CHEVY OPGI (Dashes Direct) Reproduction Dash Review

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Finally after all these years after OPGI anounced they were going to offer Chevy A/G dashes for '78-'80 & '81-'88 I broke down & bought one for my '81 Monte. I went with a black one as they only offer carmine red or burgundy, not the dark maple. It does include some instructions how how to prep & clean for recoloring. The vinyl exterior is a slightly different grain or looks as if since the grain has more texture than the originals. The feel is also softer. Most needed holes are there but some cutting & drilling will be needed. I'll cover that as I work my way through the pics. All metal parts will need to be transfered from an original. The new dash comes with a wood brace for shipping/storage until a original brace is installed.

So here is the first group with the new one in the middle & the redwood '82 Malibu diesel dash I used to replace the original & a gray '86 MCSS dash that came with the frame I picked up years back.

Exterior


Interior


Here is where some of the differences will be noticed like the vinyl cover not removed from spots the OE had it done when new. Certain needed holes not opened or drilled. Mount bosses that will need to be finished just to be drilled. The first thing I did noticed was the radio/heater contol section. The opening for the ashtray light is not cut out & the ashtray mounting holes are not drilled. There is spot that looks like the opening should be there but filled in. Also you can see what is drilled & not for the metal brackets for this location.



Now this is where I'll say these are not for '86-'88 cars as the radio opening are not trimmed for the 1.5 DIN radios. The inner molded ribs are like what the '81-'85 dashes wound have. There are no holes dilled for the two opper screws for the trim plate. I trimed the one side of the '82 dash to allow me to use a Delco 1.5 DIN radio.



Radio trim plates don't fit the best. The '78-'85 trim plate wouldn't go in & I wasn't going to try to force it & cause damage. The '86-'88 does fit but it's tight & had to be carefully pressed in. I plan to use a Delco 1.5 DIN CD radio so there will be trimming.

 

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Moving to the driver side of the dash there are the needed bottom holes for the brace hoop that gives this side its strength. The bosses that are behind in the resin core are there but not finished & will need to be in order to drill the needed holes. It looks like it's a fiberglass resin but not sure exactly what kind it is. Also it seems like it's a solid core unlike the OE which is open to allow the push in fasteners to lock in. Holes for the studs to mount the gauge pod are drilled. Cut outs for the parking brake release, connector for the pod & mirror remote cable are open. They didn't remove to vinyl covering from the pod area like the OE so there maybe a possibility it may need to be removed for the connector to lock in. I didn't have a lower column cover handy to test fit



Grabbed a pod to test fit & it seemed tight but not a 100% perfect fit, The pod don't seem like it was fully seated & had some space between the pod & dash at the connector/mirror cable holes. Didn't have the brace mounted so that might affect the final fit.



All the mounting holes for the metal brackets are ready for mounting.

 

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The passenger side has the trim panel holes but the top ones are just drilled but the lowers are oval as all of them should be oval. One opening is not open & to be honest I have no idea why the OE has it open unless there was other plans for it but never used. The holes por the retainers to hold the harness to the dash needs to be drilled out, but again I beleive the bosses are soild so the barbs might not get the bite needed to hold. May need to use a screw on retainer when attaching the harness.



Fitment of the trim panel is not the best either. I grabbed one with out the retainers still in place & it didn't have a good fit at the center vents as if it needs some small bit of clearancing for a good fit. The glovebox area also looks like the extra vinyl may need to be removed to allow the metal clips to go on. I used a loose door panel to test which seems OK but the edges in spots may rub the opening. A better test fit with a complete door will need to be done later.




This side also is ready for the metal bracket.

 

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Now I didn't get out a heater control panel but I'm not thinking there will be an issue with it. A radio test fit would of been nice to do but I'm not cutting anything yet. I'll need to cross clips in the Auveco catalog to get the right ones & to see how those fit on it as is before the needed cutting. Some of the holes should have a correct screw ran through the holes to ensure the are open enough for the screws not to cause damage when the final install is done. I'll need to get my body up to the garage from the in-laws so a test install can be done unless I use Jr.'s '79 when we get into the interior deep cleaning.

After all of this which I've done with it I'll say it's a good replacement but not perfect. I'll give it a B rating cause it does need work to make it fit right & finish details they should of done if there was an original used to create these. I don't know how much direct input OPGI gave or how Dashes Direct pictured the final product. Never seen any indepth reviews on these. Only seen pics of what a fellow member posted of the one they bought. I would encourage them to correct the short coming, add more OE colors or something close to them, offer a core service where an original could be recoverd. Even offering a budget ABS one. But is better than fighting with a dash cap. To be honest at $700 (mine was bought for less dueing the end of summer sale) there shouldn't be as much needed work to fit the dash to a car. Now if it was for a '69 Camaro, '70 Chevelle, about any year Vette or early Mustang the dash quality would be way better. But I'll be thinking it over as Jr.'s '79 needs a better dash & he wants to keep it original & we both agreed on the stereo speaker dash instead of the current mono speaker on it has.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Thanks for taking the time to photo/test fit/write it up. Much appreciated.

Pretty much mirrors the review on OPGI's site from the one person that seems to have tried installing it.

I notice they make a big deal about Restoparts brand on the site..maybe that's their inhouse brand

 

[pagrunt]

Thanks for taking the time to photo/test fit/write it up. Much appreciated.

Pretty much mirrors the review on OPGI's site from the one person that seems to have tried installing it.

I notice they make a big deal about Restoparts brand on the site..maybe that's their inhouse brand

It's a big investment so I'm glad to pass that info on to others. Sucks put all that money into parts that don't come close to expectations. This way everyone here who wants on will know what to expect.

To be honest I really haven't read the reviews at OPGI so now see someone else has the same view of the dash.

Restoparts are their in house brand of either what they got the rights to or contract to make the parts for themselves.

 

[ssn696]

I talked to a Chevy dealer in 1992 about buying a replacement dash and GM wanted $450 at that time, you did not get to choose the color. So, 32 years later, this may be a remarkably good deal, actually.

 

[Ribbedroof]

I talked to a Chevy dealer in 1992 about buying a replacement dash and GM wanted $450 at that time, you did not get to choose the color. So, 32 years later, this may be a remarkably good deal, actually.

We bought one at work in about 95 or so. Don't remember what it cost but do remember it was a lovely shade of leisure suit blue. Customer got a great deal replacing their cracked up dash with a nice new one (Job was a theft recovery)

 

[E84MC]

Thanks for all this info! My dash is also cracked and was thinking about buying a new one or just wrapping it. Also the picture on the opgi website has the 4 oval holes for the trim panel and the bigger cut out, gotta love when the picture doesn’t match what you receive🤷‍♂️

 

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With the current market & what there is out there I'll agree this a good deal. From what I can figure out is there is a limited run for each time they get enough orders placed which would affect the price as OPGI really hasn't jacked up how much they want for one since '17. Then compaired to all those guys that sell those junk cores at a premium prices makes this a no brainer. Again we aren't working on a Muscle Car era Camaro, Chevelle or Mustang so we should be glad there is at least a dash for G's even if it's only for one division.