While studying the ledger for our budget to rehab Project Talladega the other day, I ran across an inconsistency in the numbers. The idea all along was to keep costs down on our ’75 Laguna, because at the end of the day, it’s still a ’75 Laguna. Other choices we’ve made along the way include foregoing fancy paint and painted graphics for less expensive satin paint and vinyl graphics. We went with steel wheels instead of high-end billet pieces. We’ve been fabricating a lot of our own custom parts too, saving some cash in the deal.
Meanwhile, I had been contemplating a complete dash restoration, which is a really complex operation that requires special tools and skills beyond the means of our immediate contacts. That’s when I remembered about dashcaps. Dashcaps aren’t a new idea, and we’d seen them before. We even used one on Steven Rupp’s project Fastlane Fairelane. But when I found out that Dixie Monte Carlo Depot (Midland, NC) made one for a ’75 Laguna, it put that idea into high gear. As you can see from the picture of this ’86 Monte Carlo dash pad, you can’t even tell it’s a cap. For about $75, you can glue a new cap on your dash, and all the old cracks, tears, and discolorations are gone. It sure beats spending $1,000 or more to have one restored.
We’ll be trying one of these on Project Talladega. It ought to look great, and keep the budget in check. You can contact Monte Carlo Depot by calling 704-888-3607, or clicking www.dixiemontecarlodepot.com.