The MGA With An Attitude
Reinstalling the Dash BOTTOM TRIM STRIP -- DT-110C
On Dec 3, 2022 Don Tremblay in Rutland, MA, USA wrote:
"A few years back, I decided to add some panache to my 1600 dash by adding an original factory MGA stainless steel bottom trim along with a NOS speaker mount. With that said, I offer some pictures along with some advice so that you may take into consideration the endeavor before you.
* First off, use your dashboard and trace the outline of your dash onto a piece of wood and then cut along the tracing to form a "forming buck". The reason for this is to ensure that your chrome strip (I imagine that you will be using a reproduction) follows the contour of your dash without finding out later that you need to make some corrections that could risk damaging the chrome strip or your dashboard.
* The black marks that you see on my buck are the remnants of polishing compound that I applied to the strip off the dash as compared to polishing the strip on the assembled dash.
![](pics/trim_07s.jpg)
* Tape off your dash to make sure that you do not damage the paint during assembly.
* As you rivet, take a piece of tape and push it onto the "nail" portion of the rivet before you slide the rivet into the rivet gun. Doing so will protect you from the recoil of the rivet gun damaging your dash or chrome strip.
* Before you use any rivets, use sheet metal screws to secure the strip to the bottom of the dash. Doing so not only ensures that the length of the chrome strip follows the contour, but allows the strip to be secured as you progressively remove one screw at a time to add a rivet. I recommend that you start with the portion of the strip that is between the tach and speedo and work outwards.
* Note how the speaker is positioned the the rivets applied.
![](pics/trim_09s.jpg)
* "When you are all done, the dash should look like mine where the only difference is that I did not choose to cover mine with vinyl".
![](pics/trim_11.jpg)
Mark Wellard in Brisbane, QLD, Australiawrote:
"If you buy an after market trim strip, ... Moss supplies a chrome plated item, rather than stainless steel as original. Stainless examples can be bought from Metal Micky in the UK. The price is about the same but shipping will add substantially. If you get a Moss strip, it will need re-profiling if it's like the one I was sold. This will need care to avoid cracking the chrome. The Metal Micky example is a much better fit".
Bob Krzywicki in Northern Va,USA wrote:
"You need to source thin diameter head SS rivets also"
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