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I need to replace my Ammeter and wiper switch this Friday. Is there a trick to closing this gap? I see this gap on a lot of cars.
MTIA,
DC3
The center dash cluster sits on top of the shifter console so possibly the center console bracket is bent, screwed down in the wrong place... I don't have a clue... From the factory most bezels were cocked at the top a little bit but nothing like what is shown in your picture. If you do need to raise the center dash bezel you'll probably have to fill the old holes and drill new ones. You can use plastic fusion or plastic weld to fill the old holes, you can buy that at your local parts store.
Below are some pictures of how the bezel should actually fit.
I need to replace my Ammeter and wiper switch this Friday. Is there a trick to closing this gap? I see this gap on a lot of cars.
MTIA,
DC3
Well, this is about the best I ever got mine to fit. There is so much stuff the has to be just in the right place: windshield wiper switch, ventilation and vents, all those wires behind the cluster. Having the frame support under the forward edge of the center console in place helps to allow you to push the console forward, thereby allowing that edge to help push the gauge cluster, radio etc, up at the same time. How are the left and right dash pads fitting? They help hold the cluster in place a little bit, as well as that screw that goes up thru the bezel and windshield wiper switch. Patience, and be careful with the bezel, I hear they brake sorta easily, although I have not broken one.
Kansas... The look you have is correct now... look at my 72 picture. This was take before the dash was ever removed from the car, (it's been out since then to repair the clock). There is always a little tilt at the driver side... I've never tried to correct it and bending isn't an option. You try to bend it and the bezel will snap at the thin area.
You cannot correct that bent-down corner (upper-left). It was formed that way when the machine operator sped up the machine so he/she could get more 'free' time instead of letting the pot-metal die casting cool to the point of being solid. Pot metal is very brittle and will crack and break if you even try to bend it. That bent corner is PROOF that the part was original to a production car.
Guys just went through this when removing dash / console pieces on my 72. In my case the tilt was the result of a cylindrical piece cast on the underside of the dash making contact on the left side of the bezel. It looked like maybe where the foam was shot into the dash. At any rate a judicious cut with the saw zaw removed an offending 1/4 inch and things have leveled out.
Could be a stupid question but in your picture I am not sure I see the screw that attaches the top of the guage cluster bezel to the dashboard. Is that screw present?
Last edited by Mike1973; Sep 21, 2018 at 09:47 AM.
Could be a stupid question but in your picture I am not sure I see the screw that attaches the top of the guage cluster bezel to the dashboard. Is that screw present?
If it's me yer asking, that is not a stupid question
Thank you Gentlemen, the feedback here was fantastic. I dropped several panels including the gauge cluster, the radio inspection side cover and the passenger side map-whatever-that-is-called... I found that the centre gauge cluster screws raw into the plastic of the dash pad and the passenger side map-whatever-that-is-called. However, clearly screws have very little fastening power; including @Mike1973 the top screw. It is in there, but it isn't really doing much to cinch things together.
i was going to replace the Ammeter that I accidentally fried... but I discovered that it was a far more involved procedure that I originally suspected. I don't have time to do that before the rally. And if I make a mistake, I may wind up stranded.
One day I will go through the entire interior so that it is like new, adding material, retapping and adding reinforcements.
I did manage to close the gap a little in the meantime so that it doesn't look awful
I did learn one thing tho'...
My wiper switch had been working like So, while I had the gauge cluster out, I replaced it with a new one and... that one began working like It turned out that when I tightened the screw attaching the wiper switch to the rear of the plate... it must have been distorting the switch causing it to malfunction. two very small shims fixed that problem.
Last edited by DorianC3; Sep 22, 2018 at 02:36 AM.
The blue box is a lamp holder/reflector. That color blue combined with the yellowish color of incandescent lamps creates the "green glow" of our dash/instrument lighting.
Thanks thanks ! I’ll have to explore the back of the dash to see if it is still hanging somewhere.
Aaaand... the switch that was working fine on the bench, ok when I installed it with the shim, is once again acting up. What is it with these switches.
Either this his works or I’m going to modify. Another thread on this soon !
Last edited by DorianC3; Sep 23, 2018 at 08:17 AM.
DorianC3- Most older C3 have had the dash apart at least once and have damaged the screw holes in the side dash panels. I got tired of the bad gap in the center panel on my 68 convert and finally took it out, filled in the holes in the side panels with JB Weld and then carefully re-drilled the holes. I now have the center panel installed better than it came from the factory. Hope I never have to take it out again.
Hi all, putting my small gauge cluster back in my car and am experiencing this bezel gap that is driving me nuts; It's been out a long time so I don't remember having this problem before. At the least, I can say it had never been as pronounced, as I am seeing on some of the pictures on this thread. It is said to be a pretty common problem with the original bezel/dash setups; Is the problem in any way made better with any of the aftermarket bezels or dashpads? Thanks.
Originally Posted by Willcox Corvette
The center dash cluster sits on top of the shifter console so possibly the center console bracket is bent, screwed down in the wrong place... I don't have a clue... From the factory most bezels were cocked at the top a little bit but nothing like what is shown in your picture. If you do need to raise the center dash bezel you'll probably have to fill the old holes and drill new ones. You can use plastic fusion or plastic weld to fill the old holes, you can buy that at your local parts store.
Below are some pictures of how the bezel should actually fit.
Happened to have a picture of mine out of the car. The red lines are all parallel and the photo is nearly dead on. Installed, it isn't too bad but the distortion is clearly built in. Now, about those ears that don't mate with the shift console .... That too bugs me but I guess it isn't due to the gauge cluster
gauge console gap
Pot metal is very brittle and will crack and break if you even try to bend it. That bent corner is PROOF that the part was original to a production car.
So, while I had the gauge cluster out, I replaced it with a new one and... that one began working like 
What is it with these switches.
