Factory Five Forums - Blogs - michael pavon https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?22002-michael-pavon Builder community site for Factory Five Racing. en Tue, 05 May 2026 06:15:10 GMT vBulletin 10 https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Factory Five Forums - Blogs - michael pavon https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?22002-michael-pavon Instrument Panel update 07.11.2016 https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1197-Instrument-Panel-update-07-11-2016 Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:53:22 GMT [QUOTE=RickP;243435]I've thought about and researched for quite some time about how I can implement an instrument panel that:

1. doesn't show any visible screws that don't belong there when installed. (you know what I mean!)
2. can easily be removed if needed
3. can be adjusted up or down so I can complete/test my wiring without fitting the body
4. and obviously, look good.

After studying several threads (EdwardB notable), and weeks of just thinking, here's my solution.

I liked the bracket system EdwardB used on his anniversary edition build and what several others have done but I wasn't comfortable trying to marry up a bracket of sorts to the 3/4" dash hoop so I decided to buy myself a little room by attaching a bracket (3 of them) to the dash hoop with a 8/32nd polynut. The bracket extends out towards the engine enough to allow some room to drill a hole and align a bottom bracket attached via a 1/4"x 1.5" bolt.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56008[/ATTACH]

[I]a quick note about the upper bracket. I rivnutted it in place so I could remove it during the mock up. I will at some point go back and insert a 1/8 rivet along side the 8/32 button head. It will be permanent at that point.[/I]

I temporarily held a lower bracket in place so I could scribe a hole in the upper bracket. I then drilled/inserted a 1/4 polynut in the upper bracket. This will serve as the receiver for the lower bracket.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56009[/ATTACH]

from there I took the dash off and drilled two holes through the face of the dash to accept the lower bracket. I didn't need to eyeball this step because a 1/4 x 1.5 allen head bolt with a washer screwed into the upper bracket allowed for exact alignment to the lower bracket. Then it was just a matter of marking the two screw holes for the lower bracket that I had previously marked it's location against the back of the panel. I liked how EdwardB backed his dash up with a secondary piece of aluminum so I did sorta the same by JB Welding some square patches in place. Then drilled through these to complete the mounting locations for the lower bracket.

Adding the backing material takes the stress out of recessing the screw holes. You can barely see the second layer of backing aluminum in the recessed hole. Very glad I did this step.


[ATTACH=CONFIG]56011[/ATTACH]

Then I mated the lower brackets to the panel with 8/32 bolts and nylon nuts. The brackets are strategically placed so as to not interfere with an instruments and also allow for access from below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]56010[/ATTACH]

sometimes the light bulb goes off when actually implementing something so it occurred to me I needed a spacer between the lower and upper bracket. 3/8x1 would suffice.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56014[/ATTACH]

all three brackets mounted
[ATTACH=CONFIG]56013[/ATTACH]

nothing holding the panel in place other than the brackets. If I want to move the dash up, it would be a matter of decreasing the length of the spacers and visa versa if I want to lower it. When I get the body on, I can do my final adjustments and lock everything down.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]56012[/ATTACH]


I will add 3 Breeze Dash mounts below and polynut them to the 2x2 lower dash bar. I also ordered the FFR dash support when I ordered the kit but I can already tell mounting it would be overkill. I'm thinking about using it however and building a console.[/QUOTE]
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