2004 Toyota Tundra Factory Dash Mod - Tricks Of The Trade

The dash bezel can now be put back in the dash. We can see the gaps around the sides of the screen, which must be filled with ABS plastic. The best way to do this is to make templates out of cardboard first and then transfer them to the plastic.

Here, the first cardboard template has been cut out of cardboard.

The template shape is transferred onto the plastic using a scribe. We're using thin, 3/32" plastic in this application, available from Select Products. The piece is then cut with a jigsaw, using the same wood/plastic blade we used to cut the dash opening.

The plastic filler piece is ground with a die grinder to rough up the surface before test fitting. It fits well, so it's tacked in place using super glue.

This process is repeated three more times to create the four-piece filler panel around the monitor. Here, all four pieces are glued in place.

The edges where the filler pieces meet the factory panel can now be ground with an angle die grinder. I like to grind in a slightly rounded shape to match the contours of the factory dash lines.

We're ready to add some spot filler to take care of the little low spots, so we need to tape off the parts of the dash where we don't want the filler.

Metal Glaze by Evercoat is a great filler for small imperfections. Mix using the ratio of hardener to filler shown and make sure to mix enough to achieve an even color.

Using a finger, add filler only where needed. In this case, we used a small amount on all of the seams where the filler pieces meet the factory panel.

Sand the filler with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth out the filler. If you have any low spots, you can easily re-do these areas with another application of filler.

We're done with our sanding, so the panel can now be test fitted in the dash. Since everything looks good, it's time for primer and paint.

NCP-280 primer and NCX-285 hardener from PPG are mixed in a two-to-one ratio and sprayed on the dash. Three coats are just right to get nice coverage. Notice that we've taped off everything but the area around the new panels. It's not necessary to prime the whole thing, as this just adds more sanding later on.