Iain T Posted August 27, 2022 Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 At some point late in September I want to tidy up the spaghetti at the back of the dash. There are cables with spades on not connected and all sorts of 'orrible things up there that I worry it could cause a fire or a "failure to proceed". Currently I don't have any panel lights and the nearside door interior light plunger switch doesn't work. Question is are there any bear traps to avoid or useful tips? I do have a Haynes manual but have never taken a dash panel off. As always I appreciate any help and feel free to thread drift 😁 Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted August 27, 2022 Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 You shouldn’t need to remove the dash . I traced each wire tidying up as I went . I added a common earth link under the dash and this fixed the panel lights . The horn which didn’t work was the hardest to fix and that was a faulty earth .I did add a new blade fuse box at the same time so the colour coding was familiar at the time . The ignition wiring can be checked by pulling the ignition into the cabin . Then with cable ties the wiring can be neatly tucked away Paul nb disconnect the battery when playing with the wiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted August 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Paul H said: You shouldn’t need to remove the dash Yes I think once the speedo etc are disconnected and the screws removed am I right in saying the instrument panel can be tilted forward to expose the mass of wiring? Then each wire can be disconnected and labeled. My horn didn't work at all (must be the statins😂) but then when I looked it didn't have the pencil connector! I do have a navigators horn push on the instrument panel that did work but after pfaffin about with the windscreen washer hoses that now doesn't work. I'm fed up laying head first in the footwell with my 6'1" frame in the giving birth position! All the wires are in there hiding and a lot I now don't need ie front spots, radio. I found a purple live wire this week that is permanently live and made safe. It can only be horn or interior lights but who knows??? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 27, 2022 Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 14 minutes ago, Iain T said: I'm fed up laying head first in the footwell with my 6'1" frame in the giving birth position! All the wires are in there hiding and a lot I now don't need ie front spots, radio. I found a purple live wire this week that is permanently live and made safe. Head in the footwell and your back across the sill with your legs out in the garage. You have to remove the front seat first and pad out the seat runners very well first but after a while everything goes numb and it becomes quite comfortable. There's so much room under the Herald / Vitesse dash that it's really easy to tidy everything away. Once it's complete then you're stuck there until someone helps you out and you may be walking again an hour or so afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted August 27, 2022 Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 Take care when pulling the dash or any clocks forward. It is ssoooo easy to partially pull off a connector and not notice or, as I did, pull off two and re-fix them on the wrong terminals. Thankfully no damage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted August 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 12 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: Head in the footwell and your back across the sill with your legs out in the garage. I can think of better positions, I believe Doug has an alternative site😂. As I've already had a disc operation it's all a bit painful so I'd rather attack it from the top. Without possibly destroying the black cardboard knee pad I can't pull it off. The button fixings just won't budge! I'm going to tackle it at the end of September as I've things booked, Duxford being one. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 I'm going to start sorting out the dash wiring next week. I took the tacho off yesterday to send to JDO INSTRUMENTS to check and calibrate, it seems to read high at higher speeds, and found about six earth's fixed to the screws that hold the tacho to the dash. I'm sure that's not standard Triumph fitting! This doesn't auger well for what I'm going to find..... Iain PS JDO seem to be competitive on price and a quoted a 4-5 day plus delivery turn around. Speedy Cables quoted 10+ weeks! I'll let you know when it comes back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 I’d be interested in hearing how it goes. I used Speedograph Richfield for my Spitfire speedo. They sent it back with a ruined bezel, dirty marks on the face and grease/oil still in the cable drive. They did sort everything when I sent it back, but still wouldn’t bother with them again… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 2 minutes ago, Josef said: I’d be interested in hearing how it goes 🤞 I used Speedograph for a right angle speedo drive out my T9 gearbox. That works fine. However the speedo reads about 10% to slow so I can either order a new drive or get the speedo recalibrated. A new drive is quite expensive and can take some time so if JDO are OK I'm going to send the speedo to them and recalibrate. I just need to do the necessary check to calc how far out the speedo actually is. Iain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 The loom, certainly the original unmolested ones, usually have the required cables exiting exactly where required. If you hang the loom along the inside of the bulkhead you’ll find the required cables adjacent to the item they attach to. Overlong or stretched wires are usually wrongly connected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said: original unmolested ones Colin, I'm pretty sure this is a new loom installed by Jigsaw when they fully restored the car for the PO. Then they added front and rear spots, USB, map light, Trip master, radio (is the radio wiring part of the loom?) etc etc. Those should be easy to identify and put to one side. I'm going to study the wiring diagram in Haynes but be assured I will be asking for help......!! If not there I'm also going to apply some bulkhead dampening to make it a little less noisy due to the tubular exhaust manifold. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 I'll be doing that myself in the next few months; dash out, repaint and soundproof in behind then change the dash for a Vitesse dash with the extra gauge cutouts. I'd like to think all will be straightforward, but will be adding oil pressure, voltmeter and rev counter. I'll be comparing notes so all tips very welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 Just on your comment about earths Iain, they’re not always part of the looms, especially around the instrument panel. So the fact you’ve got six wires star grounded on one screw isn’t necessarily a terrible sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 we earth bonded all the tubs and dash and made a communal single dedicated eath post behind the dash Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 3 hours ago, Josef said: So the fact you’ve got six wires star grounded on one screw isn’t necessarily a terrible sign. I'm a pint half full person so I'm hesitantly optimistic.....until it all goes wrong. I've already disconnected the battery. I learnt that lesson when I was 18 youngster and never forgotten! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 4 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: Vitesse dash with the extra gauge cutouts. If you run out of 'oles I like the combination gauges ie oil pressure and water temp that are on the market. I'm tempted to use them on my dash to save having the bolt on mount underneath. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 Did I unveil this one before now? I have 2" tacho and voltmeter for the smaller holes but for the larger, I managed to find a 4" gauge to match the speedo with oil pressure as a third option: I'll add bigger, more visible lights for full beam and indicator somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 I like the three combination gauge very smart. Tacho's look good but I'm sure everyone just uses common sense and ears for when to change gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2022 On 08/10/2022 at 13:12, Josef said: six wires star grounded on one screw Looking at the wiring diagram it just shows earth from the instrument lights so perhaps all those black cables are the various bulbs and one from the tacho to earth. Iain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Progressed today and taken the speedo out, several wires and the choke and heater cables. I can't see where the heater flap control cable goes? However I've unscrewed the six facia screws (Haynes says seven??) and the facia seems solidly stuck at the middle and nearside. I'm reluctant to use too much force are there any more fixings? Is the heater diverter control cable stopping it? How do I disconnect it? Time for a cuppa and digestive. Iain PS whoever fitted the speedo and tacho used mastic round the circumference. No wonder they were both difficult to get out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Off the top of my head... the wires don't hold the wood on, but the cables do... all clocks out, all cables removed (three? choke / heater valve / heater flap?) ... there should be nothing else holding the wood itself unless there are still any screw-through switches - ignition switch may have a metal surround in behind. Supports etc all go to the lower rail. Does yours have the switch bar as in the Herald 13/60? This may have a large bracket behind holding it in place. If you've removed everything, prise it out using fingertip pressure, it may be masticked as well, but there may be something screwed up into the underside. The dashboard courtesy light can also hold it in place so make sure you don't damage anything in this area. Heater flap control cable takes a sharp downward turn and goes to the driver's side of the lower heater box, in the footwell, but just remove the knob, unscrew the bezel and push it back through the dash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 28 minutes ago, Iain T said: PS whoever fitted the speedo and tacho used mastic round the circumference. No wonder they were both difficult to get out! They are supposed to have a thin square section O ring between the underside of the bezel and the dash. Shop around for these as they’re a part that wildly varies in price. The originals do perish down in to a sticky black mess, so this could be your mastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Ive just used these to overhaul my clocks and refit which worked fine although bit expensive for what they are. For just the clocks to the dash you could probably buy lengths of rubber o-ring (dont think square section is easily available these days) and make your own.... TRIUMPH SPITFIRE, GT6, VITESSE instrument refurbishment kit, all seals (10). | eBay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Flinn Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 There should be a couple of support brackets (Items 59 and 7 as the attached Pdf) I'm not sure exactly if these fit to the dash metal surround or the wooden dash itself via the heater controls or choke? I've also a vague memory that the centre control console is supported to the Bulkhead too via a bracket or two Gary MkII Dashboard Controls _ Canley Classics.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted October 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Found the brackets! They attach from the bulkhead to the centre control knob panel. The fascia is off all bar removing the temperature gauge. It's the thermocouple type, can the cable be pulled out the back. Something tells me no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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