Hi all.
With the interior now in storage, i kept the dashboard at home to work on it.
Bob had previously replaced the top of the dash with a piece of teak wood. I`m guessing he had the age old problem of the sun bleaching and heat splitting the vinyl.
As you can see from this photo, i have totally stripped back to the steel after removing the foam padding under the vinyl.
Dash removed.
I had to reshape the ends of the steel(underdash)for want of a better word. As this part is required to fit everything else together,ie;- the glovebox,dash centre console and the instrument panel, without which i wouldnt be able to keep a check on my speed.(i dont want to get caught speeding now do i
).
Take a look at the next picture and you will see my idea turned into reality.
I bought some 2mm aluminium sheet,6ftx4ft in old money, this had to be cut and bent to shape by my own fair hand.
I had to buy a sheet metal folder, which would fit in my 4inch bench vice.
The only trouble with this is that you are limited to the width of your aluminium or steel,in my case this was 27inches.
So i had to cut 3 sections instead of 1 length.
However this will make it easier to change bulbs, or fit a stereo, as i wont have to take the whole dash out, just the section required.
The New Dash.
As you can see i havent yet cut holes for the fitting of the instruments. But i have made it so that i can remove this part of the dash without removing anything else.
As soon as i can, i will post some more photos with each seperate piece dismantled, to give you a better idea of the way each piece fits.
TTFNGary
With the interior now in storage, i kept the dashboard at home to work on it.
Bob had previously replaced the top of the dash with a piece of teak wood. I`m guessing he had the age old problem of the sun bleaching and heat splitting the vinyl.
As you can see from this photo, i have totally stripped back to the steel after removing the foam padding under the vinyl.
Dash removed.
I had to reshape the ends of the steel(underdash)for want of a better word. As this part is required to fit everything else together,ie;- the glovebox,dash centre console and the instrument panel, without which i wouldnt be able to keep a check on my speed.(i dont want to get caught speeding now do i
).Take a look at the next picture and you will see my idea turned into reality.
I bought some 2mm aluminium sheet,6ftx4ft in old money, this had to be cut and bent to shape by my own fair hand.
I had to buy a sheet metal folder, which would fit in my 4inch bench vice.
The only trouble with this is that you are limited to the width of your aluminium or steel,in my case this was 27inches.
So i had to cut 3 sections instead of 1 length.
However this will make it easier to change bulbs, or fit a stereo, as i wont have to take the whole dash out, just the section required.
The New Dash.
As you can see i havent yet cut holes for the fitting of the instruments. But i have made it so that i can remove this part of the dash without removing anything else.
As soon as i can, i will post some more photos with each seperate piece dismantled, to give you a better idea of the way each piece fits.
TTFN
Gary