Dashboard - Centre Console - Fuse Access

[rfs1957]

Funny how you don't necessarily "get" these cars even after 20 years.



Can somebody tell me whether this looks right / is how it's meant to be ?



I'm aware that excess thickness of the tunnel carpets (tho' mine only has Cool-It on the tunnel cheeks, and the rest is standard BAS felt) raises the centre console, and I am perhaps predictably, then, a little short of height for what lies above.



However, I'd like to know how much, since much of this centre area needs re-trimming at some point, due to cack-handed frustration, and I'll re-work the metalwork at that point too.

Can fellow-sufferers measure those 180mm, from the bottom of the dimpled panel to the junction of the two planes as shown, and tell me what they've got ?



I had to butcher the side-cheeks to leave a scallop on those top edges so that the centre-dash would pivot without gouging (see previous traces).



Is it meant to be the case that access to the fuses requires not only removal of the illuminated strip (yes, I have the QD knurled M5 knobs) but ALSO removal of the ash-tray facade, which originally meant 4 x cross-head screws, reduced to 2 on mine ?

If I leave the ash-tray in place I can't drop the centre-panel far enough to give any meaningful access to the fuses, plus the switches are all uncomfortable against the ash-tray section.

And as it is, the ash-tray only just pivots below without colliding with the perspex sign strip.

As I don't smoke and don't actually have a radio (a portable boogie-box and an MP3 player are, in my humble experience, and for the usage I do, better) I would be tempted to rework this facade completely, but then would lose the authenticity of the matching dimpled surfaces.

It would be great to hear how others manage these interferences, and which of mine are inevitable, and which are peculiar to my car ?

[chrisfell]

My 2+2 console gets in the way of my drop down panel as well. I have to remove the legend strip and even then, when the panel is down, all the switches get turned on!

[rfs1957]

Just in from Jack at BAS - confirmation that it's normal to have a rebate in the cheek's top to accommodate the drop-down panel, not that this helps the interference with the ash-tray panel .........

[david muir]

Hi Rory,

Bang on 180mm on my late 3.8 FHC (doesn't have dimpled aluminium)

D

[DWW]

Best is to fit the illuminated legend strip with similar thumb screws to those of the fuse panel. they are 4mm thread and about 1/2" long available on ebay I believe. This makes it a lot easier to remove the legend strip to prevent damaging it when accessing the fuses etc'.

[rfs1957]

Yes, as I mention in the post I do have the Quickly Detachable screws for the perspex strip, tho they actually need tapping out to M5, not M4, if you’re going to use Metric Ebay versions.

The originals are 2BA which is already 4.75mm and 31.35 TPI, M5 is 31.75 TPI, so you can get away with it.

[DWW]

Mine are definitely 4mmX12mm and didn't need tapping, went straight in.

[rfs1957]

Actually Danny we're both wrong

Originally the legend-strip was held in with 4 self-tappers BD17503/2.

You could indeed probably cross-thread an M4 knob into the traces left by those.

But far more elegant (and in keeping with the calibre of what we're driving) is to run a 2BA tap up through the outer pair of holes and then use a shortened version of the same knurled-headed screws which holds the drop-down dash panel in place.

These are C15785



Either way, the original design is indeed a PITA.

[ysmalkie]

One of the nightmares of assembling the e-type.

I had to really force the console to go down enough to clear the legend strip.
It has to do with the amount of isolation you build on the gearbox cover...

And, btw, this is one of the questions I would always ask when buying an e-type: can you open the center indicator panel to get t the fuses...

Tadek

[mgcjag]

Too late now as your console is trimmed...on my S2 I ensured that the tunnel was down as far as possible then modified the radio console to sit lower....the drop down panel fully opened...Steve

[DWW]

Nothing like foresight, when I realized that problem it was far too late to put right

[rfs1957]

Any more offers on that 180mm dimension, gentlemen ?

David Muir’s not the only one with a ruler.

[ysmalkie]

I can check mine when I come back home in 10 days.
However, in order to lower the tunnel console I trimmed any carpet on the way or insulation, cut the edge of the tunnel console few mm and used quite a bit of force to move the tunnel panel as much as possible...

The white marks indicate trouble zones I had..

Tadek

[rfs1957]

Thanks Tadek,

White marks ? On a picture yet to come maybe ?

You've already got a lot more space (5-6mm ?) between the top of the ash-tray and the bottom of the legend-strip than I have.

It would be good to be able to agree on that 180mm (or so) dimension as it sounds like this would help lots of folk at the pre-trimming stage.

Thanks for all the inputs.

R

[paydase]

Rory,
I don't have measurements but I can provide pictures I took when I routed my mechanical gauge cable behind the gauges panel.
From memory I could rotate the panel but occasionally the legend strip was touching the top of the ashtray panel and I had to up the knobs.
My car is an early S1 and I think that there is no insulation under the centre console trim other than what was put by the factory.

IMG_20221218_121328.jpg (242.96 KiB) Viewed 12549 times

left IMG_20220910_190617 (2).jpg (211.38 KiB) Viewed 12549 times

left IMG_20221018_163325.jpg (245.13 KiB) Viewed 12549 times

[paydase]

And overall picture showing the bottom

IMG_20220221_141613 (2).jpg (229.34 KiB) Viewed 12543 times

[mgcjag]

Hi Rory.....you could look at it a different way.....what does your 180mm measurement need to be for the panel to fully drop down.....Steve

[ysmalkie]

The upper photo has them, on the side of the tunnel console, near the bottom - click on the photo..

Thanks Tadek,

White marks ? On a picture yet to come maybe ?

R

[rfs1957]

I realise I never acknowledged the various contributions, thanks.

I'm thinking that I will start the centre console all over again, working from a brand new chassis and modifying it to render everything a bit more practical.

To that end, can anyone confirm what I'm looking for in the way of an aluminium trim to work from, so I can make-to-measure the fascia plate ?

What's this finish called - polka dot ? - please, and is mine an original or a copy ?



I've never paid much attention to the different nuances of the alloy trim, nor how impossible they are to find etc



I could to with finding a bit of the flat area above the tunnel, about 24cm x 13cm would do the trick, if anyone has got something like that it their magic box.

I've put a request up in the For Sale area.