Projects '65 Marlin dash pad - restore or are there any?

Hello all,

Does anyone know where I can send a dash pad to restore or where I can find a replacement for a '65 Rambler Marlin teal-colored pad?

 

Just Dashes can restore it.

 

just dashs will make it look new. but you will pay a fair price for there work.

 

Hello Apenaut and plymouth1952

Thanks. I've heard of them but forgot. Okay, I will inquire. If I have to pay, I'll have "ta" pay!

Follow-up: I've sent them a message. I also noticed that among the list of dashes they
have shown, mine is not among them. We'll see.

Ralph

 

I've done this on a couple of my '60 Olds dashes and liked the look better than the factory pad.

 

The dash pad may be the same as another model. I have a black 67 Marlin dash pad in my basement that is the same as an Ambassador.

 

I'm thinking likewise. If it is as much as $1000.00, I sure can use that money for some other part of the car. I'll stay in touch.

Ralph

 

I would take it to your local trim shop and see what they can do,,I had a padded dash recovered in a Falcon years ago and they did a great job. HRP

 

I wish I HAD a local trim shop. I live up here in Maine near Bangor!

Ralph

 

Try posting a want ad on the AMC forum http://theamcforum.com/forum/ maybe someone there has parts

 

I had the dash pad in my '62 Pontiac Grand Prix done by Just Dashes. It cost me $750.00 and came back looking like an N.O.S. piece. 100% correct right down to the odd color it was suppose to be.

If you have a nice car don't do it the cheap & cheezy way.

By the way...... Those are cool cars!

 

A good upholstery shop or trim shop can fill cracks and holes, and cover the dash with new vinyl for a lot less than $750.

One thing they can't do usually, is the perforations some dashes have over the speakers.

Fix cracks and holes, glue on landau padding (thin foam rubber) then glue on the vinyl.

You can do it at home if you are handy. The covering is the same vinyl you use on seats. The secret is to use a heat gun to mold it to the dash as you glue it down.

 

Even in Bangor there must be an upholstery shop or leather/tack shop. That dash would look good in leather with a french stitch along the front edge.

 

Hello and thanks, UC4ME. Already had done it.

 

Think outside the box,,there has got to be someone in your area that upholsters furniture,, It wouldn't hurt to check and see if they can cover it. HRP

 

when my son comes back from lunch i'll ask him if any of his 2 65 rambler classics had dash pads on them, they might be the same as the marlin. i can't remember if they had pads or not. heres a pic of his dash. does yours look like this?

 

I really like the table cloth!

 

Actually, I DID mis-speak. There is an upholstery shop right up my road. They once quoted me $800 to re-upholster an old wing-back chair I'd gotten for free. So, I ran away. I guess I'll just have to pony up for good workmanship as waddaycare mentioned.

 

Ha ha ha!

Can you imagine my new bride didn't even flinch when I carried the dash pad into the kitchen and set it on the table?

That table cloth is actually a gift from Thailand.

We're heading out tomorrow in fact on our postponed honeymoon. Am I lucky?

Ralph

 

Autobodyed, that is one very nice dash!

 

thanks, i checked on the dash pad, his cars only had a u shaped pad around the gauge cluster about 3" wide. sorry i couldn't help you out.

 

Hey truckmen, those Marlins are pretty cool. You just don't see them around these parts.
(actually, I've never seen one in person) Post up some pics...from the rear of course.

 

Not a problem, Bad Penny.
In the meantime, I have to pack for my honeymoon. I DO have a bunch of Marlin photos on my Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/truckmen

 

Yes you are. I had my 16 years postponed honeymoon on a small island off the Thailand coast. Kayaking out around the end of the cove and making love in the sun on the beach is awesome as is the skinny dipping in the moon light. Enjoy!!,

 

hi truckman, i like the marlin. i'd put one in the garage in a heart beat. just a question about your talents, can you work on the dash? i'm looking for a '66 cutlass dash pad,and marlins may be easyer to find! so i have a pad thats nice but it has a couple of small cracks in it, and a couple of pads that are junk!!! so i bought a couple of vinyl repair kits from eastwood only to find thats junk! i decided to try to repair one of the junk pads! so i used super glue on some small cracks, and epoxy on the BIG ones. did some sanding and filling. wow it looks great! i need to texture the repairs and paint yet but i think i'm on to a low $ repair!! another forum told me SEM also makes a texture in a rattle can! i'm going to do this to the "good" pad till i find something better

 

Hello Chubbie!
I am not too versed in restoring dashes. By the way, I've just received an initial quote from Just dashes out in Van Nuys, CA. They came up with $800 plus shipping.

I also have a '66 Charger but the Marlin usually is a less expensive find if you're looking for that type of car.

Here is a photo of the Marlin the way we (my wife Alina and I) bought it (and drove it from Denver, CO to Bangor, Maine). The picture is during our road trip home. We stopped off at The Chrysler Nationals (formerly Chryslers at Carlisle) in Carlisle, PA July 2011. Entered the Marlin as a "barn find", and won 2nd place:

 

Truckmen;

I just sold my '65 Marlin after having it 8 years or so. My dash was also cracked, but it had a pad that fit exactly over it. You'll either have to go with Just Dashes or find a good upholstery shop because I looked EVERYWHERE for an NOS one and they just aren't out there.

I would check with Kennedy American auto parts in West Jefferson, Ohio. He has the largest stock of Marlin parts in the USA.

Best of luck.... Here's a pic of my old one. I sold it cheap because I want to build me a Jalopy soon with flat head power.

Lots more Marlin pics in my profile album.
buds
chuck

 

DeadBodyGuy, Fumy website. My wife and I enjoyed the pic of your dead poses.

Ralph

 

Thanks man. I've had bunches of fun with it.

Good luck with your Marlin. I loved mine while I had it. I had wanted one since I was 16 back in '74. I bought mine out of Colorado from Craigs List and had it shipped to Ohio. It had 42,000 actual on it.

Very rare car, but they just don't bring big money.

Good luck with it
buds
chuck

 

65-67 Marlin dash is identical to the Ambassador dash the same years. 65-66 is the same, 67 is that year only. The Classic dash is similar, but the pad is in two pieces instead of one. All other parts of the 65-66 Marlin are from the Classic -- front end is identical, of course Marlin has different rear quarters, roof, and glass (except windshield). The 67 model was built on the longer Ambassador wheelbase, and is arguably the best looking one (and the lowest production!).