Question On Dash Symmetry

[F500guy]

Work on body fit again, will have to remove again for more trimming of a few panels. Side to side is great front and rear +/- 1/4, Height at front and rear fenders are with in 3/4 inch with a couple spots to trim that will hopefully shrink it to less than 1/2", not to crazy. Need to trim rear again I did 1/4 inch and need another 1/4 at least to get the door jambs lined up and body forward 1/4 inch.

But, the dash is pretty wonky how it lines up. on the Driver side, the carbon fiber will be pushing to the edge of the fiberglass at the dash curve (end of the square tube area) when I move the body forward 1/4 inch and may require some more trimming along the curve top, but the passenger side is over an inch difference and very obvious when looking along the dash.

Looks like the Passenger side will need to be built up to close that gap and at least make it look less obvious. Is this normal or a special child? I do not see any way to "fit" it any better, let me know if I am missing something.

204927
204928

[rich grsc]

Nothing says the body is supposed to set tight against the dash, and you can not see that unless you intentionally get down low and look up

[Dave M]

And the bodies have never been perfectly symmetrical side to side. I guess maybe the MKIVs are a little better than the older versions.

[John Ibele]

As a first time builder I've got a grand total of one dash worth of experience ... but it tells me something's not right there, if I'm interpreting the passenger side photo properly. My body made contact with the dash all the way along on first fit; I put the side of a sharpie against the dash and marked the bottom of the cowl roll and trimmed to the line, so I have a consistent 1/8" gap between dash and body. I would think 0 to 1/4" would be reasonable, maybe even a 3/8" gap. But it looks like you have something like an inch on the passenger side, which just can't be right. Not with the dash hoop right on the other side of the dash, and jigged during welding to give a fairly decent fit to the body.

I can only think of things I'm sure you've checked. Something lifting the right front of the body (you said the fender height was fine though)? Anything else twisting the body would show up in the measurements you've taken, but are there any suspects? Does the passenger hinge open all the way without hitting the body? Resting the passenger door in the opening might be the best way to find out what's off and where.

[CDXXVII]

How are you lining up the body. Most start by lining up the door latches first.

I think you may not have your body lined up correctly.

Before you start trimming I would do a search on body alignment. Jeff Kleiner and Jeff Miller are pros at this along with a few others.

Here is a quick thread. Look at the door latch bracket.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?45843-Body-fitment-question-s-I-m-a-little-puzzled&p=523572&viewfull=1#post523572

[cc2Arider]

Another possibility (although remote) is that the Carbon Fiber dash has it's own "springiness" and the typical deviations we see side-to-side are better accommodated by the Aluminum dash panels that we "fit" as a normal part of the exercise. In other words, both sides will curve in a radius as a function of the material itself, rather than the intended curvature. It would be interesting to get other Carbon Fiber Dash owner's perspectives :)

Craig C

Edit: I assumed the Carbon Fiber dash is "flat" and you have to curve it to fit. If it already is formed that way, then that might also explain the difference, but for another reason :)

[rich grsc]

I can see from the pictures you have NOT trimmed the lip on the body. I just helped install one on Saturday, and the lip HAS to be trimmed or you can't move the body forward enough. We left a 1/4" lip all the way across the dash lip.

[John Ibele]

How are you lining up the body. Most start by lining up the door latches first.

I think you may not have your body lined up correctly.

Before you start trimming I would do a search on body alignment. Jeff Kleiner and Jeff Miller are pros at this along with a few others.

Here is a quick thread. Look at the door latch bracket.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?45843-Body-fitment-question-s-I-m-a-little-puzzled&p=523572&viewfull=1#post523572

^^ This, which is also what I did. Miller is retired, but Kleiner, Mike Everson, frankeeski ... have seen it all before.


I can see from the pictures you have NOT trimmed the lip on the body. I just helped install one on Saturday, and the lip HAS to be trimmed or you can't move the body forward enough. We left a 1/4" lip all the way across the dash lip.

Rich may be right, but not until you're confident you're 1/4" away from success, and that trimming will get you there. If you're an inch or more off on the right side something else is going on.

[rich grsc]

If you're an inch or more off on the right side something else is going on.
Kevin's was exactly the same. Once the dash was trimmed and body moved forward you'll never see it. The dash curvature is different on the passenger side. Trim it and move on.
If you think it'll bother you then just leave that side of the lip longer, but you can not see it unless you get your head down to about seat level

[Blitzboy54]

What rich said was my experience as well. I had to trim something like 3/8 of inch maybe.

[F500guy]

Kevin's was exactly the same. Once the dash was trimmed and body moved forward you'll never see it. The dash curvature is different on the passenger side. Trim it and move on.
If you think it'll bother you then just leave that side of the lip longer, but you can not see it unless you get your head down to about seat level

Actually, it was trimmed it was pretty narly before I trimmed it and have about 1/4 forward movement to set the door jamb number, so I will soldier on and get a final position. The most annoying is the driver side actually hitting the step down of the fiberglass, hopefully I will be able to get the 1/4 inch, but the other numbers, height, and side to side are pretty close.

[John Ibele]

Again, not a carbon dash, but there was no way I was going to have the driver's side dash edge contact / hold up the fiberglass. I pulled off the leather in that area, trimmed off some aluminum and wrapped it back up.