Can a non a/c dash face be changed to an a/c dash face pad by cutting an opening in the non a/c dash face pad?
Probably it depends on the year.
How about on a 1967 Cougar Base?
That would work.
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The trim for the center vent extends down into the top part of the aluminum trim at the base of the pad. So the cutout in the pad is not a hole through the middle but a section removed from the bottom. The opening is trimmed out on the inside edge by the plastic trim piece that goes in front of the actual vent. I think this could be done well if you cut out the cardboard backing leaving enough of the vinyl to wrap around the inside edges of the opening. I suspect that you would need to heat up the vinyl to wrap it.
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That’s what I was referring to
Yes you are correct. It looks like it could be done. I was just wondering if anyone had done it before.
People have been cutting holes in the dash pads for years and it entirely depends on the condition of the pad and the skill of the person doing the cutting. Until recently the only vents available were from cars that had factory AC. Once you found the vent and the trim piece you had most likely found the pad and the associated trim. It is a lot easier to paint a stock part then it is to modify one. And the good pads are so expensive that it is hard to take a knife to one. But now that the vent and pad are readily available I think we are going to see more people trying this. If the new dash bezels sell well enough then the next part to reproduced is the pad and aluminum trim. The reproduction will come in both versions so that might be consideration. Given that it will take a couple years at least to get the reproductions on the market.
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Personally I would not attempt to cut that pad, I just dont think you will get it to look right even if you started with a pliable donor pad. I had sorta the same dilemma on my car and at the time dash parts had been hard to come buy and expensive I just planned to move the vents a center console I had planned on building. Since then I swapped to an xr7 dash with the center ac vent and went that route.
With the current work on the repro dashes and pads it might be it to hold off for a bit to buy some nice repros when they get released.