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Best '70's domestic instrument panel

24 messages,  Last post on Sep 23, 2012 at 9:09 AM

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#5 of 24 A couple others... by andre1969

Sep 16, 2012 (3:10 pm)

One dashboard that popped back into my mind, that I almost forgot about, was the '75-76 LeSabre/Electra/Riviera. It was very minimal, only a speedo and a fuel gauge, but I thought it had a sleek, futuristic-in-a-70's-sort-of-way look to it.
 
Mopar's '77+ M-body Diplomat/LeBaron (and later Gran Fury and New Yorker/5th Ave) also had a nice dash design. It had sort of a driver-oriented cockpit shape, reminscent of the '73-87 GM pickups, and came standard with a temp and amp gauge. I don't know if you could get a factory oil pressure gauge, but the '89 Gran Fury copcar I had had an aftermarket one mounted low on the driver's side, away from the normal gauge cluster.
 
One down side to the M-body dash though, was that if you got a clock, it actually took away a chunk of the glovebox space! In later years, with digital radios that had the clock built in, that was no longer a problem.

#6 of 24 Re: Best '70's domestic instrument panel [uplanderguy] by omarman

Sep 16, 2012 (7:53 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 16, 2012 2:04 pm)
I like the Pontiac IPs from that era too. In the 80s a girlfriend of mine drove a '72 Riviera with the engine turned dash like this one. Not much instrumentation compared to the Pontiac, but still it seemed to fit the glam rock style of a boattail Riviera back then.

#7 of 24 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight by lemko

Sep 19, 2012 (6:20 am)

The 1971 Olds Ninety-Eight had a pretty neat instrument panel:
 

#8 of 24 Re: 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight [lemko] by berri

Sep 19, 2012 (7:05 am)

Replying to: lemko (Sep 19, 2012 6:20 am)
Those wrap around IP's were a short lived thing. I wonder of it was cost or problems that led to their quick disappearance? I thought they were kind of neat myself.

#9 of 24 Re: 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight [lemko] by texases

Sep 19, 2012 (7:25 am)

Replying to: lemko (Sep 19, 2012 6:20 am)
Having the climate controls on the left is kind of odd, the front seat passenger (spouse) often likes to change them. Maybe that helped get rid of this arrangement.

#10 of 24 Re: 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight [texases] by uplanderguy

Sep 19, 2012 (3:56 pm)

Replying to: texases (Sep 19, 2012 7:25 am)
Those are all good panels! I'll have to see if I can find a pic to post, but I like the '71 Cadillac deVille panel, with brushed metal panels. Nobody else must have liked it much, because before the end of the year they had fake woodgrain panels!

#11 of 24 . by fintail

Sep 19, 2012 (4:12 pm)

The 70s car I have the brightest memory of in my family had an uninspiring instrument panel:
 

 
(gigantor 72-76 T-Bird). I still remember that frowny steering wheel shape. I bet the silver things on the hubs are cruise control actuators, too, I remember those vividly, they were like rocker switches.
 
When my dad had a 60 Ford, he put a 9" rear end in it out of a 70-71 Ford that was being parted, I remember that car had the wraparound style dash too.

#12 of 24 Re: . [fintail] by berri

Sep 19, 2012 (5:52 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Sep 19, 2012 4:12 pm)
Ford IP's tended to seem chintzy to me.

#13 of 24 Re: . [berri] by uplanderguy

Sep 21, 2012 (4:08 pm)

Replying to: berri (Sep 19, 2012 5:52 pm)
Here's the 'early series' '71 Cadillac deVille instrument panel trim I like:
 
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1970-1979-cadillac1.htm

#14 of 24 How 'bout '60's panels? by uplanderguy

Sep 21, 2012 (4:14 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 21, 2012 4:08 pm)
Here are my two favorite:
 
1965 Pontiac Grand Prix:
 
http://www.pictures.musclecarjungle.com/pontiac/grand-prix/1965-pontiac-grand-pr- ix-interior.jpg.html
 
1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk:
 
http://photos.aaca.org/files/4/3/7/9/9/gt_hawk_dash.jpg

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