Looking for a new dash!

[1983Toad]

Im looking for a new dash, not a cover. LMC has been on backorder for months now and i cant seem to find one anywhere. ive tried covers but they just dont do the truck justice. im willing to pay more for the actual dash its self. im looking for a blue for a 86 f150. anybody have any ideas?

[ratdude747]

The best option, ignoring the cost, is one of these:

https://dashesdirect.com/product/1980-1986-f-150250350-ford-original-tooling-dash-pad/

Made from Ford's old tooling no less. Unless you have a black or white interior, you'll need to paint/dye it.

Don't do what I did and buy a used one in better condition... unless it's local and cheap ($150 or less), I'd skip it; when it comes to original dash pads, there are those that are cracked and those that are about to. Heat and (especially) UV kills the plasticizer in the vinyl and it loses it's stretch, which is what causes the cracking.

[Gary Lewis]

I wouldn't touch a used one for $150 as it is a given that it is going to crack.  Just a question of how soon, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it.

I did a lot of calling around many years ago about this and wrote it up while still on FTE.  But you can read a bit about it and get a link to the FTE writeup here.

My current thoughts are that the dash covers from Coverlay, which is what all of the vendors sell, is very good and it is what I'm running on Big Blue.  But for Dad's truck I'll probably go with the high-end, like Dashes Direct.  However, I won't buy it from them as it is cheaper to get it from one of the resellers, like JBG, LMC, etc.

As for LMC not having them, check with all the other resellers.  What they are selling is the same - Coverlay - so you can get it lots of places.