Is there a decent aftermarket dash replacement? Mopar wants $500 for the stupid piece of plastic. Everywhere there is a monting screw into the firewall the dash has cracked, some place so bad that the defroster vents are now a seperate piece on their own .

 

ya might find a decent one in a junk yard for cheap.

 

Try geno's garage...they list a replacement dash for 120 bucks.

 

You're not alone. Mine cracked from the windshield all the way down to the airbag for some reason. Fine one day and cracked the next. If you replace it, let me know how it went. The dealer gets like 7hrs to replace it. I could see it being kind of a pain, but 7hrs? Now I remember why I fix stuff myself.

 

You drop the steering column remove the dash entirely from the vehicle, transfer over all the ductwork, complete wiring harness, all the instruments, vent louvres, any miscellaneous trim pieces, then install the whole works, test it all, and reset your radio presets and you think 7 hrs. is out of line? It's very realistic, if not optimistic. Trust me, I've been there several times.

 

Not only does that sound like a pain, it sounds like a challenge. I guess I'll set the whole day aside for that job. Thanks for the abbreviated install instructions

 

Last I checked that's a cover, not a replacement. I have the same problem as the OP but like him have not found a reasonably priced replacement yet. Something about just covering up the horror that has become my dash just doesn't sit well with me.

I'd even do the replacement myself if I had any idea how to get that **** dash out without breaking 10 other things.

 

I picked up one from a junkyard for $125 -- dash top and front (both of mine were cracked/busted when I bought the truck). There are about a hundred screws and six bolts/nuts. Run a search and you should be able to find detailed instructions (try "dash remove"). It took me most of a Saturday to replace the dash top and front -- took it slow to make sure I didn't miss anything, and cleaned out the air ducts while I had access to them.

 

Ah crap!!!! I thought I left the crackinh dash syndrom behind when I sold the Chevy??? U guys telling me that this one is going to do it too?? Guess I beeter get a dash mat on it before things go south.

 

Not all trucks seem to have the problem. I believe there was a thread that pointed to only a couple years (00-01?). My current truck originated in AZ -- I'm guessing the extreme heat helped with the cracks. Up here in the North we only have to worry about the extreme cold. My '99 still looked clean after almost 6 years of abuse (with no "cover").

 

Aaaccckkk. Now I'm REALLY not looking forward to pulling my dash! I have a plugged tube in the A/C evaporator housing thats leaking water on my floor any time I run A/C. I have been postponing removing the dash until I had a bunch of time free.

Jim

 

You don't have to remove the dash to gain access to the A/C evaporator. It sounds funny, but you only have to "tilt" the whole dash towards the seats. There is a detailed thread with everything needed to gain access to the A/C evaporator and heater core (which also allows you to remove the dash top). Removing the dash is a whole lot more effort due to the screws hidden under the dash, behind the air bag, and around the instrument cluster -- don't forget to disconnect both batteries so you don't set off the airbag and need to change shorts...

Try this link for instructions on "tilting" the dash: https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...t=dash+replace

NHDiesel, make sure you actually have a plugged tube before tearing into the dash -- there are also several threads regarding the need to add an extra "drip tube" to keep water from coming back inside (been there).

 

don't forget to disconnect both batteries so you don't set off the airbag and need to change shorts...


That has got to suck!!!

 

Can I assume you already tried to snake it out from the opening under the truck?

Chris

 

From the linked thread, I found this confusing. WTH is a PRND21 pointer?