dash from warping again. I used a piece of 1/8" x 1/2" x 12" ish flat stock. I used my Dremel tool to plow out a groove, being careful not to go too deep, about a 1/16". I filled the groove with epoxy, put the flat stock in the groove and clamped the whole thing together. I'm happy with the way it turned out, time will tell how it will hold up...









John, you're right, there was a barrel nut there. I guess I was so excited to get the @$%&! dash out that I missed it. Oh, and thanks for the pics on your thread, they helped ALOT.

 

Helpful idea, Thanks for posting the pictures, it will help others with the same problem. Thats what makes this site so cool.

 

Great post. I'm filing it for when I remove my dash. I hope your repair lasts for the rest of the car's life. I guess the next thing is the fun you're going to have putting the dash back it!!

 

I wonder if applying pressure on hump without removing dash would work!