Dash alignment

JD79 · Jan 28, 2017

I noticed that there is a gap on the driver side of my dash! The gap is much smaller on the passenger side. It is also noticeable where the steering column sleeve touches the instrument cluster panel. I first thought the steering column was too far to the left, but it appears that the metal dash frame is too far to the right!

Is this due to the fact that one of the previous owners installed it incorrectly or could it have a different reason? Is this something that can be corrected? My car is a '73 convertible.

jowens1126 · Jan 28, 2017

It could be because the PO did a poor job of installation on the dash. I hope that is the reason. It could also be due to body warping from a collision, or from constant drag racing, car jumping. Hopefully its the first option. Theres only one way to know for sure, and its not going to be a 5 minute fix.

As with most other body panels, the bolt holes allow for adjustment when installing a component. So At a minimum, you will need to loosen all the dash bolts, and try to adjust it. If you cant adjust it, then I would take it completely out and start making measurements to see if the body is warped or if you have giant holes in the cowl from rust that made the firewall move.

Removing it completely will allow you to spend some quality time with it detail cleaning it. Also if there are any parts you want to replace on it, it would be the ideal time to do so. It will also give you a great opportunity to go thru the under dash wiring and clean up and address any issues up there. I would also inspect the air box and seal up any leaks you have going on there.

JD79 · Jan 29, 2017

I own the car for about 2 months now. I know the left front fender has been replaced in the past, but I did some more research and discovered that the left door has been replaced as well ! ( I removed the door panel a bit and discovered that it used to be yellow :-( Hopefully no more surprises..... so I assume that my car has had some sort of a side impact since the dash has been displaced a bit. I am not an expert so are there any other ways to find out if the car has been involved in some sort of a collision?

Stanglover · Jan 29, 2017

I own the car for about 2 months now. I know the left front fender has been replaced in the past, but I did some more research and discovered that the left door has been replaced as well ! ( I removed the door panel a bit and discovered that it used to be yellow :-( Hopefully no more surprises..... so I assume that my car has had some sort of a side impact since the dash has been displaced a bit. I am not an expert so are there any other ways to find out if the car has been involved in some sort of a collision?

It's a bit hard to tell in the pictures, but it looks like the end plastic cover plate is missing. Could be all it is. Or..... the car could be bent out of shape.

Check the other side to compare.

jowens1126 · Jan 29, 2017

Some collision shops have laser detectors that once the car is up on the rack and into the proper position, they use lasers to take very accurate measurements of the body in specific points, these measurements are compared to the stored data for the particular car and it tells them how and where the car is twisted and how much they need to pull on it to correct it. So If you believe its bent, and it likely is from what you have said, it might not be a bad idea to make some phone calls to body shops and see who has one of these types of frame tables.