Dash swapping??

shadango

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This will probably come off as a goofy question, but.....here is a question to ponder on a soggy saturday morning.....

Is there any chace that the dash from the M body like the Diplomat we have will swap in for a F body dash?

When we got our 81 Dippy, my son, who has the 80 Volare , professed that he LOVES The Dippy dash...woodgrain, the way the binnacles are set up etc...

I know the dash pad is different (his Volare needs a new dashpad anyways)......

Seems like the dash pads for M bodies are in better shape generally than the F body pads.....so there is that......IF its doable.....

I know that it wouldnt be "true to the car"......but I just started thinking...... (not always a good thing)...LOL
 

Aspen500

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Don't take this as a yes it will bolt in but,,,,,,,,the parts catalog shows that F and M body have the same cowl and dash panel (the welded metal pieces) that the instrument panel attaches to. It also appears F and M have the same a-pillar trim (provided both are either 2dr or 4dr). In THEORY, it should work.
 

Oldiron440

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You will have to blend the heat defrost controls on the dash to the heater and ac if you have it. Or if possible switch everything.
 

Darth-Car

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I did it years ago with a donor 77 Lebaron instrument cluster, and its plastic carrier assembly. I dropped the carrier assembly, and gauges into my 77 Volare'. It can work. You will need the wiring schematics for both cars, and the wire harness connectors that go to the dash you want to transplant into your new car. It IS NOT direct plug, and play. It was an all day project decoding two different wiring diagrams, then transferring the wiring bit by bit, and testing each converted component.

Years later talking to a friend who had been in the Chrysler dealer shops in the 70's he told me that every so often the dash cluster swap was necessary to complete a sale. So you have the chance of seeing such a rare car possibly in the world.
 

shadango

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I did it years ago with a donor 77 Lebaron instrument cluster, and its plastic carrier assembly. I dropped the carrier assembly, and gauges into my 77 Volare'. It can work. You will need the wiring schematics for both cars, and the wire harness connectors that go to the dash you want to transplant into your new car. It IS NOT direct plug, and play. It was an all day project decoding two different wiring diagrams, then transferring the wiring bit by bit, and testing each converted component.

Years later talking to a friend who had been in the Chrysler dealer shops in the 70's he told me that every so often the dash cluster swap was necessary to complete a sale. So you have the chance of seeing such a rare car possibly in the world.

Can you imagine the reaction if one were to walk into a dealership TODAY and say "I will only buy this car if you swap dashes with this other model"....

Cant even get them to throw in mud flaps or floor mats anymore....LOL
 

Greg55_99

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Hmm.... That's interesting. Got these pics from the internet..

1981 Dippy

6716655363_10a9b94f9f_b.jpg


Dodge Aspen

dodge-aspen-1977-2.jpg


I can see where using the M body dash would be nice. Get rid of the stock gauges and insert a nice aftermarket tach, speedo, gas, oil pressure, etc.

Hmmm...

MY question is "Can the Instrument Panel (NOT the entire dash) be swapped from the M/J into the F?"

Greg
 
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Darth-Car

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You just need the plastic carrier that holds the gauge cluster / HVAC controls, and the radio from the M to put into the F. The carriers are different, because the gauges are different. Plus you need the wiring harness, or as much of it as possible from the M, because your F connectors will not directly fit the M gauges. In terms of a J body, I have no clue. It looks radically different from an F, and and M.
 

Greg55_99

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This is all I'm talking about. I can see just swapping this into an F body using VDO or Speedhut gauges. Those 150 mph cop car speedo's are a little thin on the ground. This looks like a nice possibility.

Greg

s-l1600.jpg
 
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