Dash Panels
C4 Corvette Dash Panel and Trim Differences
C4 Corvettes used three different dash designs over their production run from 1984-1996. The first dash design ran from 1984-1989, while the second and third designs are very similar to each other with their year ranges being 90-93 and 94-96. This guide will focus on the dash designs as a whole and also various trim components such as top pads, vents, trim etc… Topics not covered in this section are items behind the dash not visible to the driver, center consoles, steering columns, radios, gauge clusters, or any switches and controls.
1984-1989 Dash Design
The 1984-1989 dashes were a flat top design. Most of the major components such as the dash frame, top pad and trim pieces are the same and interchangeable through the 1984-1989 models.
1990-1993 Dash Design
In 1990 the dash panels and center consoles of C4 Corvettes were totally redesigned from the earlier years. 1990 is the single year C4 that carries the earlier style front and rear bumpers, but later style interior designs. The new dash of 1990 and up models featured a more rounded and modern design. 1990-1993 featured a glove box on the passenger side. There are a number of trim differences between 90-91 and 92-93 that are discussed further on in this page, but the overall dash frame and top pad structure are the same for 90-93.
1994-1996 Dash Design
The 1994-1996 dash panels are very similar to 1990-1993 designs with only minor changes. Most notably is the addition of the passenger side air bag, which takes the place of the glove box, used in the 1990-1993 versions. The shaping around the A/C controls and radio was also redesigned which allowed better visibility from the passenger seat. Some items of the 1990-1993 dashes will fit for the 1994-1996 versions and some will not.
Note* The Dash Frame “Skeleton” is the same for 1990-1996 even though the dash pad and trim pieces have differences.
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Dash Panel Trim Pieces 1984-1989
Dash Top Pad (84-89)
The top dash pad used a common design from 1984-1989. These dash tops are very prone to cracking as the sun can make them brittle over the years. The top pads have two cloth sections at the outer edges that appear as speaker grills. If your car has the Bose stereo option with speakers in the door panels, the dash top speaker area is just a fake covering with no hole. Non-Bose cars would have dash mounted speakers in this area and the underside of the dash pad would have a grill piece that is cut for these speakers. The top cloth covering of the speaker grill area is also prone to sun damage and many will fade to a purple color. Replacement cloth pieces are available for a very low cost and are easily installed.
1984-1989 Dash Top Pad
1984-1989 Speaker Mount Area (Bose version shown)
Passenger Side Pad aka "Breadbox"(84-89)
One of the most unique designs of the 1984-1989 dashes is the passenger side pad, commonly referred to as the “Breadbox”. Some people like them and some people hate them. There are aftermarket delete kits available for the breadbox which convert the area to just a flat plate but retains the opening for the dash vent. Some aftermarket kits were even available to convert the area into a glove box. The breadbox pad and vent is a common design between the 84-89 years. Cars that spent a lot of time exposed to the sun will also experience cracked breadbox pads as the surface can become brittle.
Note* Removing the breadbox pad from the dash is not an easy job. The lower bolts are only accessible from underneath the dash and can be difficult to get to.
1984-1989 RH Dash Pad "Breadbox"
Fuse Panel Covers and Bezels (84-89)
On the right side of the dash is a fuse panel cover and bezel. Both the cover and the bezel are the same for 1984-1989. The cover pieces have a small plastic lock knob that commonly goes missing. Once it does, the cover will not stay on. A rubber boot is also present which meets with an opening in the door panel to provide airflow to the door panel defrost vents. The rubber boots are the same for left and right sides.
1984-1989 Fuse Panel Bezel
1984-1989 Fuse Panel Cover
Gauge Cluster and Radio Trim Bezels (84-89)
The gauge cluster and radio trim bezels may look identical for all 1984-1989 Corvettes, but while the radio trim bezel (with 4 center dash vents) is the same for these years, the instrument gauge bezel is not. The gauge bezels had a slight design difference for 84-85 and then changing for 86-89. The 84-85 gauge cluster bezel has a thin face design where the 86-89 bezel is thicker at the bottom of the instrument cluster openings. These two designs can be used interchangeably.
Gauge cluster bezels are a solid piece that wraps around the left side of the dash and also contains the left side dash vent. Removal of the gauge cluster bezel requires removing the headlight switch knob (easily done by depressing the underside tab inside the back of the knob with a right angle pick) A rubber boot is also present in the side of the cluster bezel which meets with an opening in the door panel to provide air flow to the door panel defrost vents. The rubber boots are the same for left and right sides.
1984-1985 Instrument Cluster Bezel
1984-1985 Thin Cluster Bezel
1986-1989 Instrument Cluster Bezel
1986-1989 Thick Cluster Bezel
Both the gauge cluster bezel and the radio bezel are very prone to cracking especially near the mounting screws. Gauge cluster bezels will crack in many areas but the most common is at the top right screw hole next to the odometer. The radio bezels will usually be cracked at the upper two side mounting holes, or at the lower front mounting holes just below the radio. It is not uncommon to see even very low mileage, and well cared for cars with cracks in these areas.
1984-1989 Radio / Climate Control Bezel
Lower Dash Pads (84-89)
The lower dash pads, commonly referred to as knee bolsters or hush pads, are a common design between all 1984 and 1989 cars. Both the left and right side were carpeted to match the interior color.
1984-1989 Lower Dash Pad LH side
1984-1989 Lower Dash Pad RH side
Lower Dash Underside Trim (84-89)
Below the carpeted lower dash pads there is a black trim piece covering the underside of the dash from the firewall to the dash edge. These pieces are only visible if bending down and looking under the dash, and are present on both the left and right sides. These are all the same for 84-89 cars with the only difference being a cut slot on the left side pieces for the clutch pedal on manual transmission cars. Automatic cars have the same panel without the clutch pedal slot. If applying an automatic panel to a manual transmission car, the slot can easily be cut out for clutch pedal arm clearance.
1984-1989 Lower Dash Trim LH side
1984-1989 Lower Dash Trim RH side
Dash Panel Trim Pieces 1990-1996
Dash Top Pad (90-96)
The dash top pad of the later style C4 Corvettes carried two designs. 1990-1993 and 1994-1996. The major visual difference being the addition of the passenger side airbag in 1994. However the design of the dash overall is very different between these year ranges. The 1990-1993 dash top pads are a much larger piece that wraps completely around the top and bottom of the passenger side of the dash. The passenger side carpeted section (color matched to the interior) of the 1990-1993 dashes is part of the dash top pad and is not able to be separated. (The carpet is also glued to the dash and is extremely difficult to remove cleanly) This large design makes these piece a little more difficult to remove and much more expensive to ship to customers needing a replacement.
1990-1993 Dash Top Pad
1990-1993 Dash Pad RH side attached lower carpet
1994-1996 Dash Top Pad
The 1994-1996 dash tops are different from the 90-93 versions as they are only a dash top pad. They do not wrap around to include the lower part of the dash on the passenger side like the 90-93 versions. For this reason they are an easier part to remove from the dash, and less expensive to have a replacement shipped. If repairing a 1994-1996 car that had an accident which caused the air bags to deploy, the top dash pad will be damaged around the airbag opening and usually require the entire dash top pad to be replaced.
Both the 90-93 and 94-96 dash top pads (much more so on the 94-96) are prone to de-lamination of the pad material from the plastic base at the front windshield edge, this will be noticed as the front dash edge appears to be peeling upwards at the windshield edge. Additionally, both designs are prone to cracking at mounting holes and at the plastic around the top drivers side defroster dash vent.
Fuse Panel Covers and Bezels (90-96)
On the right side of the dash is a fuse panel cover and bezel. The bezels are the same for 90-96 cars while the cover has a change in the markings color of orange for 90-93 and white for 94-96 cars. These bezels and covers are usually in good shape and not prone to damage. The center locking pins also do not fall out easily like the 84-89 versions. On the inside of the fuse panel cover there is a slot to hold a fuse puller tool. The tool commonly goes missing and is a requirement for NCRS judging. 1990-1993 cars came with a longer fuel puller tool and 94-96 had a short version. The long version, which stays in place better on the backside of the cover, is much easier to find than the later short style puller.
1990-1993 Fuse Panel Bezel w/ cover
1994-1996 Fuse Panel Bezel w/ cover
Fuse Puller, Long Design
Gauge Cluster and Radio Trim Bezels (90-96)
The instrument gauge cluster bezels are the same for all 1990-1996 Corvettes.
1990-1996 Instrument Gauge Cluster Bezel
The radio bezels of 1990-1996 had three different designs (seven designs considering ZR-1 bezels). 1990-1991 was a gray color scheme to match other trim pieces of the dash, door panels, and console. The 1992-1993 radio bezels are physically the same as the 90-91 versions but are black with a rubberized coating. 1994-1996 radio bezels are different where they are made to wrap around the right side of the center dash edge due to the change in dash and console design of the 94-96 years. Both the 92-93 and 94-96 bezel had a black rubberized coating. As many owners know, this coating is very prone to scratching and peeling. Aftermarket replacement bezels are available for all versions 90-91, 92-93, and 94-96. However the gray color of 90-91 aftermarket pieces is not an exact match to originals, and the rubberized coating on the 92-93 and 94-96 versions is not an exact color match to that of originals. If needing a replacement a used OEM piece should be considered first.
1990-1991 Radio Bezel
1992-1993 Radio Bezel
1994-1996 Radio Bezel
The ZR-1 radio bezels for 90-95 versions had provisions for the console mounted valet key exclusive to ZR-1’s. The ZR-1 radio bezels followed the same color and fitment schemes as the base model versions. That is 90-91, 92-93, and 94-95 versions. However, there is a minor difference between 1990 and 1991 ZR-1 bezels. The 1990 bezel (and valet key) did not have the small LED light to indicate when full power mode was active. The 1990’s had a light in the dash information center to show when the mode was active. Starting in 1991 the valet key had a built in LED light for indicating full power mode and thus an extra hole was added to the radio bezel for this light. The word reading “Full” was also added for 1991 and up ZR-1 bezels.
1991 ZR-1 Radio Bezel
1992-1993 ZR-1 Radio Bezel
Glove Box Lids (90-93)
The 1990-1993 Corvettes were the only C4’s to have a passenger side glove box on the dash. The glove box lids were the same for 90-93. The latch on the lid did have a slight color change, 90-91 used a gray scheme to match the rest of the interior, while 92-93 used an all black latch. The door key can be used to lock and unlock the latch.
1990-1993 Glove Box Lid (shown w/ 92-93 latch)
1990-1991 Gray Glove Box Door Latch
Lower Dash Pads (90-96)
The lower dash pads, commonly referred to as knee bolsters or hush pads, on the drivers side have a (mostly) common design for 90-93 and different design for 94-96.
The left side lower dash pads on 90-93 were a carpeted piece matching that of the interior color. These pads also had the option of having a lower center dash vent. The 90-93 versions have a longer lower black plastic piece that leads all the way to a mounting point at the firewall above the brake pedal. Because of this longer tail piece, the lower dash pads of manual transmission cars vary from that of automatic transmission cars where the manual ones have a slot for the clutch pedal arm. If replacing this piece it is not necessary to find one from either an automatic or manual car as the automatic versions have an etched line in the plastic for where to trim if installing on a manual transmission car. The 94-96 versions have a shorter lower plastic piece and these do not have a difference between automatic or manual versions. The two versions, 90-93 and 94-96 could be used interchangeably, but the two styles have different carpet loop patterns that will not match between the rest of the interior carpet. These pieces commonly get damage to the carpet on the top outside edge where the drivers knees and feet can contact when entering and exiting the car.
1990-1993 LH Lower Dash Pad (w/out vent)
1990-1993 LH Lower Dash Pad (w/vent option)
1994-1996 LH Lower Dash Pad
The passenger side lower dash pad is built into the dash top frame for 90-93 and is not a separately removable piece. The 94-96 versions are a vinyl covered removable piece. These are color matched to the interior of the car. Like the left sides, these are prone to damage at the top outside edge where scuffs and tears in the vinyl will appear from hitting it with feet or knees when entering or exiting the car. These 94-96 versions also have several mounting tabs located under the passenger side dash vent, and under the right side fuse panel bezel. Some of these tabs are commonly cracked and once too many become cracked the panel will not stay installed correctly.
1994-1996 RH Lower Dash Pad
Lower Underside Dash Trim (90-96)
Unlike the 84-89 versions, the lower dash pad knee bolster of 90-96 cars extend under the dash up to the firewall to provide a cover for the underside of the dash. This is true with the exception of the passenger side for 90-93 cars where an additional trim piece is used to cover the lower dash from the carpeted dash end to the firewall. These trim pieces have mounting tabs underneath the right side fuse panel bezel that are commonly cracked when owners forget to remove the bolts from these side mounting tabs when removing the panel.
1990-1993 RH Underside Dash Trim
Dash Vents (90-96)
Many of vents in the dashes of 1990-1996 Corvettes are physically interchangeable between all of these years. However some are only interchangeable between the 90-93 years and then 94-96 years (i.e. left and center dash vents). There are also color and style differences among the years as well.
The left and center dash vents are gray colored on 90-91 cars, and black with a rubberized finish on 92-93 cars. Both these vents are also black with the same rubberized finish on 94-96 cars, but the grill design is slightly different.
1990-1991 Left Dash Vent
1992-1993 Left Dash Vent
1994-1996 Left Dash Vent
1990-1991 Center Dash Vent
1992-1993 Center Dash Vent
1994-1996 Center Dash Vent
The passenger side dash vent looks very similar for 1990-1993 cars. However 1990-1991 dash vents will have a small orange dot on the vent adjustment knob where as the 1992-1993 versions do not have this orange dot. Otherwise they are exactly the same. These vents have a hard black plastic face and are usually not prone to damage.
The passenger side dash vent of 1994-1996 have a different grill face design than 90-93, and also applied the black rubberized coating seen on the radio and console bezels of 92-96 cars. These vents have a small center section cover that needs to be removed for accessing the vent mounting screws. There are 4 small tabs on these center covers, two on the top and two on the bottom. These tabs are very easily broken which leads to the center covers not staying attached. Aftermarket replacement center covers are available but due to the rubberized coating on the face of these vents they are also not an exact match to originals. This coating is also very prone to scratching and peeling. With these issues the 1994-1996 passenger side dash vents are a high demand used part.
1990-1993 Dash Vent Right side (90-91 shown w. orange markings)
1990-1991 RH dash vent with orange markings
1994-1996 Right side Dash Vent
The dash top center defrost vent is the same for 1990-1996 cars. However, the vent differs with the inclusion of a sunload sensor for automatic climate control cars, C68 RPO option. The manual climate control cars have a defroster vent that does not have the opening made for this sunload sensor. The sensor is part of the automatic climate control and works to adjust the A/C demand based on sun intensity.
1990-1996 Dash Top Defrost Vent C68 Automatic Climate Control w/ sunload sensor
Note* The sunload sensor also has a hand in control of the interior light operation when opening and closing the doors. A faulty sunload sensor can cause the interior lights to not illuminate when a door is opened.
1990-1996 Dash Top Defrost Vent C60 Manual Climate Control w/out sunload sensor
1990-1996 Dash Defrost Vents
(Center vent shown 90-93 only)
Side window defrost vents are also included in the dash top on 90-96 cars. These vents are the same for all years. 1990-1993 will also have an additional center vent grill mounted in the dash top just to the right of center.
For further information on replacement items for your C4 corvette please feel free to give us a call or contact us with any questions.