Bending the ends of the dash question

[rvanstory]

Getting ready to fit the dash into the MK4. But, I can't find any good information on how to bend (or roll) the ends. I have a plan for how to mount and where, it's just the bends that are a little more of a mystery to me.

1) Do you bend AFTER you install the convering (or before)?

2) What do you use to "roll" that bend into the ends? Any "tricks" to getting the proper radius?

3) Manual says to make a 45 degree bend at the end. Others have cut about 2" off each end. Which is best?

[egchewy79]

I cut 2” of the PS end and made bends around a spray paint can. Cover the dash first. I just tucked the ends around the door hinges.

[JCB52]

I made 2 small “L” brackets to hold the dash ends in the proper position.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Cut 2' from the passenger side end. Roll them loosely around a can (or my favorite---your knee ;)) then let the ends float by tucking them in behind the hinges. No mounts; 90 percent of the time when I get ones in here that have mounts for the ends I find that they're causing the top edge at the end of the dash to conflict with the underside of the cowl which in turn makes the doors to fit even worse than usual.

Jeff

[Alan_C]

Yup, that's what Da Bat Man did on mine when he came out to do all the body gaps. I was kind of shocked as he grabbed my tin snips, cut, and bent the dash over his knee. No more than five minutes and done.
It's too bad we have not accumulated a YouTube video library for all to reference. We learn, forget, and do not document what seems to be the little things. Its those little things that many first time builders stress out over.
It's sort of like framing, we all want to do it perfectly when it is truly an in-exact science where close is good enough.

[Steve in Snohomish]

Well, that explains why my body didn't line up properly on the PS. I just mounted mine and rolled/tucked it inboard of the hinge brackets.
Now to go out and trim off 2" on that side:D

[Jonathan D]

Another perfectly timed post, thanks all!

[CraigS]

I let my dash ends go out beyond the hinge. Like the red line.
197497
Just shove it out between the fiberglass and the hinge so it covers up some of the stationary part of the hinge.