ABC Dash Pads - Are they the same as Year One?

[ec_co]

Evans' also sells Mopar harnesses http://www.evanswiring.com/   but my understanding is that the best/most accurate are the M&H ones. I bought all mine from YO except the slant 6 engine harness, took M&H 9 months to finally get mine made, had them do 2 'just in case' since they are near impossible to get otherwise.

[anlauto]

Evans' also sells Mopar harnesses http://www.evanswiring.com/   but my understanding is that the best/most accurate are the M&H ones. I bought all mine from YO except the slant 6 engine harness, took M&H 9 months to finally get mine made, had them do 2 'just in case' since they are near impossible to get otherwise.

To the best of my knowledge, Bill doesn't make the main dash harness, and that was the only harness I was referring to. Unless someone other than M&H make the dash harness, they ARE available at places other then YearOne. That being said I buy ALL my harnesses from YO when they have a 30% off sale.

[71383bee]

I buy as much as possible from bill evans and Alan is correct in that the ONLY harness they don't make is the dash harnesses.

As far is more accurate I have both on my 73 and the M&H sticks out like a sore thumb with their non factory sticker on it!  The rest honestly I can't tell a huge difference.

I like when I call evans I get Bill Evans answering the phone and after 20 seconds of talking to him you can tell he's a stand up guy and is doing a much needed service for our hobby.

Just my 2 cents but I wouldn't knock evans at all.


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[71383bee]

I buy as much as possible from bill evans and Alan is correct in that the ONLY harness they don't make is the dash harnesses.

As far is more accurate I have both on my 73 and the M&H sticks out like a sore thumb with their non factory sticker on it!  The rest honestly I can't tell a huge difference.

I like when I call evans I get Bill Evans answering the phone and after 20 seconds of talking to him you can tell he's a stand up guy and is doing a much needed service for our hobby.

Just my 2 cents but I wouldn't knock evans at all.


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[RacerX]

On their web catalog, they don't show anything Mopar related. Only GM stuff. They have a very nice reputation

Year One probably has an exclusive contract with them, so they won't sell via retail channels, only to Year One. M&H has a similar exclusive deal with YO on wiring harnesses - you cannot buy an M&H wiring harness from anyone except YO (an exception was made for me on my e-body slant 6 engine harness - YO doesn't want to stock them, so I was able to get M&H to make 2 for me ... not cheap ).

I thought if that also, but if that is the case why are they also supplying guys like ABC?    And with the
YO logo on the parts no less...  seems YO should have something to say about that?

[anlauto]

Tracking has mine showing up tomorrow, but from experience, I can tell you...with this Covid stuff, tracking has not been very accurate. 

I haven't forgot about this thread....The tracking on my Dash Pad Pros pad originally said Feb 8th and it still HAS NOT arrived 

[DeathProofCuda]

I decided to go through ABC Mopars for my dash after hearing all the positive reviews.  When I opened the box, raised letters in the vin tag area read "YEAR ONE".  Considering the times we live in and how production on most things in this hobby are being limited, anyone know if ABC units are normally the same products from Year One, or was this a fill in because of inventory issues?

I hope it is just an emergency "fill in" for you...     I am likely to order three pads from ABC and if I open
the box and see "Year One" I'm not going to be happy.   

I talked to the guy on the phone today and he said it will be late March/early April before he can get
more made, whatever that does mean.   He made no indication that he was sourcing pads from other
places to meet demand.    Based on the recommendations on this site and others I was expecting that
he has some involvement in the production.   

I suppose the "devil's advocate" speculation may be the same production facility that Year One uses
also supplies pads to ABC.   But then why have "Year One" on the pads...

Why is the market for dash pads so murky and inconsistent?

Agreed.  I avoided a big box retailer like Year One because of the negative reviews I saw.  I'm waiting patiently to hear back from Bob before I make my next decision.  At the very least, I could have saved $91 because Year One ships free.

@CudaA39, did you ever get a response from ABC on this?  Did you decide to go ahead and install the YO dashpad that you received or are you going another route?

[CudaA39]

After voicing my displeasure with Bob, he refunded my shipping charge which brought the price closer to what Year One currently shows.  I have not yet had a chance to install it onto my frame, so I haven't made a move to ship back my original.  I appreciate his willingness to work with me, but am going to be even more weary when it comes to further restoration parts.  It looks fine, but I'm now worried about longevity based on what I read, but it is what it is.  This car won't be a car show queen or built to sell.

Use this as a lesson, "getting what you paid for" may no longer ring true in our siloed aftermarket.

[DeathProofCuda]

After voicing my displeasure with Bob, he refunded my shipping charge which brought the price closer to what Year One currently shows.  I have not yet had a chance to install it onto my frame, so I haven't made a move to ship back my original.  I appreciate his willingness to work with me, but am going to be even more weary when it comes to further restoration parts.  It looks fine, but I'm now worried about longevity based on what I read, but it is what it is.  This car won't be a car show queen or built to sell.

Use this as a lesson, "getting what you paid for" may no longer ring true in our siloed aftermarket.

Sorry that it turned out this way for you, but thanks for posting your experience on this issue.

[R/T's 4 R/P]

I just wanted to resurrect this older thread to see if any new 'Dash Pad' details have come to light.
Based on this thread, and some comments in others, there are a few options, each with their own hurdles.
1. Ultimate Rides...or whatever the company name is these days. Seemed like the best way to work with them is to actually inspect the part before buying at a show? Right?
2. Just Dashes...expensive and puffy, but been around a long time
3. ABC Mopars...concerns with Quality?
4. Year One (made by Al Knoch)...maybe the best?

Is the above accurate?
As 1970 Challenger is a stand-alone configuration from Cuda and other year Challengers, does one company do a better job at 70 Challengers?
Are any of the above actually made by the same company but sold through different outlets?
I would not want a fiberglass frame, so limited the list.

[anlauto]

I don't know for sure but I would guess that Al Knoch is making ALL of them except Just Dashes....

They ALL seem to originate from ElPaso Texas. I've been buying from "Dash Pad Pros" lately, whoever that is

Be prepared for a massive price increase... They're talking $1200 for a pad PLUS a $300 core charge now

[Mr Cuda]

More  bad news. I need to send in a core and get a dash pad.
So... what else is going to jump in price,  take forever to get or just become unavailable?
Time to get serious about selling parts to pay for ones I need.

[1970A-66Challenger]

I had my '70 pad restored by Ultimate Rides/Dash Pad Pros/PMI/Alan Foxx in El Paso in 2020. The pad is not perfect but I'm happy with it. It took a bit of bird dogging to get it done, but this was during COVID shutdowns so not sure how that affected my experience.

[anlauto]

More  bad news. I need to send in a core and get a dash pad.
So... what else is going to jump in price,  take forever to get or just become unavailable?
Time to get serious about selling parts to pay for ones I need.

What else ? Shipping, that's what...shipping has gone crazy too 

[RacerX]

So, I had a need to pass through El Paso last week and a few weeks in advance of that
trip I reached out to the major players in dash pads.    I requested the three pads that
I need for my three cars--  1970 Challenger, 1971 'cuda, and 1974 Roadrunner.

Al Knoch didn't respond, despite having retail sales showing on their website.
ABC responded with news of price increases and long lead times.
Dash Pad Pros responded with "YEP we got em"

So, I bit the bullet and paid for the pads, noting that I will pick them up and drop off the cores
when I pass through El Paso.

I go to their location, and it looks exactly like that google street view picture I posted in this
thread a few months ago.   Nondescript metal building with no signage and a smattering of
junk in the yard around it.   Was met by the owner's daughter who already seemed to know
what I was there for.

Imagine my surprise when I walk inside and see a dozen or so machines with dash pad dies
on them.   THEY REALLY DO MAKE THE PADS THEMSELVES!     I said to her "I thought everyone
gets them from Al Knoch"   She said they haven't dealt with them in a long time.    She said
like everyone else they have had problems sourcing the foam but seemed to suggest that they
have it sorted out now.

Out of respect to them I did not take any pictures inside the building.  It seemed like they would not
appreciate that anyway, so I didn't ask.

So I inspected my pads, and they looked good for repops.  No major flaws that I could see.   They
will require some trimming and tweaking to get the A/C vents and light bars to fit but that seems
to be the case with all repop pads.

The price I paid sucks...  I started looking for these when they were still $600-ish.   Now they are
nearly double that.    But I went for it NOW instead of waiting any longer because the prices are not
likely to trend down anytime soon, and the availability problems are tiresome.   At least now this is
something I no longer need to worry about and I was able to inspect them before taking them.
Saved tons of $$ in shipping also by picking up and bring them the cores.

So, it would seem there are at least two companies making repop pads...  Dash Pad Pros and Al
Knoch, who makes for Year One and probably ABC also.   I seriously doubt ABC makes them but
I could be wrong as we all were about Dash Pad Pros.