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How to Make a Laredo Dash |
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(07/14/08) When I started out on the "Free Jeep" project, I wanted to definitely
put a Laredo style dash in the Jeep as I have never had a tach in any of my Jeeps and I wanted to see how that
would be to have one, plus I liked the idea of having a clock in there as well. So, I looked and I looked for
a Laredo dash and only found super expensive ones. I figured that I could do the same thing myself, so I did.
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I found a lot of 3 pretty beat up dashes, plus a very beat up Laredo dash, so
for $50 I bought them and they showed up. I was able to practice on one and then build one for someone else and
finally one for myself. Here are the steps that I went through. It is not all that difficult, but you will need
a welder, grinder, hole saws, and a lot of PATIENCE for the sanding and hammering that has to be done.
The first thing I did was take a hammer and dolly and straighten out the corners and a variety of other areas
that were in rough shape. I then moved onto determining what had happened to the dash in its previous life.
There were 4 extra holes that were not common to Jeeps from the factory. These had to be welded up and ground
down. I cut holes in the dash for the Clock/Tach and then I sanded and sanded until my fingerprints came off.
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With it all sanded down, I was able to beat it again with the hammer/dolly and then
put on a coat of rust inhibitor paint/primer to make sure all the metal surfaces stayed rust free, after I wiped
it down with alcohol and water. All in all, it took a few hours, but it turned out better then I thought. With
another 3-4 hours, the backside can be done and the rust pitting can be taken care of with plastic filler, welder,
or your material of choice.
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Lessons Learned |
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So, in order to do this, I said you need to have PATIENCE. You really do, as there
is more banging and sanding then anything else. Filling holes with weld and grinding them down takes a bit as well.
In order to get a dash perfectly straight like it was from the factory is going to take some doing, I wasn't looking
for perfection, just a way to figure out how to get a regular dash to look like a Laredo dash.
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Conclusions |
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This is a pretty easy project, but you will need the right tools to do the job. I
now have a template on a piece of wood that I can use to make other Laredo Dashes in the future. I am happy
with the outcome of the dash and look forward to the next one that I make.
cb (07/14/08)
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