Inevitably your dash will crack. Whether you've split the dash top while trying to get the speaker grilles off, or if it's just had too much exposure to the sun over the years, there's just no way to get around this. Fortunately there are a few solutions for you.

1983-84
If you own a 1983-84 Cougar then you know that the top is easily removed, with just a few screws holding it down. Trouble is finding a good replacement piece. The usual solution is to scour salvage yards, but that can be frustrating. You only have 2 model years from which to choose, then you have to find the correct color. There may be other Ford vehicles with similar dash tops; any further info about that will be posted here in the future. Until then you can follow the information below.

The easiest solution is a dash overlay. This is a preformed piece of plastic that is held onto the stock dash pad with adhesive. Companies such as DashTops.com sell them for around $100 US each, with your choice of colors. Right now it's about your only solution but fortunately it happens to be a very good one. Visit their sites for more details.

1985-88
For 1985-88 cars, it's a lot more complicated to fix your dash. The one-piece design looks great but really deals you a blow when trying to fix just one little section. You can always remove the entire dash and put in a replacement one...but that involves a lot of work, including wiring and dropping the steering column for starters. And the chances of removing a good used dash, and keeping it that way until it's in your car, are pretty slim. Fortunately there are a few other things you can do to fix up your dash problem.

Again, the first involves a dash overlay. This preformed piece of plastic contours exactly to your dash. It's held onto the stock dash with adhesive and is a permanent fix. Companies such as DashTops.com and DashCaps.com sell them for around $100 US each. You have your choice of black or colors, and the pricing varies accordingly. Fit and finish from either company is excellent, and that's going to be the focus of the dash repair below. For the money and effort involved (minimal for both), and for the permanent nature of the fix, this should be your first choice.

These companies even sell overlays for the console lid on 1983-86 vehicles for about $15.

The second is a dash carpeting overlay. You've seen these in magazines and in stores, I'm sure. They sit on your dash top like...well, like a rug. You can even get your initials monogrammed in the corner if you like. They're relatively inexpensive at roughly $30-50 US....but they also look like it too. It's all a matter of taste: if you don't mind having a toupé on your dash, or if you think it's the greatest thing since the flush toilet, or if you don't have a lot of money to throw at fixing the dash, this gets the job done, that's for sure. Just remember that disco died right about the time that these cars came out. It's best to leave some things in the past.

The third is using a vinyl repair kit, which is very cheap. It's a vinyl mixture to which you can add color to match your dash. You simply spread it on with a popsicle stick or equivalent spreader, press on a texture to match your dash's grain, and let it air dry. If you have just one or two small cracks, then this might be your best bet. The hardest part is getting a color that matches. You almost have to be an artist to match some of these interior colors. Still, you can practice and usually get it pretty close. Doing a whole bunch of cracks with this method is impractical, though.

For most people in most situations, a dash cover will be the best solution. The following covers installation on a 1985-88 dash with a cover purchased from DashTops.com; installation on a 1984-84 cover should be similar if not easier.

INSTALLATION OF DASH TOP COVER (1985-88)

	This, unfortunately, is a familiar sight to many owners of Cougars and Thunderbirds. Simply trying to install speakers by removing the covers will sometimes be enough to crack a perfectly good dashboard. Time and the degradation of the plastics used in the dashboard construction are taking their toll.
	This is a before shot. The rest of the dash is fine, but around the speakers the dash has cracked.
	The new cover from DashTops. Minor trimming is needed to fit the dash in the car, and also around the speaker grille openings on the underside. The trimming will become obvious once you pre-fit the cover to the car.
	The cover needs to be prepped to accept paint. Here the cover is scuffed up with a red Scotch-Brite pad, making sure that all surfaces are covered.
	Before painting, make sure the cover is placed on a flat surface to catch the overspray. The box that the cover is shipped in works perfectly. Wipe the surface down with wax/grease remover (Prep-Sol), or rubbing alcohol, to make sure all fingerprints, oils and dirt are removed.
	The cover has now been painted with three coats of SEM interior paint. It is definitely one of the best paints you'll ever use, and it covers amazingly well.
	Close-up detail of the paint. Notice how the grain shows through beautifully.
	While the paint is drying, you can remove your dash trim panels and speaker grilles to get ready for installation of the cover. You do not have to remove the side window demister covers. If you have the auto dim/delay feature then you should remove the cover in the center of the dash; otherwise you can leave it alone.
	Apply the silicone to the underside of the dash cover as shown. Keep the silicone away from the edges. You'll only have about 10-15 minutes before the silicone starts to harden up, so be quick about this.
	The dash cover has been applied. Tape and phone books are holding the cover down, as gravity alone won't be enough.
	The SEM paint is so well made that you can apply good tape to it and it will not pull the paint from the surface. We highly recommend 3M tape as it is designed to pull cleanly from any surface. When applying the tape, be sure to pull the dash cover where needed.
	Wedging match boxes between the dash and the cover helps tremendously.
	After the silicone sets up (between 1 and 8 hours, depending on temperature and humidity) you can remove the tape and wedges. Then you can reinstall the dash trim pieces and button everything up.
	Here is the fit and finish on the driver's side. Note how well the cover fits around the side window demister.
	A view from the top, around the driver's side speaker grille. The minor trimming needed before painting now becomes obvious. If the trimming is not done, it will not be possible to remove the speaker grilles later on.
	The same is true for the center dash cover. Note the fit and finish around the defroster vents.
	The passenger side fitment.
	The final product as seen from the passenger side. If nobody was ever told that there was a dash cover, they'd probably never realize it.

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