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| Cost - Stainless Steel Dash Installation |
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On the second project Jeep, as well as the first project Jeep, the original
dashboards were trashed. The first Jeep's was almost unrecognizable as a dash, where as the second one
was slightly better, but still in rough shape.
The option that was chosen for both project Jeeps was to replace the dash with a stainless steel dash. This
option differs from the stock application in that it really helps to brighten up the inside of the Jeep, as
well as offer some contrast if you choose to go with the original glove box door to offset the stainless
look with some of the original paint scheme.
Both dashes were ordered up from eBay
and arrived a few days later. The first project Jeep already had a dash pad and the second one did not. Also to
note, the configuration of the stainless steel dash can come in a variety of ways, which affects the price. The
first project Jeep had a DIN stereo cutout whereas the second one did not. Keep in mind that on the CJ-5's as
well as the 7's there isn't a whole lot of room behind the dash because of the heating unit, and god forbid,
the A/C unit, so if you plan on running a CD player or larger unit in the dash, make sure it fits.
Also, something to note is that the new dash pad has cutouts for a roll cage as well as the window roll-ups
in hard doors. This wasn't an issue with our project CJ-5 since it didn't have hard doors, but it did
have a roll cage. The first project Jeep is about to get a roll cage, however, the original dash pad is
not molded to fit the new addition of a roll cage, so the original one will have to be sold and a new one
ordered up and put in it's place.
Please note that this write up is being done based on the second project Jeep and the first one is only
used as reference. The costs of the dash were similar, so the extra piece of the dash pad is being
mentioned to show that the price could increase if you are planning to go that route.
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Cost Center
Stainless Steel Dash
New "Jeep" Logo Dash Pad
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Cost
$80.00
$139.99
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$219.99 |
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Total Time:
5 Hours
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| Cost - Offset |
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| To offset the cost of the project, the old dash was sold.
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Cost Center
Original Stock Dash
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Cost
$45.00
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$45.00 |
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Total Cost:
$175.00
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| Conclusions |
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The total time should be around 5 hours all said and done. That being said,
time was spent removing the old gauges and switches from the old dash and transferring them to the new dash.
Also, new gauges were ordered as well as a new speedometer, so that took time to get the new parts in. I
didn't put the new gauge costs in the total above because this was purely an aesthetic thing. The old ones
worked, but it was decided to order new ones to make everything look new.
As you can see, the offset of $75.00 was quite surprising since the old dash in our eyes was useless to us,
but it goes to show that one man's junk is another man's treasure. This project can be completed in about
5 hours using simple hand tools. All said and done can be had for around $150.00 or less depending on
which route you choose in putting in a new dash pad or new gauges.
NOTE: See the Hints section on this here
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