1965-1966 Ford Mustang Dash Replacement - How To Replace A Dashpad

10. Because the defroster ducts in our car were damaged, we replaced them with a set of reproduction ducts from Scott Drake Enterprises; they are also available from Mustang Country.

11. Mustang Country likes to trim some of the foam away from the edge of the pad to allow it to fit snugly against the windshield base. Be careful, however, as you can easily end up going through to the top of the pad if you remove too much.

12. Now we're ready to install the new pad. At this point, the new piece is basically a drop-in replacement for the old one.

13. With the pad in place, install the new defroster ducts next. They thread into place and attach to the heater box just like the old ones.

14. These specialized clips hold the ducts in place on top of the pad.

15. Some slight trimming may be required; it will vary with each car. Here, a small amount of pad vinyl is trimmed away to make room for the speaker and speaker grille.

16. With the pad in place, the only task that remains is reinstalling the fasteners. The two inside nuts shown earlier are already back in place as are the speaker and speaker grille. Here the windshield trim pieces are reinstalled.

17. With the four nuts installed, eight screws remain to complete the installation. New holes need to be created in the new pad to secure the pad to the dashboard. This is relatively easy, as shown here, using a small punch and a flashlight to locate the threads that receive the screws.

Although installation of a '65 pad is similar to the '66 shown in the article, there are some differences. The two nuts in the middle of the '66 pad aren't there for the '65 pads. However, the '65s have a pair of chrome strips that run along the front edge of the pad where it meets the gauge cluster and glovebox door. Also, the blue '65 pad has a different shape compared to the black '66 pad. The '66 pad also has a pair of "wings" in the center that the '65 pad lacks.

This is a set of dashpad strips for a '65 Mustang. The long and short strip join together to make a complete strip for each side of the pad, one above the gauge cluster and the other above the glovebox door.