My S/C dash is finally installed!

[Gumball]

Finally got the dash installed today. Still going through all the functions to make sure everything is working - just running all off battery for now. Once I get the mechanical gauge senders in place, I'll be able to fire the engine up again and do the rest of the checks.

I had one issue right away - the gauge feed 10 amp fuse kept blowing the instant that I flipped the fan override toggle switch on. That switch is connected to the Ron Francis harness, as is a Flex-a-lite thermo-switch. Turns out that either the thermo-switch is inadvertently grounding to the fan shroud or, more likely, I mistakenly installed a "grounding" switch and will have to replace it with a regular open switch that allows me to flow positive through the switch.

Obviously a few more things to test and at least that one thing to fix, but soon I'll be moving on to interior work!!!!

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/Installed_DriverSide_zps8113aec8.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/Installed_DriverSide_zps8113aec8.jpg.html)

[WIS89]

Chris-

Dash looks awesome. Very nice job.

Thanks for posting the picture. Getting close, huh?

Regards,

Steve

[chopthebass]

Looks great Chris. Are those two chassis tubes connecting dash to tunnel? I have seen them on originals.

Also (not dash related) in the footwells the chassis tubes are visible. Will these be covered by carpet or will they always be visible?

[skullandbones]

Hi Chris,

I really like the down tubes you added. You are going to cause some people to have a stroke figuring out whether "it's real or not". I love looking at their faces when they aren't quite sure. The watch and stopwatch are very unique indeed. Good luck getting the rest of it together and on the road. Thanks, WEK.

[Gumball]

Thanks, guys, it's been a long journey to get here... was very happy to stand back last night and just look at it. Between this and the painted body sitting nearby, it's finally starting to feel like it's going to be on the road soon.

Chop - The tubes were made to mimic those on the original cars, which had a pair of tubes that ran from the center of the top of the chassis, down to the 4" frame rails - and which were exposed between the dash and the transmission tunnel. Mine are a bit larger and are just a couple of stubs that are held in place by "C" clips at the top and by pressure at the trans tunnel cover. Mine are a little larger than the original though, so I can use them as mechanical chases. The one on the driver's side has the speedo cable running through it - comes out right where the speedo reverser points down on the back of the gauge - and the other one has wires running up through it from the seat heaters to behind the dash where they connect with the main harness and a relay panel.

If you'd like a little more info on the how-to, do a search here or just go to the "Modifications for Originality" forum on ffcars.com for details.

[montyals]

Very nice. Where did you get the labeled black turn knobs?

[carlewms]

Chris,

The dash really looks great and thanks for posting the photo.

Is the knob above the map light on the PS for vents or is it to operate the light? I have a spot for the light but have not really figured out where to put its switch.

I also see a connector hanging from the top of the PS footbox. What is it for?

Again, you do beautiful work. Carl

[Gumball]

Very nice. Where did you get the labeled black turn knobs?

A variety of sources - Cobra Restorers, Angloparts (in Belgium), and Hillbank Motorsports (the US Superformance distributor). Some of the knobs that are currently out there have silkscreened letters, though, instead of the engraved. I had to buy quite a few before I was happy with the five I used.

[Gumball]

Chris,

The dash really looks great and thanks for posting the photo.

Is the knob above the map light on the PS for vents or is it to operate the light? I have a spot for the light but have not really figured out where to put its switch.

I also see a connector hanging from the top of the PS footbox. What is it for?

Again, you do beautiful work. Carl

The map light to the right of the glovebox is operated by the pull switch above it. Both are MGA parts from Moss Motors.

The wires with connector hanging down in the passenger footbox is the harness that runs from the wiper switch relay panel to the wiper motor - I still have to pull the connector off so that I can pass everything through the little hole in the firewall (it was there so I could do a test of everything before the final run).

[Jester]

Wow! Nice.

If I redo my dash, I will borrow from your layout.

Looking forward to additional updates

[Gumball]

Looks great Chris. Are those two chassis tubes connecting dash to tunnel? I have seen them on originals.

Also (not dash related) in the footwells the chassis tubes are visible. Will these be covered by carpet or will they always be visible?

Sorry - I missed the second part of your question. Most of the chassis tubes remain visible, but my plan is to cover them all with either carpet or leather. Here's a picture of how one builder covered the square tubing with tan carpet.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/JackTanCarpetDriversSide_zps9f77c894.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/JackTanCarpetDriversSide_zps9f77c894.jpg.html)

[Gumball]

I started the car today and everything on the dash seems to be working. The ignition, charge light, charge system, tach, fuel level (even added some gas to watch the needle move), voltmeter (12v when off with key in "run" and 13.5 or so when the engine is running) and all of the switches seem to be working properly.

I even ran combinations of things, like the heater on all three speeds and the cooling fan at the same time - no problem. Still need to fish the wiper wires through the firewall and connect them to the wiper motor, but I tested that circuit in advance due to the complexity of wiring the Lucas three position switch and the motor (especially difficult to get the "park" function to work).

Seems my problem with the fan override switch is fixed, too, given that I found the temp probe capillary tube was grounding against the fan shroud and one of the spade connectors on the thermo-switch. I also know the fix if I have a problem with that again... just unplug the thermo-switch (I have a two-pole connector at the bottom of the fan shroud) and run it via the override switch.

[chopthebass]

Thanks for the info Chris.

[WIS89]

Chris-

Congratulations on the successful operational test of your dash; a significant milestone!

Looks great, works great. What more could you ask for?

Well done Sir!

Regards,

Steve

[skullandbones]

Great idea to bypass the thermal switch if it goes bad. The more work arounds you have for these cars, the less probability of getting stranded somewhere. I also like your dead pedal arrangement.

Thanks,

WEK.

[montyals]

Thanks for the reply. I like your build. Those turn knobs ARE really hard to come buy. One guy in England was going to send me a set for 60lbs but I declined as they were expensive at around $140 + shipping, but they are definitely the way to go. Very nice find!!!

[Gumball]

Thanks for the reply. I like your build. Those turn knobs ARE really hard to come buy. One guy in England was going to send me a set for 60lbs but I declined as they were expensive at around $140 + shipping, but they are definitely the way to go. Very nice find!!!

You may want to try and get the blank ones and then find a good local engraver who can replicate all of the original patterns. I can send you better photos if you need them. That way, all the fonts will match. Then, just get an off-white paint (model paint or a paint stick), fill in the letters, and wipe the surface clean.

[fireman2343]

Awesome, just awesome!