I am writing for advice concerning the restoration of a car dash. While restoring a 1980 Ford Fairmont, I inadvertently broke the entire instrument panel (AKA dash structure or assembly, dashboard). So, I am exploring how to replace the dash either with one from an old car or with a fabricated dash. The Ford part number is E1DZ-5404320-A, but it is no longer available from Ford. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do and where I should look to replace my dash?

The car is a 4-door sedan with a blue dash. Although the odometer only reads about 60,000 miles, the vehicle has been outdoors in South Dakota for 17 years, where the winter tends to be cold and the summer hot. The car has an inline 6-cylinder engine, a one-barrel carburetor, and automatic C4 transmission. The car has little rust damage because it was treated with Ziebart undercoating when new. So, I think it is worth restoring the interior.

If I get the dash from another old vehicle, it might be helpful to know the models and years of vehicles from which I could get a dash to put into my car. When I searched for the part number online, it appeared to match the dash of a 1984 Ford Mustang. However, I have got different opinions on the interchange for my dash. Can anyone help me find the true interchange?

Alternatively, I have tried to find out how to fabricate a replacement dash. One way might be to use the original mold that was used to form the dash for this car. Someone said Ford might have sold the mold to an aftermarket company. Does anyone have a lead to track down a mold? Is there another way to fabricate (or reinforce) a replacement dash?

Any information you can provide me would be greatly appreciated.