early "71' only" dash pad

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Joined
Jan 19, 2018
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Location
Harrison, Idaho
My Car
1971 mustang grande 351c 4v c6. grabber lime, tracpac
[url=https://ibb.co/cNXbYb][img]https://preview.ibb.co/eZhzmw/Picture1206171841_1.jpg[/img][/url]
i am ready to install my restored dash pad into my early (10-8-70) 71' Grande. But first i need to locate a rare piece. it is a plastic trim strip that goes on the top forward leading edge of my dash pad. about 3' long. mine is sun baked, brittle, and falling apart. according to my research, this is an early 71' piece only. it never came on later 71', 72', or 73' models. it doesnt seem to be reproduced either. anyone out there hook me up with one ? i do know that my odds are low in finding one that is in decent shape. as i am sure that they have all turned to dust by now. but ya never know. maybe someone here has a stash or knows of someone that reproduces them that i wasnt able to locate. i dont want to install the dash pad without it. after all...... odd-ball stuff like this is what makes my car unique among the masses. the early 71's seem to have come with many items that the other cars didnt.
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Just to let everybody know 73 green grande on phonix az craigslist for 3500
 
Interesting - I have never seen that part.
i am finding that only a few very early 71’ cars had them. then discontinued using them. most people (myself included) have never seen one or known about them. my original one is very sun baked and brittle. falling apart.
Does it have a Ford part number on it?
no part number anywhere
 
I remember checking into this mystery molding a couple of years ago. Agree the early '71s had a lot of pieces with a limited appearance. My early-built Mach 1 (9/21/70) has the metal sport lamp sockets, fender rear upper filler/splash shields, fender and hood rear moldings, and the padded dash molding (What was left of it). Some earlier than mine had chrome sport lamp housings and a woodgrain panel on the front section of the console that matched the woodgrain on the center instrument finish panel. So lots of unique pieces on these early-built Mustangs. My late build '71 (7/28/71) had none of the items mentioned above. Most of these were running changes, making them difficult to track down. The rear upper fender shields, rear fender, and hood moldings had "not used" after dates in the Master Parts Catalog (MPC). But, since these cars were not built in consecutive serial numbers, there is the always present fuzzy before and after areas on these changes. Others, like the chrome sport lamps, woodgrain console panel, and padded dash molding, quietly disappeared with no fanfare or change dates.

I checked the entire soft trim section and the body section pertaining to the dashboard and padded dash area in all my early parts catalogs. Nothing indicates that the molding was ever available separately or had a service part number assigned. The MPC's final edition (5/75) shows two different part numbers for each '71 color offered. The listing indicates, "Includes mldg on the forward edge," and the other, "Less mldg on the forward edge." I checked the 6/71 MPC microfiche card listing, which shows the same for both pads. The '72 listings only show the non-molding version.
In '76, the dash pads that included the front molding were discontinued and replaced by the "Without" version. Then in '77, Ford, believing there wasn't enough confusion in the parts catalogs, replaced all the '71-72 padded dashes with "D3ZZ" '73 Mustang numbers. The only holdover '71-72 color was the D1ZZ-E green version since the '73 Avocado did not match the earlier green interiors. By '85, all the dash pads had been discontinued except for the '71-72 D1ZZ-E green version and the A/C, non-A/C for the '69-70 Mustangs. Surprisingly the '69-70 versions remained available until the early '90s, while the sole remaining '71-72 D1ZZ-E green was discontinued in '86.

Since most members here are probably not the original owners of these '71-73s, the above-mentioned unique early '71 pieces were probably already gone by the time your Mustang called your place home. By the time I acquired my early built '71 in 1981, the rear hood molding was gone, the rear fender moldings were in such bad shape they might as well have been gone, and the padded dash molding was crumbling like dried cake icing. These were daily drivers when new, and sitting out in the sun was not kind to these now-pampered garage-kept family members!

If someone were to figure out a 3D program for these, there might be a market for them. With so many of them gone and most owners unaware of them ever being in the car, it would be a toss-up on the level of interest.
 
Yep, mine is an 11/70 build Mach 1. I have the metal sport lamp sockets, and that rubber leading edge strip that is the subject of this thread.

Fun stuff!
kcmash
 
I wonder if you could get one 3-D printed?
i had that thought also. i wouldnt know where to start. but, i suppose maybe i could start with google.
 
i am ready to install my restored dash pad into my 71' Grande. But first i need to locate a rare piece. it is a plastic trim strip that goes on the top forward leading
edge of my dash pad. mine is sun baked, brittle, and falling apart. according to my research, this is an early 71' piece only. it never came on later 71', 72', or 73' models.
it doesnt seem to be reproduced either. anyone out there hook me up with one ? i do know that my odds are low in finding one that is in decent shape. as i am sure that they are all
turned to dust by now. but ya never know. maybe someone here has a stash or knows of someone that reproduces them that i wasnt able to locate. i am not going to like installing
the dash pad without it. after all...... odd-ball stuff like this is what makes my car unique among the masses. the early 71's seem to have come with many items that the other cars didnt.
View attachment 75646View attachment 75647
And what purpose does this part actually do/accomplish?
 
Yep, mine is an 11/70 build Mach 1. I have the metal sport lamp sockets, and that rubber leading edge strip that is the subject of this thread.
Same here, mine is a10/1970 build convertible.
And what purpose does this part actually do/accomplish?
I was wondering the same. It feels like it covers the leading edge of the dash but I don't think it covering a gap... feels/looks pretty snug.
 

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  • PoFoDash Trim1.jpg
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Maybe Mercury used this piece in the Cougar.
The Cougar sure would help add to the pool of possible donor vehicles for the padded dash molding. Unfortunately, the '71-73 Cougar padded dash was unique to the Cougar line. The pad went forward all the way to the windshield on the Cougars, so there was no metal finish panel as used on the Mustang.

As described in the earlier post, this molding deteriorated under the magnifying heat of the windshield, so salvageable moldings will be challenging, if not impossible, to find.
As Steve McMahan suggested, the possibility of a 3D-printed version could be a viable option.

1681840270578.png
 
And what purpose does this part actually do/accomplish?
just a trim piece that only a handful of the early 71' cars received. mine was built 10-8-70. it would cushion the front of dash pad from rubbing on the metal dash plate. someone had mentioned it reducing sun glare also. i think it was deemed un-necessary and discontinued right away. but it was an original rare piece to my car and i would like to find another one in better condition. although i believe that it will be a very tough find.
 
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The Cougar sure would help add to the pool of possible donor vehicles for the padded dash molding. Unfortunately, the '71-73 Cougar padded dash was unique to the Cougar line. The pad went forward all the way to the windshield on the Cougars, so there was no metal finish panel as used on the Mustang.

As described in the earlier post, this molding deteriorated under the magnifying heat of the windshield, so salvageable moldings will be challenging, if not impossible, to find.
As Steve McMahan suggested, the possibility of a 3D-printed version could be a viable option.

View attachment 75795
different dashes in cougar and mustang. i have not heard of cougars ever having this piece. if it did, it would go on the front leading medal edge (if it had one) of the dash pad outlined in red here. this illustration does not show the piece. it was an early 71' mustang grande piece only. and not all early 71' grandes got them. grandes built after november 70' never had them. my 71' grande has birthday of oct 8, 1970. and it has this piece, but was almost immediately discontinued.
 
I remember checking into this mystery molding a couple of years ago. Agree the early '71s had a lot of pieces with a limited appearance. My early-built Mach 1 (9/21/70) has the metal sport lamp sockets, fender rear upper filler/splash shields, fender and hood rear moldings, and the padded dash molding (What was left of it). Some earlier than mine had chrome sport lamp housings and a woodgrain panel on the front section of the console that matched the woodgrain on the center instrument finish panel. So lots of unique pieces on these early-built Mustangs. My late build '71 (7/28/71) had none of the items mentioned above. Most of these were running changes, making them difficult to track down. The rear upper fender shields, rear fender, and hood moldings had "not used" after dates in the Master Parts Catalog (MPC). But, since these cars were not built in consecutive serial numbers, there is the always present fuzzy before and after areas on these changes. Others, like the chrome sport lamps, woodgrain console panel, and padded dash molding, quietly disappeared with no fanfare or change dates.

I checked the entire soft trim section and the body section pertaining to the dashboard and padded dash area in all my early parts catalogs. Nothing indicates that the molding was ever available separately or had a service part number assigned. The MPC's final edition (5/75) shows two different part numbers for each '71 color offered. The listing indicates, "Includes mldg on the forward edge," and the other, "Less mldg on the forward edge." I checked the 6/71 MPC microfiche card listing, which shows the same for both pads. The '72 listings only show the non-molding version.
In '76, the dash pads that included the front molding were discontinued and replaced by the "Without" version. Then in '77, Ford, believing there wasn't enough confusion in the parts catalogs, replaced all the '71-72 padded dashes with "D3ZZ" '73 Mustang numbers. The only holdover '71-72 color was the D1ZZ-E green version since the '73 Avocado did not match the earlier green interiors. By '85, all the dash pads had been discontinued except for the '71-72 D1ZZ-E green version and the A/C, non-A/C for the '69-70 Mustangs. Surprisingly the '69-70 versions remained available until the early '90s, while the sole remaining '71-72 D1ZZ-E green was discontinued in '86.

Since most members here are probably not the original owners of these '71-73s, the above-mentioned unique early '71 pieces were probably already gone by the time your Mustang called your place home. By the time I acquired my early built '71 in 1981, the rear hood molding was gone, the rear fender moldings were in such bad shape they might as well have been gone, and the padded dash molding was crumbling like dried cake icing. These were daily drivers when new, and sitting out in the sun was not kind to these now-pampered garage-kept family members!

If someone were to figure out a 3D program for these, there might be a market for them. With so many of them gone and most owners unaware of them ever being in the car, it would be a toss-up on the level of interest.
 
yep this little trim piece of mine (as with all others) has baked in the sun for 50 years. mine is still mostly intact, but very brittle and has many chips broken out of it. i looked it over with my magnifying glass..... no part number on it. i have done a fair amount of research trying to see about having one 3D printed. but without luck. 3D printing companies tell me that it isnt worth the time unless i order 10,000 of them. another place i found that could, wont. saying that they only do government contracts. my best best so far is Gilberts mustang parts. he tells me that he has a couple laying around. he just having a hard time finding where he left them. but swears he will find me one. so i call him once a week to bug him. my car is an early 71' grande with the one year grabber lime paint and white vinyl top. while it isnt some ultra rare shelby. it is still pretty unique. i enjoy the rare early 71' parts that it has. that others do not. besides this dash pad trim piece. it also has unique voltage regulator and dome light. also came with the one year only am radio with "mustang" printed on the front. as well as lots of original autolite parts through out. i have metal sport lamp sockets also. i didnt know they were unique to the early 71' also. cool.
 
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Same here, mine is a10/1970 build convertible.

I was wondering the same. It feels like it covers the leading edge of the dash but I don't think it covering a gap... feels/looks pretty snug.
that is cool that you found a photo of this piece on a car. no it doesnt cover any gap. just makes for a nice soft, snug fit is all. a little something to help avoid metal on metal contact.
 
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