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Thread: Dash mounting tabs - Hoping to make it removeable with body on

  1. #1
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Dash mounting tabs - Hoping to make it removeable with body on

    UPDATED 6/27/16 - Sheesh... yet another TTT on an old how-to.... you'd think I don't have any original thoughts to share. Seriously, since I'm done building and spending all my time driving, I don't have much new to pass along to you guys, but thought these old posts would be helpful to someone.

    Original post follows.....



    In an attempt to make it so I can remove my dash with the body in place - and because my rolled cockpit edges cover a significant portion of the upper dash... especially where the cowl meets the door... I added drop-down tabs that I made out of some scrap .040 aluminum. The brackets are about an inch wide and are bent 90 degrees, then attached to the underside of the top 3/4" dash support tube using adhesive and rivets. I then drilled the brackets and added some clip nuts for use with sheet metal screws. With some stainless oval head screws and finishing washers, I'll have a fairly period-correct dash mounting method and a good chance of getting it out with the body on.

    Last edited by Gumball; 06-27-2016 at 09:24 AM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  2. #2
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    Looks great Chris,

    Had to do something similar on my MkIV because the cowl roll covered the dash tube in the middle section of the dash and I couldn't get access to the tube to install the screws to attach the dash.

    I cut some short pieces of 1/8" thick sheet metal and just tack welded them to the dash support tube. I put the dash in place and marked, drilled and tapped the tabs for some polished ss oval head #8 machine screws and finished washers.

    Keep up the good work. You will be finished soon.

    Ron

    DashSupportTabs.jpgDash.jpg

  3. #3
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Y'know, Ron, it's scary how much our cars will look alike when mine is finally done.... and I'm just a little ashamed to admit that I've been working on mine so much longer than it took you to get yours on the road!

    Thanks for the dash pics, though - that's exactly where I placed mine... great minds and all that stuff, huh?
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

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    Chris,

    I'm fortunate to be retired so I can spend just about all my time working on a project but even then I'm much slower than some of the other members.

    Once you get your body back from the painter, you will be surprised how quick it will go together.

    Ron

  5. #5
    Senior Member Jester's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gumball View Post
    In an attempt to make it so I can remove my dash with the body in place - and because my rolled cockpit edges cover a significant portion of the upper dash... especially where the cowl meets the door... I added drop-down tabs that I made out of some scrap .040 aluminum. The brackets are about an inch wide and are bent 90 degrees, then attached to the underside of the top 3/4" dash support tube using adhesive and rivets. I then drilled the brackets and added some clip nuts for use with sheet metal screws. With some stainless oval head screws and finishing washers, I'll have a fairly period-correct dash mounting method and a good chance of getting it out with the body on.


    Very Nice Work! FFR should add this mounting method to the basic dash installation instructions (drop down tabs & nice fasteners). Wish I thought of it - I would need to remove the recently completed body to make this mod - and I am thinking about it as I would like to modify my dash layout. Perhaps next winter (??)

    Keep up the great work

  6. #6
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Here are a couple of pics of the finished dash - I haven't tried, but it should be removable when I need to get back behind the dash for repairs somewhere down the line.



    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  7. #7
    mcwho's Avatar
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    I am thinking something similar, but i was thinking of making a longer "L" shaped bracket that would attache to the bottom of the dash so that no screws would show. Your solution looks good.
    Baghdad Bob

    Complete Kit Delivered July 2010, serial @ 7287, Whitby Power Brakes, Whitby Tonneau, Power Steering w HEIDTS PS Valve, Hydralic clutch, 15" Wheels, BFG Tires, 331 stroker w Quick Fuel 650, RPM Heads, Air Gap Intake. IRS w 3.27, TKO-600. FFMETAL Firewall Forward, FFMETAL Dropped Battery Box in Trunk, Enlarged Passenger footbox, Breeze Cubby storage, Breeze Seat Brackets, Herbs Door Panels. Ford ruby red 12 coats.

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    Senior Member JIMOCO's Avatar
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    I did the same. L-brackets attached to the lower part of the cross member. Used black screws instead. If I pull the steering column and remove the screws I have access to the back of the dash.
    20160313_131201.jpg
    Mk4 Roadster, Picked up complete kit 8/22/14. Most FFR options except Wilwood brakes and IRS. First start 11/11/14. Go-kart 3/8/15. 347 Stroker, TKO 500, 3-link/3.27 rear. PA street legal 7/29/15.

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    Gumball,

    What are the small rivets on the bottom of the body for?

    Dash.GIF

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    Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
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    I made tabs also and can get the dash and stereo console out with no problems.

    0626161753.jpg

    Hope I did the pic upload.

  11. #11
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RRussellTx View Post
    Gumball,

    What are the small rivets on the bottom of the body for?

    Dash.GIF
    Good eye and great catch... those are a shameless attempt at fakery - the original cars had the aluminum skin riveted to the chassis tubing all around the cockpit. I'll do a "how-to" on those in the coming days as I highlighted it in my bodywork thread.

    Here's an original car - note the rivet in the upper left... the rest are hard to see due to the color and glare.....

    You can also see the cowl support tube that protrudes out of the top center of the dash in this photo below and how I copied that in the clipped pic in post #9

    Last edited by Gumball; 06-27-2016 at 04:32 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  12. #12

    Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gumball View Post
    Good eye and great catch... those are a shameless attempt at fakery - the original cars had the aluminum skin riveted to the chassis tubing all around the cockpit. I'll do a "how-to" on those in the coming days as I highlighted it in my bodywork thread.

    Here's an original car - note the rivet in the upper left... the rest are hard to see due to the color and glare.....

    You can also see the cowl support tube that protrudes out of the top center of the dash in this photo below and how I copied that in the clipped pic in post #9

    I love the attention to detail that a lot of you guys put into your cars.
    While this isn't my goal, quite the opposite, I do appreciate your efforts none the less.
    Just look at the Black Mamba done by (E.T. / aka Green Lantern) and the sky is the limit.
    Last edited by GoDadGo; 06-27-2016 at 06:55 PM.

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    Thanks Gumball,

    One more question for everyone. How snug is the dash between the body and the top cross bar once everything is installed? We test mounted the body and the dash over the weekend and it was so tight that the dash could not be removed once everything was installed. We trimmed a bit off the body from the underside of the lip to make a bit more room for the dash and now everything fits nicely and the dash can be removed easily. Has anyone else encountered this?

    Quote Originally Posted by mcwho View Post
    I am thinking something similar, but i was thinking of making a longer "L" shaped bracket that would attache to the bottom of the dash so that no screws would show. Your solution looks good.
    Mcwho,
    I'm actually thinking of the same solution. Have you seen anyone else solve it this way?

  14. #14
    Senior Member JIMOCO's Avatar
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    I had the same issue. When test fitting the body and dash everything was fine. When the car came back from paint and the body mounted in its final position there was insufficient clearance to get the dash behind the lip of the body. I used a multi tool with a grout removing blade that fit between the body and cross member to carefully and slowly remove enough of the body to get the dash to fit easily behind the lip. I put several layers of tape on the body in case I slipped. It was still uncomfortable to grind away at a freshly painted car but it turned out ok.
    Mk4 Roadster, Picked up complete kit 8/22/14. Most FFR options except Wilwood brakes and IRS. First start 11/11/14. Go-kart 3/8/15. 347 Stroker, TKO 500, 3-link/3.27 rear. PA street legal 7/29/15.

  15. #15
    Curmudgeon mikeinatlanta's Avatar
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    I love seeing these old threads. What's really interesting to me is how we came up with different solutions. What you have done is great. Hope you don't mind me showing my different solution.

    For me, I wanted nothing to show. Downside for my method it that getting the dash off is not easy. Doable, but not easy.

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    MKII "Little Boy". 432CI all aluminum Windsor. .699 solid roller, DA Koni shocks, aluminum IRS, Straight cut dog ring T-5, 13" four piston Brembos, Bogart wheels. BOOM!

  16. #16

    Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
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    My dash comes out (With The Body On) by removing 11 Allen Head screws. 5 follow the cowl of the body and the other 6 are under the dash. The top of the transmission tunnel is also removable along with the dog house that covers my slave cylinder.

    Because I like the look of the stainless Allen Heads, they are all visible. They are neat and tidy while being evenly spaced for obvious reasons.

    I guess the coolest thing about building these cars is how we all put our personal touches on them.
    Last edited by GoDadGo; 06-28-2016 at 10:00 AM.

  17. #17
    Senior Member BEAR-AvHistory's Avatar
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    Used a console, under-tray & 6 screws. Dash is a press fit behind the body lip at the top. 4 screws into the under-tray & 2 into the console which has been fitted to press the dash against the body.

    Wiring long enough to let the console slide out of the way & dash to be removed. About 5 minutes in or out. Installed 16 months & 4,000 miles ago. No issues so far.

    Last edited by BEAR-AvHistory; 06-28-2016 at 12:32 PM.
    Kevin
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  18. #18
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RRussellTx View Post
    Thanks Gumball,

    One more question for everyone. How snug is the dash between the body and the top cross bar once everything is installed? We test mounted the body and the dash over the weekend and it was so tight that the dash could not be removed once everything was installed. We trimmed a bit off the body from the underside of the lip to make a bit more room for the dash and now everything fits nicely and the dash can be removed easily. Has anyone else encountered this?
    Since my car is a Mk3.1, the area behind the cowl lip and the dash is a bit different than what most builders are dealing with these days. On the older cars, the cowl lip was a flat, 90 degree turn-down. I added to that with a bunch of strips of fiberglass to obtain the half-round effect, but the back of that lip is still a flat, vertical surface. It's closest to the dash panel near the center, but even there it's still about 1/8" away from the leather covering.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  19. #19
    Senior Member Yama-Bro's Avatar
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    Gumball, I like your dash modification. It's really handy for those of us that don't like laying on our back with a flashlight in our mouth to fix something. LOL. I think the visible screws add to the interior.

    Your dash layout is great. I love it. When I build my car I want to do about what you've done here. This is a little off topic, but are your switches and knobs in the dash what comes in the kit from FFR? Or is that something you bought elsewhere? If so, where?

  20. #20
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yama-Bro View Post
    Gumball, I like your dash modification. It's really handy for those of us that don't like laying on our back with a flashlight in our mouth to fix something. LOL. I think the visible screws add to the interior.

    Your dash layout is great. I love it. When I build my car I want to do about what you've done here. This is a little off topic, but are your switches and knobs in the dash what comes in the kit from FFR? Or is that something you bought elsewhere? If so, where?
    Of all the gauges, switches, lights, knobs, and bezels on my dash, the only ones that were supplied by FFR were the red, green, and blue lamps for no-charge, turn, and high-beams. Everything else is a combination of reproduction '65 Mustang, Lucas (for various old British cars), and reproduction stuff for the original AC car that was the basis of the Cobra. Here's a link to my dash thread.... http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...with-Glove-Box
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

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