On Fri, 27 Feb 1998 jbonina@nectech.com wrote:
> Malcom, I knew someone would tell me just what you did about taking
> the dash off. I always get overwhelmed by these bigger projects;
> sometimes for no reason, they turn out to be easier than expected.
You will have to devote lots of time for the dash. I suggest dashing out
there NOW and getting some penetrant on the knurled nuts that hold the
gauges in! Otherwise you may break some (like I did)
> According to Bentleys, you have to remove the tach, speedo, and all
> other items poking throughthe dash before you cann fully remove it. I
> was hopiong I could just remove the exterior bezels surrounding the
> guages and switches, unscrew the dash and VOILA!. How hard is this
> project? Someone local has a dash they are selling with a hood
> (bonnet?) for $60, total. I thought I might buy the dash, spend 7-10
> days stripping and putting on a half-dozen coats of varnish and THEN
> remove my existing dash to do the swap. This would reduce the
> downtime. Sound like the best thing you ever heard? (Pat,pat)
The bezels are usually hanging on to the gauges with a Vulcan Death Grip
(tm) and it's furthered by the fact that the brackets pull the gauges into
the dash. It's a bit of wrestling on your back to get all the stuff
undone but it will make a better job (trust us!!)
Having another dash at hand is a good idea. That way if you are unhappy
with the finish you don't waste time doing it over on your only dash!
Then you can also refinish your old dash and keep it for a spare (or sell
it; nice dashboards are worth more than icky ones)
> Regarding varnish you are right; the can says not to use on teak
> (doesn't say why, thank you) and on exterior door, boat uses, etc it
> suggests re-coating every year or two.
Teak has oils inside it. The varnish won't be able to get a grab into the
fibers of the wood because the oil will repel the "thanes" in the varnish.
You probably shouldn't varnish cedar or juniper either.
Our front door had spar varnish on it. It peeled after 10 years, and that
was with a screen door in the way.
> Let me know how big a job you think it is. I really need to replace
> the turn signal switch anyway and Bentley's also says you have to
> remove he speedo and tach for that job too.
I think it's a weekend of hard labour (and evenings beforehand to prepare)
to do a dashboard swap. You need to have your favorite penetrating oil at
hand and a spare bottle when the first one runs out. Also you better be
prepared to label everything (and take pictures if yer paranoid) that gets
unhooked or generally removed.
On the TR4 I had to remove:
steering column & associated wiring
all gauges & " " "
radio
some very tight bolts on the sides
not much else
So at least visually inspect this stuff to make sure it's ready to come
out. You may want to loosen the bolts and tighten them again so you won't
have to fight with it when the time comes.
> While I'm at it, why doesn't my odometer work?
Hmm... and I'm guessing the speedometer works here... there must be a gear
off or a drive portion missing in the clockworks. I don't suggest trying
to fix it without a working extra ;-)
I've never delved inside a speedo yet, I haven't been able to fiddle with
an unimportant one. Is it the main odometer or the trip odometer, or
both?
> OK, I've hogged your time enough.
S'ok, I get a free college course with my email account, so I don't mind
paying ;-)
-Malcolm
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