'57 dash panel inner metal brace

[Garry E.]

Has anyone had experience replacing the flat, metal brace that goes behind the dash panel on a '56-'57....? This is the metal panel that the instruments are mounted to when viewed from up underneath the dash......

The previous owner of my '57 installed an after-market radio/cassette player in the dash.... in doing so, he not only "enlarged" the original opening for the radio, but also bent and chopped-up the metal brace behind the dash..... the brace needs to be replaced now since my car was originally a radio-delete vehicle. However, the brace is also riveted to another narrow metal brace (and then to the fiberglasss....) that runs along the inside bottom of dash

I know several suppliers who sell the brace.... I was wondering if anyone had had experience in installing it in the car.....?

Thanks

Garry Eastwood
#38705

[Dan D.]

Re: '57 dash panel inner metal brace

Garry,
I removed the lower brace from under the dash on my 57 last year. The reason for doing so is it was badly rusted. If you remove all the bolts and drill out 5 rivets the bottom piece comes right out, and the gauge cluster brace will then come out as well. The gauge piece is plated (I believe tin-lead but not sure). Regardless, it was in good shape. The bottom piece is raw steel - has no plating or finish applied right from the factory, and therefore was a natual to rust. This needs to be clean as it is current carrying for the wiper motor (through the cowl vent arm) and also for the gauges, instrument lights and lighter. A harness ground wire attaches to it under one of the emergency brake bracket screws.
I assume yours is rusted, although you do not say so. Clean, blast, whatever to restore it to bare metal. To keep the correct appearance and still provide rust protection you could clear coat it with some low gloss coating. Mast off the holes that carry ground current first though.
It is somewhat difficult to re-rivit as there is not much clearance to swing a hammer and you are working upside down. However, 2 people can do it. They are just aluminum rivets same as used in several places in the car.
I posted a thread on this late last year and John Hinckley provided input on it.
The lower brace is not fastened to the gauge piece - it is just sandwiched between it. -Dan-

[Garry E.]

Re: '57 dash panel inner metal brace

Dan....

thanks for your comments...... another question..... is it possible to remove only those rivets that attach the flat metal instrument brace to the lower thin brace and then slide/bent the flat instrument brace under the thin one? I would like to try and keep the thin brace in place since it is non-rusted and in good condition.......

Thanks...

Garry Eastwood

[Dan D.]

Re: '57 dash panel inner metal brace

Hi Garry,
Sorry I did not respont back to you sooner. I have not been at the computer for a couple of days.
I don't think it is possible to remove the instrument plate without first removing the lower reinforcement. The instrument plate is 'L' shaped and there is no room to 'swing' it out from under the lower reinforcement. It is not all that hard to remove the lower reinforcement. Only 5 rivets and it comes right out. 3 near the middle and one at each end. Like I said, 2 people can re-rivet it okay. Just hard to get at to peen the rivets under the dash. CC and others sell the rivets.
Being in upstate NY, I am not used to rust-free environments. Up here everything rusts in a couple of microseconds. Good Luck -Dan-