Strupper

Help. I got ambitious a while ago and decided to pull the dashboard and have it recovered. Now it's reassembly time, and my lack of planning is coming back to bite me.

Do I assemble the instruments inside the pod "before" I try to set it in place, or do I make the card edge connections and then set the pod over the instruments?

Is there a solution for the positioning the switches through the pod holes before everything is in place (at which time there's no room)?

Is there a link somewhere that walks me through this.

Thanks,
Paul
Moline
84S 5spd

Richard S

Paul, first step is to insert the guages into the pod, but only the right side will be bolted to the pod. You will have to hold the left side while you lift the pod into place. Before the pod is placed all the way down, reach back behind it and plug in the card edge connector that is in the vertical position. The other two along the bottom of the guage foil can be reached from below when the pod is positioned correctly. Be careful to get the ignition positioned correctly in it's pod hole first, you may have to cant the pod slightly sideways to do this. Then position the pod in it's normal place with a little wiggling. You can then slide the long bolt up through the left side, but don't tighten all the way. Same thing on the right side. You should be able to reach up from the bottom to push the connecors through their holes, it helps to start with the top ones. Pull them out in order to plug in their connectors. I use my fingers in the hole below to push out the upper connectors. You should by now also reach back from the bottom to plug in the other 2 foil/guage connectors if you haven't already done this. Center the ignition in it's pod hole, then snug up the 2 bolts on each side. Push in the connectors, then position the steering column unit and tighten it. Don't forget to now screw in the dash dimmer wheel, intermittent wiper wheel and wash buttons from below. The rest is just the trim underneath. I hope this doesn't sound confusing, but it really is easy to do. I've had to do it so many times I can remove and replace the pod in less than 10 minutes. If you need any clarification please ask.

Rich

Strupper

Wow, that's what I needed to hear! I think part of my problem is that this car has no lower cover, and I don't have an intermittent wiper wheel or wash buttons. I'm pretty sure this car was stolen at one time (in the pile of old bills is a big one for dashpod repairs) (also the keys don't match). Lots of jagged edges.
I love drivin' it!
Thanks!