• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Dash refurb

Share this page

The last. If you need anything else, let me know

Bryan
 

Attachments

  • 19951.jpg
    19951.jpg
    49.4 KB · Views: 440
  • 19952.jpg
    19952.jpg
    49.1 KB · Views: 433
  • 19953.jpg
    19953.jpg
    41.3 KB · Views: 442
Thanks, that helps a lot.
 
I finally got back to work on this. I got some marine grade vinyl from a fabric store, $12 for huge hunk of black. I used some spray adhesive. SIA 65 as recommended by a guy at hardware store (a REAL one NOT Lowes or Home Depot). The parts were warm (in the house) but I didn't dare spray it indoors so in the 30 degree garage (can says 50 or higher). It didn't smell much at all, probably could have gotten away with it but, keep momma happy.
So, it worked really well, this spray was great, I gave the dash and vinyl a pretty heavy coat, waited about 10 minutes until if felt dry and stuck 'em together, I was a tad off the mark, more puckers around the edge then I hoped for but not as bad as I feared. Glue grabbed amazingly. Pulled over the edge and pressed it down and it held. Hopefully it's "tight" enough. Looks very good so far.
dashfull.jpg
DASHEND.jpg
 
jvandyke said:
It didn't smell much at all, probably could have gotten away with it but, keep momma happy.
]
Click to expand...

Dude, I shot a small amount of spray paint in the laundry room, aired the house out and we still had fumes for a week. You did the right thing.

BTW, looks nice.
 
Trying to figure out the switches. I bought a set of three off ebay. See picture. The little guy can't be saved. One of the others seemed fine but the other I had to take apart and fix up. I already had one original on the car.....
So. What is the little busted up one supposed to be for? Wipers? That metal holder, lower left was on the bottom of the dash by the speedo, is that the panel light on/off holder? another little toggle?
I'll need three more switches (that I hope to mount along the bottom of the dash, just out of sight for the: electric fuel pump, the electric fan and heater motor (don't have the original style switch so that's just a push/pull for the air flow and a separate switch for the blower).
switches.jpg
 
The one on the right is normally used on an MGB for the overdrive and is in the condition that most of them are that I see, it is just a common on/off switch and can be used for about anything. The one on the bottom is for a '62/'63 (or so) Spridget for the dash lights.
BillM
 
okay, I won't try to fix the little guy anymore than, I'll just try to get a generic toggle from wherever to work (like my PO's PO did 25 years ago).
Kinda wish I could get some more stock ones. Heater one is unobtainium I guess. Anyone out there have a panel light toggle, or any other rebuildable switches. I need to redo choke and starter too now I'm sure as the OEM position is different from where I had them, so existing cables will be too short. I can make those from generic though.....I hope.
 
Should be able to rebuild the panel light switch. Or......just by pass it, you will never use it.
 
I don't think that little one is the panel light switch, is it? It didn't seem to want to fit in that holder. I didn't try very hard either though, since it didn't work anyway.
 
The one that you called the "dash/panel light holder" is the dash light switch.
BillM
 
Well, there is no switch in there now. Maybe I can put a little slider switch or something, or, as you say, skip it as it is useless. I think its purpose was to allow you to leave your "parking" lights on but turn off your dash lights while your car was parked. Not done too often these days (in the states anyway).
 
Progress. Pictures here. You can still, after much time spent smoothing over, see a very faint line where radio cut out was. Vinyl is like paint, it won't hide anything! Also there is a seam in the vinyl, runs at an angle right across the main cluster, it is not easy to see in normal light though. Looking good other than that. I have to figure out the best bulbs to run too yet. Currently main gauges are very dim.
Pictures so far
 
By the way- that "panel/dash" switch WAS a common looking slider so (either leave it out or) put in a common slider and it will look perfect.
Bill

Just looked at you pictures-- dash looks really nice but do you have your steering column bezel on upside-down?
 
Billm said:
By the way- that "panel/dash" switch WAS a common looking slider so (either leave it out or) put in a common slider and it will look perfect.
Bill

Just looked at you pictures-- dash looks really nice but do you have your steering column bezel on upside-down?
Click to expand...

I don't know, it's just sitting there so far. I think it's right though, the wire is in the right spot. I'll be sure to check before I bolt it up for good.
 
Got all old dash out and mocked up the new one. Looking nice to me so far. Not sure what I'll do with the hole for the windshield washer. What was that thing originally? What type of switch. I might just make it a pull switch set up for a washer motor, but I won't hook it up to anything. Or I could put my light there that I rigged up to come on when my electric fan kicks in....thoughts?
dashmockup.jpg
 
Jeff, the windshield washer pump was a little manual push pump that hooked to the bottle and washers with hoses. Not complicated at all and not all that hard to find. In fact Moss sells them (361-160), VB too (0-800) also sells the knob (14-587).
 
Thanks. Hey, are all the toggle ends the same size? I have a smaller one in the mix. And they're all three way....I have some thinking to do, what to use where for what purpose. Either way I have to rig three extra switches (probably along the bottom of the dash "hidden" behind the crash pad). It's going to be worth it in the end.
 
The turn signals should have a longer handle (middle is off then left or right.
The wipers is a two way (up is off, down is on).
The lights has up - off, first (middle) position - parking lights, second (down)position - headlights.
 
Looks like my little broken one is similar to the 'fog light" from VB catalog, #11.
Not sure I'm willing to pay $35 for a switch and knob (windshield washer) to control a function I don't have or will ever use. I'm thinking generic on/off toggle to run the little replacement electric pump that is there but busted.
VB catalog
 
Bryan, on your ignition switch. I have the nut on the back side of the dash and a pretty chrome one, similar to those on the switches on the front. Still foggy as to how the dash gets bolted to the car too.
I'll also be using the turn signal warning light I think there's a bulb for this in the harness. The backside of this light is a long amber tube, I assume the bulb just plugs into it. I might try to insert a second bulb into this tube which is my "fan on" warning light. So it will be dual function without having to alter the dash itself. Also may do a separate gauge holder under the dash for the voltmeter since this dash doesn't have the dealer added cut out and I don't want to cut it.
 
Back
Top