Restoring A 1966 Pontiac GTO's Dash - Dashing Renewal

...stick. And hope that you stuck it in the right place. We went slowly with this step, starting at one edge and laying the veneer toward the other side. After the veneer was applied, we left the dash bezel in a warm area for a few hours so the adhesive could set and stick better.

As part of the dash restoration, we also refurbished the heater control assembly. It was thoroughly cleaned, and cables (and mechanisms) were greased, but the big problem with our unit was a stain on the indicator backing, barely visible in this photo, but embarrassingly obvious in person.

The indicator assembly was not meant to be disassembled, so the rear closing plate (the light bulb mount), was staked into the main casting. Using a sharp chisel (or flat screwdriver) with a small hammer, we carefully bent back the tabs until we could get the unit apart. Further down inside, the backing plate for the display was also staked in place, so we had to repeat the procedure again

until we could get the unit apart. Further down inside, the backing plate for the display was also staked in place, so we had to repeat the procedure again until we could finally get all the way down to the display lens. The lens was then removed, cleaned, and carefully polished on the outward side.

Meanwhile, we tested the blower control switch to ensure it was still working. Then, using a small piece of wire bent 90 degrees at the end, we greased up the internal detents (the "dents" shown here on the right side of the switch body) until the switch moved smoothly again.

The backing plate for the heater control display had been the source for the stain. Attempts to clean it failed, so in the end we just repainted it to match the fac-tory color.

The gauge cluster really should have been sent out for mechanical rebuilding and cosmetic restoration, but we knew all the gauges worked fine at the time it was removed. Although for some reason the gas gauge has a pessimistic attitude when unplugged (the tank is more than "half empty"). We disassembled the entire cluster to clean out the dust, then used plastic polishing compound to clear up the lens. The assembly tends to easily fall apart when not attached to the bezel, so we taped it all together before reinstalling.

Screwing the cluster assembly back onto the bezel looks easy enough in this shot, however it was quite the juggling act to get all the loose pieces into the right places before buttoning it up. After the main gauge cluster was secure, we reattached the oil pressure/water temperature gauge assembly, since it's a separate part.

Here's what the cleaned-up gauges will look like from the driver's view.