diff --git a/server/cells.go b/server/cells.go
index 6c7859df4..29c0bd57a 100644
--- a/server/cells.go
+++ b/server/cells.go
@@ -30,27 +30,34 @@ func newCellResponses(dID chronograf.DashboardID, dcells []chronograf.DashboardC
 	base := "/chronograf/v1/dashboards"
 	cells := make([]dashboardCellResponse, len(dcells))
 	for i, cell := range dcells {
-		if len(cell.Queries) == 0 {
-			cell.Queries = make([]chronograf.DashboardQuery, 0)
-		}
+		newCell := chronograf.DashboardCell{}
+
+		newCell.Queries = make([]chronograf.DashboardQuery, len(cell.Queries))
+		copy(newCell.Queries, cell.Queries)
 
 		// ensure x, y, and y2 axes always returned
 		labels := []string{"x", "y", "y2"}
-		if cell.Axes == nil {
-			cell.Axes = make(map[string]chronograf.Axis, len(labels))
-		}
+		newCell.Axes = make(map[string]chronograf.Axis, len(labels))
+
+		newCell.X = cell.X
+		newCell.Y = cell.Y
+		newCell.W = cell.W
+		newCell.H = cell.H
+		newCell.Name = cell.Name
+		newCell.ID = cell.ID
 
 		for _, lbl := range labels {
-			_, found := cell.Axes[lbl]
-			if !found {
-				cell.Axes[lbl] = chronograf.Axis{
+			if axis, found := cell.Axes[lbl]; !found {
+				newCell.Axes[lbl] = chronograf.Axis{
 					Bounds: []string{},
 				}
+			} else {
+				newCell.Axes[lbl] = axis
 			}
 		}
 
 		cells[i] = dashboardCellResponse{
-			DashboardCell: cell,
+			DashboardCell: newCell,
 			Links: dashboardCellLinks{
 				Self: fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d/cells/%s", base, dID, cell.ID),
 			},
diff --git a/server/dashboards.go b/server/dashboards.go
index ee9bb8a60..df307a8b4 100644
--- a/server/dashboards.go
+++ b/server/dashboards.go
@@ -28,20 +28,19 @@ type getDashboardsResponse struct {
 
 func newDashboardResponse(d chronograf.Dashboard) *dashboardResponse {
 	base := "/chronograf/v1/dashboards"
-	DashboardDefaults(&d)
-	AddQueryConfigs(&d)
-	cells := newCellResponses(d.ID, d.Cells)
-	templates := newTemplateResponses(d.ID, d.Templates)
+	dd := AddQueryConfigs(DashboardDefaults(d))
+	cells := newCellResponses(dd.ID, dd.Cells)
+	templates := newTemplateResponses(dd.ID, dd.Templates)
 
 	return &dashboardResponse{
-		ID:        d.ID,
-		Name:      d.Name,
+		ID:        dd.ID,
+		Name:      dd.Name,
 		Cells:     cells,
 		Templates: templates,
 		Links: dashboardLinks{
-			Self:      fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d", base, d.ID),
-			Cells:     fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d/cells", base, d.ID),
-			Templates: fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d/templates", base, d.ID),
+			Self:      fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d", base, dd.ID),
+			Cells:     fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d/cells", base, dd.ID),
+			Templates: fmt.Sprintf("%s/%d/templates", base, dd.ID),
 		},
 	}
 }
@@ -229,24 +228,28 @@ func ValidDashboardRequest(d *chronograf.Dashboard) error {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	DashboardDefaults(d)
+	(*d) = DashboardDefaults(*d)
 	return nil
 }
 
 // DashboardDefaults updates the dashboard with the default values
 // if none are specified
-func DashboardDefaults(d *chronograf.Dashboard) {
+func DashboardDefaults(d chronograf.Dashboard) (newDash chronograf.Dashboard) {
+	newDash.Cells = make([]chronograf.DashboardCell, len(d.Cells))
 	for i, c := range d.Cells {
 		CorrectWidthHeight(&c)
-		d.Cells[i] = c
+		newDash.Cells[i] = c
 	}
+	return
 }
 
 // AddQueryConfigs updates all the celsl in the dashboard to have query config
 // objects corresponding to their influxql queries.
-func AddQueryConfigs(d *chronograf.Dashboard) {
+func AddQueryConfigs(d chronograf.Dashboard) (newDash chronograf.Dashboard) {
+	newDash.Cells = make([]chronograf.DashboardCell, len(d.Cells))
 	for i, c := range d.Cells {
 		AddQueryConfig(&c)
-		d.Cells[i] = c
+		newDash.Cells[i] = c
 	}
+	return
 }
diff --git a/server/dashboards_test.go b/server/dashboards_test.go
index d659099dc..f7cbaa747 100644
--- a/server/dashboards_test.go
+++ b/server/dashboards_test.go
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ func TestDashboardDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
-		if DashboardDefaults(&tt.d); !reflect.DeepEqual(tt.d, tt.want) {
+		if actual := DashboardDefaults(tt.d); !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, tt.want) {
 			t.Errorf("%q. DashboardDefaults() = %v, want %v", tt.name, tt.d, tt.want)
 		}
 	}