Hi,

Going to be installing the driver's dash in a couple of weeks. Have done it before with the gauges and gauge housings installed in the dash panel and the column dropped, but it was a PITA.. With that method you have the benefit of installing gauges and housing on the workbench, but then have to plug in all the wires, bulbs, speedo cable, etc, as the dash is being fitted in.

The "Problem Solver Garage" video on YouTube shows installing and wiring the gauges in their housings apart from the dash, then mounting the dash panel. The benefits of this is the wiring, bulbs, speedo cable can all be installed easily, but then when the dash goes in, you have to mount the gauge housings into the dash panel, which with very little access looks rather difficult. Here is the video:


Starts at the :45 mark.

Has anyone done it both ways and has an opinion on the best approach?

Thanks in advance!

 

I’ve had mine apart several times. I hate that job more than almost anything else I’ve done to the car. Sadly I have to do it again in the near future, as my speedo has failed. I’ll consider trying almost anything to make it easier (short of paying someone to do it for me).

I appreciate his willingness to think outside the box… but it looks like it makes a painful task worse, if that’s even possible. No thank you, I’ll drop the column and create some elbow room.

And… using green wire for a ground? For shame!

 

Most folks won't do the following because they think it is an onerous task like removing the gauge panel - remove the steering column! It is not that difficult and reduces the risk damaging the gauge panel. Makes life a lot easier.

 

I tried.

I gave up.

I got my neighbor to do it.

He's a GYN.

 

This photo shows the under dash wiring. Here all the wiring is laying on the ground. At the bottom is the main passenger side firewall harness and the dash pads and their wiring. You can see that the wires from the firewall harness, going to the tach/speedo lightbulbs, has been cut. I've added wiring to increase their length and added connectors that will be used to join the tach/speedo lightbulbs to the main harness. After installing the firewall harness and the dash pads, the interconnecting wires, and their connectors, are just dangling down, easy and convenient to reach after the interior parts have all been installed. Just "stand" on your knees outside the car, reach in, snap the connectors together, and voila...the wiring connections are all made.

To avoid a Bubba look, I used OEM connectors, Packard Electric. It's a little pricey. You have to buy packages of male/female connectors, pins...different pins for different gauges, and connector pin seals...little rubber plugs that make the connectors water resistant, and all the different colored wires and gauges. You also have to buy pin inserting tools, pin removal tools. This makes connecting the harness wiring to the console speedo/tach and also all the center console gauges just real easy.

 

Just remove the column. It's easy and makes everything else so easy. I worked around that steering column for decades, then last time I did a dash R&R I removed the steering column..... EGAD!! It's so simple, so easy, and makes everything else a breeze and minimizes chances of damaging those old delicate fiberglass parts. Just do it. Really.

 

With the center and passenger side removed, the drivers seat out, the steering wheel off and the steering column either removed or loose you can put the harness in, install all the grounds while you can see them. Then install the dash. Getting the harness installed correctly where it passes over the steering column is the hard part

 

Remove the steering column. It only looks difficult but really takes about 30 min even if you haven't done it before.
Makes working on and installing the gauges/dash/etc. so much easier.

 

As for adjusting the wire harness, to prevent interference with the tach and speedo canisters, I first take the drivers dash pad, without the tach and speedo canisters installed, and make a quick dummy installation. Then I look through the tach and speedo holes and re-arrance any wire harness components that look like they'll interfere.
h

 

Genius. Should have thought of this years ago.

 

OP here..

All good comments. I have the steering console dropped, as it can actually help support the compete dash panel (with gauge housings) of course with rags, while you are plugging in the bulbs and wiring.. Without it, you need three hands - two to hold each side of the dash panel and one to plug in the components.

Yes, the wiring harness was an issue the first time I did it.. New Lectric Limited harness, and found in the 71, the harness goes above the gauge housings, while on the 68-69, it goes below the housings for some reason. So, I screwed in a small hanger under the top dash pad, to hang the harness on while I inserted the dash panel under the harness. That helped as it is very difficult to hold the harness up and insert the panel and gauges under it at the same time.

Right now, I am thinking to do it the way I did it before. The competed dash pad with the gauges installed, rest it on the protected and dropped column, and then hook up the wiring with the free hand.. The center gauge cluster is in and top dash pad is also still there, as it is more work to remove those, and think it won't be needed.

BTW.. reason for removing the drivers dash panel in the first place was a broken original speedo, and the electric tach conversion had bad wires causing intermittent operation. The wires on the back of those tach conversions are an issue, and you have to zip tie them immediately to the housing to prevent breakage as they are weakly soldered connections.

Conclusion is that while I appreciate the different approach for consideration, will not follow the "Problem Solver Garage" video and install it with the gauges installed in the panel. Thanks everyone.

 

Also forgot to mention the fun with the odometer reset cable on convertibles. It looks as if the gauge housings were created for the 68, but when they realized the dashes on the convertibles shook too much and added the dash bracing in 69, they didn't redesign the odometer reset cable mounting angle coming out of the speedo. Recall it takes a ton of fiddling to get that over the braces, then down and around to where it mounts on the bottom with the ****.

 

Nowadays (well, for quite while) with a dadgum picture taking phone always available I take pics as I disassemble..... I have also modified my wiring harness so that the wiring going to left dash panel just disconnects and separates. My wires have all been lengthened as necessary to allow me to position the main bundle where I want .... with the steering column removed; I can then place the dash panel in place without stressing the old fiberglass and plug in the harness -- either before or after since I have sufficient length.

 

You are blessed to have the large cable harness that not over 45 years old and as hard as a steel rod. I am like so many guys, with on going nightmares of reinstalling the drives side dash panel ( it’s been over a year). One guy did a neat job of wiring all the bulb wires to a multi wire connector (to the harness) for the speedo and tach. That would makes things easier and avoid one bulb holder coming out of the housing like the one in my speedo. Ask me if I am going to remove everything to fix it? Hell No. I was not comfortable removing the steering column and it was not the problem for me, trying to get the wire harness above the speedo and tach was the issue.

 

carriljc Sounds like you did what 68/70Vette did with the connectors on the wires. Very smart.

 

That is a change I’m making when I finally tackle my speedo fix, along with swapping out all the 1895 bulb sockets for the grounded 194 bulb holders. Those fragile single-wire bulb sockets probably won’t make it through another disassembly cycle.

 

I actually replaced those dang bulbs with strip lighting.... and it's been fantastic.... Here is a link to my thread:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-and-tach.html

 

That looks cool!

 

Why is it dreaded? It is not that difficult. My advice is to remove the column, you can do this job with just droping the column but it will take you longer and you will have to fight around the steering wheel. If you completely remove the column from the Vette you will have so much more room to work and it really isn't that hard. It is worth the little extra time of removing the column, so take it from someone who is stubborn and usually has to learn the hard way.
Justin

 

Why? See above.

50 year old wiring that won't flex, incredibly delicate dash panels that want to crack down the middle (and cost a fortune to replace), the need for 3 or 4 hands to hold everything *just so* while plugging in fragile bulb sockets and persnickety cables, and the lack of space to maneuver - even with the column and seats out. It is the C3 definition of not-fun.

I had an idea. My speedo still needs to be swapped out. I would love for you to demonstrate how easy this can be! I'll grill you a rib eye and provide the libation of your choice. C'mon down, Mechanicsville isn't that far from Rock Hill!


Steve