Passenger dash glove tray thing

[ChrisC]

Chaps,

With reference to the passenger cubby thing in the dash panel. I am trying to temporary fit it as it looks like I need to do this before fitting the dash top...

I can see that on the back of the dash panel there are 2 bolts and the cubby has two cutouts that align with these. But as the cubby does not have holes that these bolts go through - I assume there must be a metal strip stretching between the bolts which then clamps onto the top part of the cubby box. Or I guess two fat washers would do the same thing really.

But at the bottom of the cubby box there is nothing I can see that makes it stay in place. Are there any mounting brackets at all at the bottom? The parts manual does show any of this stuff. Worst case I imagine I could pop rivit it from the underside close to the fron so that it never showed.

Suggestions please?

Many thanks

[1954Etype]

There should be two holes in the dash panel. Originally it was rivetted - I used pop rivets, flush and neat.

[ChrisC]

Thanks Angus

That does make sense although the solution is almost as bad as some I have seen on TVR's where most of the car is held together with Velcro

[Heuer]

I used two screws - sharp and pointy; cut my finger whilst trying to retrieve a pen

[chrisvine]

Chris,

I'm not sure if the attachment changed between the series but the S2 has a 6" retaining bar to hold the top side:



I'd be interested in your solution for attaching the bottom edge as I'm still trying to find a neat method. I've rivet size holes near the hinges but there's a 1/4" air gap between the metal frame and the cubby box so a rivet won't work.

Chris

[ChrisC]

That picture is perfect thank you...

Interesting you say you have an air gap at the bottom. On mine the cubby box is taller than the opening it mounts onto by about 1.5 inches. However the cubby box squishes down to a really nice fit and the bottom is almost tight enough against the dash panel to be self retaining. I say almost because it will inevitably move backwards over time so a couple of small pop rivits will do the job to hold it in place.

@Dave - I too thought about screws but decided I would almost certainly scratch myself on them just as you did. My solution if the pop rivits doesnt work would be to use the screws BUT place a small plastic block inside the cubby butted up against the fascia of the dash that the small screws could bite into. You wont see the blocks and you wont get holes in your hands

[tim wood]

Umm, I've just replaced mine and had the same issues. The metal clamp plate was present and works ok. The newly supplied liner just didn't fit well and needed some fettling until it seated under the lip of the dash panel. I ended up trimming bits off. Like others I used 2 small screws to secure at the base.

Bit fiddly but worked out ok.

[ChrisC]

Under the dash? Maybe it's just the item I bought but mine fits quite nicely inside the dash so only the rivet head would be visible under the dash. The biggest pain is that I have to take the dash top off again to do up those 2 nuts.

Doh!

[tim wood]

Sorry should have been more precise. It fits just under the lip created by the opening. Not under the dash panel itself. Dont know how to describe it better.


The screws went in from the bottom . I will try to photograph.

What disappointed me was the poor fit of the lire itself. Purchased from a well known supplier.

[kingzetts]

My "cubby box" (which I think was original) had become a bit floppy with age and so I expoxied a length of aluminium strip along the underside at the bottom edge into which those lower retaining screws could bite. This both stiffened up the lower edge and gave a much more robust medium for the screws to bite into. It also meant that once I had screwed into the aluminium with self-tappers, I could then remove them, cut off the points and refit, thereby avoiding the protruding points which caught David out.

Mine also had the same metal strip to secure the upper edge as shown in the picture earlier in this thread.

[FLYV]

Chris,on mine a october 63 FHC the lower part is fixed with two copper split rivets with distance spacers between the liner and the dash panel.

[ChrisC]

That would probably work - and those tags are available in a lot of shops that sell stationary.

Right now I am leaning towards a pair of small pop rivits with a washer on the inside of the cubby

[2R CAR]

The gap you refer to at the bottom of the glove box was originally packed with thin wooden packers, I have some here but being new to the forum i've not tried to post a photo yet.

Mike

[ChrisC]

My replacement cubby didnt have a gap at the bottom and actually needed to be pressed upwards so that it didnt project below the dashboard panel. Essentially my one was supplied slightly too tall so that it could be lightly squashed into the right size.

For me that made complete sense as the cubby isnt distorted into shape - it simply fits.

I bought mine from Mike Turley (MCT Jaguar Restorations). The only downside is that it is black and all 3 cubbies in my car were originally a very light grey. So now all 3 of the cubbies are black which is perfectly acceptable to me,