I scored a 95 dash in black/charcoal with no cracks at all for $75. The only Cavaliers I have ever found in junkyards minus the cracks were either 95s or 96s. I used to have a 96 up until 2012 and it had never cracked either with close to 200,000 miles on it. The 99 I have now is a total basket case and is missing vast 12"+ tracts of real estate along the windshield and is probably busted down through the radio and HVAC controls support. When I go on the highway over 60, the entire dash bounces up & down through the middle and is distracting.
I wanted to be absolutely sure it was a 95 before I bought it. The 95 unique Daytime Running Light kill switch next to the dimmer was a good tip-off!
The airbag also had a different sort of connector and the horn button was grounded different as well.
I am thinking about reinforcing this dash from the underside with some fiberglass mesh and resin before I install it. Any thoughts on doing this?
I will definitely NOT over tighten when I swap this guy in.
Also, I am looking to score a 99 3-SPD AT cluster with the tach and true Fahrenheit thermometer. This seems to be an even harder thing to locate than a 95 or 96 dash.
All and all a good day...
thanks,
Brian
Nice score. I've owned two 95 Cavs, and neither of them ever cracked. I don't know what the hell GM did, but it seems they changed the plastic compound after that. Maybe some 96's got those dashes too, but I've seen 96's with cracks. Never a 95.
It's too bad for the 00+ guys that the dash isn't the same.
My current dash in my 99 is out of a 95.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
Mr. Quick wrote:Nice score. I've owned two 95 Cavs, and neither of them ever cracked. I don't know what the hell GM did, but it seems they changed the plastic compound after that. Maybe some 96's got those dashes too, but I've seen 96's with cracks. Never a 95.
It's too bad for the 00+ guys that the dash isn't the same.
I guess I'm also one of the lucky ones to have a 95 cav
dennis
My 05 has 110k on it with no cracks whatsoever on solid motor mounts. But the car has been garaged most of it's life. I think it's the sun damage that does them in.
"In Oldskool we trust"
yep, sun damage. the 2000 cavalier that has been between a few member of my family and garaged it's whole life has 0 cracks.
I miss my Cavalier, even if it made 100 hp on a cold day and had more suspension then it deserved.
the 01 ln2 car has a crack. My 04 LSS ....no crack. and they both live outside.
Mr. Quick wrote:Nice score. I've owned two 95 Cavs, and neither of them ever cracked. I don't know what the hell GM did, but it seems they changed the plastic compound after that. Maybe some 96's got those dashes too, but I've seen 96's with cracks. Never a 95.
It's too bad for the 00+ guys that the dash isn't the same.
My old 96 Cavalier LS LD9 (may she rest peacefully or live on in parts somewhere) must have been one of the good ones. It spent its entire life outdoors in the UV with some filtered shade from a tree with no cracks. The dash must have been from a 95 leftovers bin in Lordstown, OH.
As part of the 95 dash score I also picked up both the left and the right under dash sound insulator panels. The service manual from 1996 (from my old car) refers to them under these names. I have only seen these parts in 1995 Cavaliers. I do not recall if my own 96 had them or not though it probably did sine they are in the service manual. Chevy must have started dropping these in later years. My 99 does not have them but maybe someone prervious removed them.
Any thoughts on fortifying or reinforcing the dash prior to when I install it? I am waiting for a nice 60 degree day, not too cold or not too hot to swap it in but maybe in the meantime I can do the fiberglass mesh underside overlay to reinforce it at strategic weak points. I worry though that thermal expansion differences could actually cause cracks and maybe I am better off leaving it as is since it has lasted this long.
At this point, any boneyard 95 or 96 is a treasure. The 95 will be eligible for historic plates next year in some states. Almost all Cavaliers now that I find these days in East Coast Mid Atlantic boneyards are 2000+ models.
Brian
yes i also have never had a cracked dash till i landed my 2001. 3500 original mile and the dash is destroyed. Buckled so much it bent the radio mounting tabs. Car sat in a lot for 11 years with out top dash cover on it lol.
99LN2 Cavalier wrote:Any thoughts on fortifying or reinforcing the dash prior to when I install it? I am waiting for a nice 60 degree day, not too cold or not too hot to swap it in but maybe in the meantime I can do the fiberglass mesh underside overlay to reinforce it at strategic weak points. I worry though that thermal expansion differences could actually cause cracks and maybe I am better off leaving it as is since it has lasted this long.
I've thought about doing that with mine before I reinstall it, but you may have a good point with the difference in expansion.
99LN2 Cavalier wrote:The 95 will be eligible for historic plates next year in some states.
Hahaha. I want to get "classic" plates for mine now! LOL
ive got two 95's for my pre-00 cars... both are absolutely mint without cracks. I put a bunch of dynamat pieces under the whole section that cracks and left the two front bolts just snugged, not tightened. its sat in my garage for 6 years now in all the temp changes and its still just as nice as the day I installed it.
to the OP.. I cant believe you had to pay 75 bucks for a dash from a junkyard, that's frickin highway robbery!!!
RIP silver car. You will be missed.
You must have some good junkyards where you are at. I honestly did not feel bad about paying the $75 price. It is still a fair amount less than the band-aid aftermarket CAP cover that only hides the fundamental and usually growing crack flaws that linger on and continue to propagate underneath.
Another junkyard that I go to that is usually less expensive has 2 more 95/96 dash's with no cracks. One is the light gray one and the other is the tan one. No cracks at al in either one. They would be a really nice score for someone with a cracked 97-99. I really wanted the charcoal one to match the rest of my interior so I had to go with the pricier yard.
As for my installation, the snug (but not tight!) torques, the neoprene "buffer" washers and the extra epoxy buttered on over the usual weak spots on the non visible areas has given me one truly unnaturally quiet sounding Cav free of squeaks and rattles. I still need to put in the under dash sound deadening panels and it may even get quieter.
I actually retained the busted up one in the event that someone crashes me so I can swap it back in and keep the good one for the next Cav. (hopefully this won't happen)
So far so good!
Brian
someone needs to find these unicorns and make molds of them.
My sig- "Doing what needs to be done, although satisfactory, is a far cry from what can be done."
