Gauge refurbishing.

[H7OB]

Great stuff. Sounds like a top job. Mine were quite tatty but looked so much better afterwards. Not a difficult job and very rewarding. Just need to find time to do the speedo and tacho now.

[DazbodS2]

Great stuff. Sounds like a top job. Mine were quite tatty but looked so much better afterwards. Not a difficult job and very rewarding. Just need to find time to do the speedo and tacho now.

Tacho and speedo next for me too.I suspect these will be a little more involved but will report back once done possibly in the next week or so. I believe access can be gained from under the dash by removing the under-dash panels. I would like to remove the dash top however, if straight forward, as the demister bezels would also benefit from a spruce up with the Tough Paint. I read conflicting posts as to how difficult the dash top removal is or more specifically its re fitment with the demister hoses, Any thoughts appreciated.

[AshM]

Thanks for taking the time to update us on the job Darren. Very much appreciated and now on my list of tasks this winter.

I have only had the dash top off when the windscreen has been out so can’t help with that query I am afraid.

Cheers
Ash

[Tom W]

The dash top on a FHC is easy to remove and refit. I’ve done mine a couple of times, including in the campsite car park at Spa Classic.

First, disconnect the battery from the car.

Next, you need to remove the 2 small bits of chrome trim each end of the dash. They’re each held in by 2 self tappers. If your car’s not been apart, be prepared for these to snap as they’re small dia and they seem to rust into the bodywork. The black plastic trim pieces that come with them are brittle too. One of mine had already been cracked and repaired by a previous owner.

Next, flip the centre gauge panel down, then disconnect the map light.

Then you need to remove the 4 nuts that hold the dash top down. There’s one in each corner at the outside ends of the dash and one either side of the centre dash panel opening. Biggest issue with these is avoiding dropping the nuts and washers somewhere behind the dash.

Finally, with the underdash panels removed, you can reach up and disconnect the vent ducts from behind the gauges and glovebox. There’s a centre duct behind the flip down gauge panel too.

From there, the dash top is free to remove. Wiggle it up until it clears its studs, then it can be carefully removed. Be careful of catching the ends of the dash on the A-pillar trim. It’s quite tight to wiggle it out. It also helps if you move the steering wheel as close to the driver as you can.

Refitting is reverse of removal, with a couple of points. The tabs the securing studs pass through are easily bent when removing the dash. It may be necessary to tweak them to get the dash top to sit back down. Secondly, reconnecting the ducts is a bit of a faff. It involves feeling up under the dash to reconnect everything. There’s no positive fixing on the joins, so if you pull too hard on one bit it can disconnect somewhere else. Finally, check everything electrical works after it’s all been disturbed by hands shoved under the dashboard.

[Nickleback]

Darren,

The dashboard top is able to come out with the windscreen in place but it is not easy job as it is a very tight fit on the back edge to allow for the four threaded bots in the top to sit in the slotted brackets that hold it in place. I managed to get mine out and back three months ago but be prepared for some scraped knuckles and a cricked neck !

You will first need to remove the bulb and disconnect the two wires (bullet connections) from the center bulb holder on the underneath edge of the dashboard top over the central instrument panel. (always disconnect the battery first)
Then you will need to remove the four nuts and eight washers located two in the center instrument panel top and one at each end of the dashboard top in the very far corners up against the A pillar. (you may need also to remove the curved chrome trims from the bottom of the A pillar to avoid damage - I did)
Then it is a case of pushing up and back on the front edge to get the threaded bolts out of the brackets without damaging the threads or bending the dashboard top too far before being able to pull it forward and up to be able to release each air pipe off the five bezels from underneath.

I cheated as I knew mine would come out when I had the windscreen repaired three years ago and the dash top recovered when it was converted to RH drive and could see how it all fitted and that there was space to get it out just !

Just seen Tom's post above whist I was writing mine so now you a two for one choice

[DazbodS2]

Hi Mike and Tom, many thanks for the detailed instructions much appreciated. I have now renovated the tacho and will be addressing the speedo next. The tacho was removed from underneath the dash by removing the under dash panels. The speedo looks accessible too in the same way - I will soon find out. I will post my experiences in this regards once completed. This has removed my immediate thoughts of removing the dash top but in order to replace the central switch panel lamp, the heater controls lamp and refurbish the demister panels it will need to come out. I am due to have the windscreen replaced in the next week or so, so that might be the opportune time. Thanks again for the help.

[DazbodS2]

Bit of an update. The clock has now been completed too. Experience similar to the other 4 centre gauges but some notable differences. Unlike the other gauges the gasket kit does not include a glass to bezel gasket which I thought odd but on disassembling the clock, the original clock didn’t have one either, so perhaps that is correct. I was surprised to see the lens isn’t glass but is made of Plexiglass/Perspex, not sure if this is typical though.The lens was full of surface scratches which have proved a challenge to remove. Firstly, the hand adjustment knob couldn’t be separated from the spindle that feeds though a hole in the lens, try as I might I couldn’t separate them so had to polish the lens without completely freeing it up. I have not managed to completely eradicate the scratches despite trying all the on line suggestions (toothpaste, baking soda, furniture polish, rubbing compound etc etc). Renovo used on soft top widescreens seemed to work the best but I am not totally satisfied with the current results. Seemed all I tried either didn’t touch the scratches or made things worse! Any suggestions gratefully received - may need to try specific Perspex polish. Finally, the LED bulb suppliers suggested I replace the bulb, not with the like for like replacement as used on the other small gauges but to use a longer bulb with multiple LEDs to better illuminate the clock face. After discussion with the suppliers, I had to file the front facing LED circuit board to reduce the diameter to allow it to fit in the hole through into the clock void. On doing a comparison with the direct replacement LED bulb, the suggestions made by the supplier were correct and the multi LED bulb provided a fuller illumination.

I have finished the restoration of the Tacho and Speedo now but will give an update once I have refitted them.

[DazbodS2]

All done now with the Tacho and Speedo reinstalled. Both gauges were removed gaining access from under the dash by removing the two under dash panels. Once the Tacho is out, this gives the remaining access required to remove the Speedo. Again the renovation was similar in principle to to the minor gauges with a couple of notable differences. When removing the tacho, I was surprised what a battle it was to separate the multi plug that connects the gauge wiring to the loom. Transpires there is a clip that needs to be freed up (longitudinally to the plug) to allow both sides to separate, but this was not obvious insitu. The removal of the glass and bezel was as per the smaller gauges but the brass used on the bezel is a heavier gauge and not so malleable so the retaining tabs are harder work to free up and certainly to close up again (see later). Separating the glass from the bezel, once removed from the gauge body, was more problematic with the glass to bezel seal effectively holding fast both components. Soaking the glass and bezel in hot soapy water and gently prizing apart did the trick. I made sure this was done once the glass had warmed up to avoid it cracking with the temperature change. Both gauges have an additional seal/gasket as well as the usual Dash-Gauge and Glass-Bezel gaskets that come with the kit. This was made from a fibrous paper material and fits between the glass and the dial face. Luckily both of mine were in good condition so were reusable. After spraying the bezel, cleaning the glass and interior the gauges were reassembled as before. The one slight issue I had was the bezel retaining tabs needed quite a fair amount of force to close up again (due to the heavier gauge) and despite trying to protect the bezel, they ended up being marked and a sand down and respray were needed. Again, I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED replacements. The gauge illumination bulbs (two per gauge) were replaced again using green LEDs as again the green filters had melted over time. I also replaced the choke light with a replacement green LED. I will also be replacing the blue headlamp bulb and orange fuel bulb (located in the Speedo behind the coloured Jewels) with appropriate coloured lamps. This hasn’t been done yet as I was sent the wrong size bulbs. The supplier did make an interesting point that he didn’t recommend replacing the ignition warning light bulb (red) as the resistance difference could effect the ignition circuitry! I have also during this excercise replaced the three bulbs for the switch legend with green LEDs. The central one was accessible through the dash centre panel. The right bulb was accessible via the under dash panels removed for the main gauges and the left hand bulb by moving the Radio console. This has been a relatively straightforward (albeit a delicate) exercise which has lifted the look of the dash, improved dial/dash illumination and seems to have stopped the steaming up I was previously experiencing. I suspect removing the dash top would in retrospect have made things a little easier however - Hope this has been of some value.

[AshM]

Many thanks for taking the trouble to document so clearly Darren.

I am sure this will help me tremendously when I do the same job.

Cheers
Ash