Dash pad???

[zieg85]

Has anyone stripped a dash pad down to bare metal?  I am under the assumption that the basic shell is just a fairly thin gauge molded and then the pad goes over the top after various bonding processes when new. 

Reason I ask is the previous owner of my extended cab installed one of those dog turd blobs of rubberized plastic sold by the unmentionable competition which is all distorted and I thought of trying to meld a (stripped down to metal factory dash pad) to it.   

 

[Captkaos]

Dashes Direct makes a non-rubbery version... that I sell...

There is a metal structure in a factory one though, and the "cushion" is molded all around pretty much on both sides.