The crew over at The Build is moving right along this Monday with the next project on their list. Last week, they put in a new shifter hump and patched the drivers side floor pan and this week they continue to work inside the ’65 Malibu SS as they go about smoothing down the dash for a custom look. Check it out in this week’s of The Build above.

With Claims Adjuster Paul Naber on the project, the 1965 Malibu SS owned by American Modern is going to get a custom smoothed dash. The first part to this process is eliminating anything that will prevent the dash from having that smooth finish, like the factory dash-mounted speaker grill. So with a cutting wheel in hand, Naber tackles these and removes them in one swift motion.

Now with a hole in the dash, a patch panel must be measured out and made to fill it, giving the dash the desired smooth look. A template is cut from cardboard first and then transferred to the sheet metal, ensuring that the patch is a perfect fit.

With the patch cut out and held in place with magnets, the last thing to do is to weld it into place. Naber chose to lap-weld the panel in, giving the patched area a bit more strength in the long run. Now that the panel is firmly in place, the next project will be grinding down the welds and prepping the area for body filler. Once that’s finished, the dash will be filled, primed and painted.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!