Badwolf Posted July 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 Thanks Karl. Already thought of that so printed a stand alone copy out via my computer printer and also put duplicate copies in the household receipt file and the Spitfire expenses file, having lost the receipt for the old battery!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 While the 'H frame' is still out after refitting the tunnel cover and carpet, I have will continue with the plan to do a little housekeeping on the spaghetti wiring/scotch locks etc under the dash board, along with wiring in the cigarette lighter thingie that I bought from a show several years ago so that I could connect my phone/satnav and other usb type gadgets (that I don't really need), along with fitting the Radiomobile pod speaker that's been sliding around on the shelf for ages. So out came the glove box and parcel shelf on the passenger side. The glove box is a sorry state (photos to follow). It has obviously suffered from water leakage over the years and is a rather perculiar shape. Has anyone else tried to refurb one of these or is it a question of buy a new one or just shove it back in and live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 I intended to make my glove boxes from aluminium as I’d found a blog post on the subject. But that post was for a squaretail Spit and I concluded it wouldn’t work for my Mk3 as the glove boxes have to end up curving round the demister pipes. Might be worth a go for you though especially if you’re planning on using the glovebox to mount a speaker. The metal will surely do a better job than the card there. The new card ones I bought though were pretty decent and went in as awkwardly as the originals so I figure they must’ve been reasonable copies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 I found these years ago but I think there for a US LHD Spitfire, maybe there a mirror image? Our own Mk2 RHD has thin plywood bases with 1in plastic angles screwed to at the back and side edges where new millboard sides and rears are separately screwed to, so makes it easy to dismantle and even easier to get to the fuses on the passenger side. Similarly the vertical joints have plastic angle screwed to to keep them together, so each millboard panel can be separately removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2022 PeterT - Thanks for the drawings. Not a problem to flip the diagram or make up some templates. Might just have a go at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2022 Josef - Thanks for the link. That one's very interesting too. My immediate thought was, no sheet metal folder...until I saw the workmate. I think for the moment I might just reinforce the cardboard version that came out, with thin hardboard and make a metal version over the winter. Maybe add some sort of trap door at the back to get to the back of the fuse box to add extra stuff without having to take out the battery, fuse box etc. Mind you, after doing the tunnel cover I might have second thoughts later in the year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 Started to sort out the rat's nest of wiring when the glove box/H-frame were out. What a mess. Scotch locks, tape and tangles everywhere. Also connected up the cigarette lighter which refused to work.... Stupid Boy... it's mounted in a wooden dash .. YOU NEED TO RUN AN EARTH LEAD!!! Oh well.. tomorrow. One other thing that I have noticed is that when I ran back the screws holding the new fuse box, to connect up the wire, I tested it by letting the box hang loose in the hole and connected up the battery, immediately blowing a fuse. The bottom of the cut out in the bulkhead had gone against a terminal that was showing a fraction of an inch of bare metal (all of them are insulated) and shorted out. So to everyone who might have followed both my instructions on page 32 of this thread or Aidan's original thread, I feel that it is very important that you run some insulation tape or some type of insulated edging around the outside of the hole to prevent possible disaster. I have edited my instruction on page 32 to add this. According to the counter this post should move me on to my next rank. Yippee, hope it been useful to someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 Continuing my voyage of discovery under the dashboard I remember that many years ago I replaced the 'claw holder, ring & bulb' ignition key lamp with two of these... ..one for the driver, one for the passenger. A few years ago the 36mm festoon bulbs inside them got replaced with the LED versions. I noticed when working on the tunnel cover and needing the doors to be open that the LED heat sinks got somewhat hot, as you would expect. Does anyone have any other type of lamp under the dash which may be a little larger than these to give more air flow inside the glass (well plastic actually) to cut down the heat and be easily available to buy on line. While I'm messing about, this would be a good time to replace them... and yes, when the two of them are side by side and turned the other way up, they do remind me of a Dalek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted July 19, 2022 Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 is that a twisted lacy band holding the screws, very resourceful and DIY, must be old rubber as new bands don't last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 9 hours ago, Peter Truman said: is that a twisted lacy band holding the screws, very resourceful and DIY, must be old rubber as new bands don't last! Just a standard thin rubber band. Only there to hold the screws in place for the photo or the light falls to bits. The whole unit is held together by the two screws when screwed into, in my case, the parcel shelf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 I've just got back indoors after venturing behind the dash on my 13/60. 'The Land That Health & Safety and Good Working Practices Forgot'. Definitely a case of out of sight out of mind. Like you I have to pluck up all my courage and be in top (for me) physical condition before I start. I won't hijack your thread about why I had to venture there, just pleased I got out alive like you. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 I'm still puzzled. Don't keep an idiot in suspense!! Re underdash lighting, search online for underdash leds, there are loads, no heat at all but available in strip, bulbs or little directional spotlamps. I found some recently that would do for directing a tight beam onto the column ignition lock for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 Not sure about the quote there Colin?? I am looking for single stand alone bulb holders similar to the ones that I have (picture) only a bit bigger. a bit like this or this something that takes a 'proper' bulb and fits under the parcel shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 holdens ?? Interior Lamps (holden.co.uk) SVC Dash & Interior Lights - Lighting - Store | Stafford Vehicle Components (s-v-c.co.uk) any clues Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 1 hour ago, Badwolf said: Not sure about the quote there Colin?? That's because for some reason all of the most recent photos on this thread are just little blue squares, as per the screenshot below. Therefore I can't see what the choices are let alone the proper one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 I think that this is because some of them have been cut and pasted rather than copied from a file. The ones on your first post were of silencer parts and may also have just been cut and pasted. I have edited the post so the photos may work now. Maybe Invision have changed things regarding posting photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 33 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: holdens ?? Interior Lamps (holden.co.uk) SVC Dash & Interior Lights - Lighting - Store | Stafford Vehicle Components (s-v-c.co.uk) any clues Pete Thanks Pete. Holdens have a sense of humour. Some of those prices, my word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 18 minutes ago, Badwolf said: Thanks Pete. Holdens have a sense of humour. Some of those prices, my word. Deliberate marketing policy. You look at the very expensive ones, get over the shock and buy something a lot cheaper thinking you have bought a bargain only to find later the same was 1/2 the price everywhere else. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 3 minutes ago, Chris A said: Deliberate marketing policy. You look at the very expensive ones, get over the shock and buy something a lot cheaper thinking you have bought a bargain only to find later the same was 1/2 the price everywhere else. 😁 ..and I thought that the ones that I found on Fleabay were a bit expensive. Maybe I'll just leave well alone. My only worry with what I have is that I have vague memories that plastic cover on the ones that I have, melted on a previous car. That's why I got the LEDs. Must say that I was surprised at how hot the one I took out had got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted July 20, 2022 Report Share Posted July 20, 2022 1 minute ago, Badwolf said: Maybe I'll just leave well alone Sometimes the better option, but you never know until too late . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 can you not use a LED strip ?? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 18 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: can you not use a LED strip ?? Pete Thanks Pete, but I was thinking of something hat looked a bit more, well sort of, 'traditional', even though it will be under the parcel shelves. Don't know why, got rid of the modern looking radio too, mind you it ate my cassettes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 Going to fit foot well courtesy lights in the Vitesse and Mk2 Spit, 2 each. I picked up 4 new complete light fittings at a country car shown shine a few years ago 4 for $3 made in France complete with modern 4W push in incandescent bulbs, at that price I couldn't walk past them the seller had a big box of them. They look like the TR7 in door light minus rocking switch mechanism. The bulb push's into a waterproof bayonet which twists into the light body. What French car there off I have no idea. All my classics are fitted with the Butler style switched Map light on a flexible snorkel arm, which is too much trouble to pull out from under the passenger side dash when just getting in and out of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 Peter T - Now that's given me an idea. If I can find a couple with built in rocker switches, then I can turn them off when I'm working with the doors open. Save on battery power and no danger of melting the plastic cover or generally overheating. Probably looking for the 'holy grail' but while I'm messing about under the dash thought it might be worth a look. On the great scotch lock hunt this afternoon. Got four spotted already...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 18 minutes ago, Badwolf said: On the great scotch lock hunt this afternoon. Got four spotted already...... I too was working under the dashboard yesterday and spotted 3, maybe 4, clearly the 'norm' for an old Triumph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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