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56 Eldo Dash Pad

Started by JungleCadd, March 10, 2023, 03:18:41 PM

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JungleCadd

Does anyone know if the Eldo dash top / pad are common to another series.
I have seen that other 62's have the oblong dash mounting holes along the windshield whereas the Eldo has round grommets with only two oblong at either side.

Also, would be super grateful if anyone has a pattern for the dash pad. Mine is FUBAR.

Thanks in advance for any input.

cheers,
e
56 Eldo Seville

V63

All the dashes were shared in 1956. Later years often changed the grain.

fishnjim

Not much luck there.  Dash pads can be repaired $$$ or covered over $$, but not likely you'll even find one from another survivor, numbers are low, that's in any condition.  I don't know if there's a cover for that particular model, but you can search.  Not the greatest but covers the ugly.  Not a good option for resto.   There's one or two good dash companies, but expect some time elapse.

Cadman-iac

#3
Quote from: JungleCadd on March 10, 2023, 03:18:41 PMDoes anyone know if the Eldo dash top / pad are common to another series.
I have seen that other 62's have the oblong dash mounting holes along the windshield whereas the Eldo has round grommets with only two oblong at either side.

Also, would be super grateful if anyone has a pattern for the dash pad. Mine is FUBAR.

Thanks in advance for any input.

cheers,
e
I've got a small collection of dash top assemblies, and I've also ran into the difference in the hole shape for mounting. Most of the ones I have have the round ones, but a few have the oblong or oval ones.
The one that I removed from my coupe de ville has the oval ones.
I don't know why they're different, I just figured it was something to do with the year of car, since the same dash fits all 3 years, 54, 55, and 56. But that's just my theory, since I got most of the tops from a friend of mine when he was getting out of the hobby. They were already off of the cars and not marked as to the years they came out of.
I have noticed that they interchange just fine, but you have to have the correct sleeves or spacers to go with them. As for the rubber grommets, I used some pcv grommets for a Chevrolet small block. Once installed on the dash and the sleeve is put in, you can't tell the difference.
As for the covering on the top, I'm going to just use the old material for a pattern and hopefully find an upholstery shop that can stitch it together to match the original style. I just haven't gotten that far yet.
I  hope this answers some of your questions.
Rick

 Edit:
  I just happened to be looking for something in my parts collection and I spotted my dash tops stacked up on the shelf and I remembered this discussion.  I had mentioned that the tops were the same for 54, 55, and 56, but I noticed some subtle differences between the 55 and the 56 tops, (I don't have any 54 tops).
 The main difference is in the area where the map light is.  On the 66, there is a small cut-out for the light, but the 55 top doesn't have this as the map light is in a slightly different place.
 Also, there's a difference in how the top is stamped and assembled. The 56 top has the left end piece welded to the main body, and the right end is formed right on the main body.
 The 55 top has both ends stamped and welded to the main body.
The rear-most part of each year is different as well.  The 56 has about a 1 inch tall flat spot that mates with the door trim, whereas the 55 has about a 1 1/2 inch flat spot where it meets the door trim. I wanted to correct this in case someone was looking for a dash top and was relying on my previous erroneous statement.
 Here's some pictures to confirm what I'm saying.
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"

Roger Zimmermann

1956 Cadillac dashes are not vacuum molded but sewn. Easy to to for a trim shop. There were different vinyl for Eldo models, for example the black dash for the regular models had a different part number than the black for Eldo models.
Most probably a different grain.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

JungleCadd

Quote from: V63 on March 10, 2023, 11:36:56 PMAll the dashes were shared in 1956. Later years often changed the grain.
all dashes for particular series correct? Not sure series 60 will fit 62's.
56 Eldo Seville

JungleCadd

Quote from: Cadman-iac on March 11, 2023, 11:26:39 AMI've got a small collection of dash top assemblies, and I've also ran into the difference in the hole shape for mounting. Most of the ones I have have the round ones, but a few have the oblong or oval ones.
 The one that I removed from my coupe de ville has the oval ones.
 I don't know why they're different, I just figured it was something to do with the year of car, since the same dash fits all 3 years, 54, 55, and 56. But that's just my theory, since I got most of the tops from a friend of mine when he was getting out of the hobby. They were already off of the cars and not marked as to the years they came out of.
 I have noticed that they interchange just fine, but you have to have the correct sleeves or spacers to go with them. As for the rubber grommets, I used some pcv grommets for a Chevrolet small block. Once installed on the dash and the sleeve is put in, you can't tell the difference.
 As for the covering on the top, I'm going to just use the old material for a pattern and hopefully find an upholstery shop that can stitch it together to match the original style. I just haven't gotten that far yet.
 I  hope this answers some of your questions.
 Rick
thanks Rick! Much appreciated.
56 Eldo Seville

JungleCadd

Interesting!  I will have to keep my eye out
Quote from: Roger Zimmermann on March 11, 2023, 11:27:53 AM1956 Cadillac dashes are not vacuum molded but sewn. Easy to to for a trim shop. There were different vinyl for Eldo models, for example the black dash for the regular models had a different part number than the black for Eldo models.
Most probably a different grain.
Quote from: Roger Zimmermann on March 11, 2023, 11:27:53 AM1956 Cadillac dashes are not vacuum molded but sewn. Easy to to for a trim shop. There were different vinyl for Eldo models, for example the black dash for the regular models had a different part number than the black for Eldo models.
Most probably a different grain.
interesting! Thanks for pointing that out. I'll keep an eye out for the difference.
56 Eldo Seville

JungleCadd

Quote from: Cadman-iac on March 11, 2023, 11:26:39 AMI've got a small collection of dash top assemblies, and I've also ran into the difference in the hole shape for mounting. Most of the ones I have have the round ones, but a few have the oblong or oval ones.
The one that I removed from my coupe de ville has the oval ones.
I don't know why they're different, I just figured it was something to do with the year of car, since the same dash fits all 3 years, 54, 55, and 56. But that's just my theory, since I got most of the tops from a friend of mine when he was getting out of the hobby. They were already off of the cars and not marked as to the years they came out of.
I have noticed that they interchange just fine, but you have to have the correct sleeves or spacers to go with them. As for the rubber grommets, I used some pcv grommets for a Chevrolet small block. Once installed on the dash and the sleeve is put in, you can't tell the difference.
As for the covering on the top, I'm going to just use the old material for a pattern and hopefully find an upholstery shop that can stitch it together to match the original style. I just haven't gotten that far yet.
I  hope this answers some of your questions.
Rick

 Edit:
  I just happened to be looking for something in my parts collection and I spotted my dash tops stacked up on the shelf and I remembered this discussion.  I had mentioned that the tops were the same for 54, 55, and 56, but I noticed some subtle differences between the 55 and the 56 tops, (I don't have any 54 tops).
 The main difference is in the area where the map light is.  On the 66, there is a small cut-out for the light, but the 55 top doesn't have this as the map light is in a slightly different place.
 Also, there's a difference in how the top is stamped and assembled. The 56 top has the left end piece welded to the main body, and the right end is formed right on the main body.
 The 55 top has both ends stamped and welded to the main body.
The rear-most part of each year is different as well.  The 56 has about a 1 inch tall flat spot that mates with the door trim, whereas the 55 has about a 1 1/2 inch flat spot where it meets the door trim. I wanted to correct this in case someone was looking for a dash top and was relying on my previous erroneous statement.
 Here's some pictures to confirm what I'm saying.
Thanks a million that us quite helpful!!!
56 Eldo Seville

V63

Quote from: Roger Zimmermann on March 11, 2023, 11:27:53 AM1956 Cadillac dashes are not vacuum molded but sewn. Easy to to for a trim shop. There were different vinyl for Eldo models, for example the black dash for the regular models had a different part number than the black for Eldo models.
Most probably a different grain.

Interesting as I have had both (original) eldorado and fleetwoods and never noticed any difference in the dash grain.

 It certainly must have been a very subtle difference.

Cadman-iac

Quote from: JungleCadd on May 31, 2023, 08:41:15 PMThanks a million that us quite helpful!!!
No problem. I realized my mistake after looking at the dashes when I was going through my parts, and I knew I had to correct my previous statement.
 I apologize if I had caused you any confusion, and I hope that the correction will help.

 Rick
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"