GT6 dash pad demist caps question... baffled!

[rulloyd]

Hi all

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

Refitting my re-covered GT6 Mk2 dash and am baffled fitting the demister caps.    The caps are slightly curved along their long edge and one edge is longer, forming a triangular end, each end of the cap.  They have a threaded peg on each end which is off set towards the longer side (the pointy bit ).

The metal frame of the actual dash pad slot has a  cut out for the peg, again offset to one side (see pic 1), towards the driver facing edge of the dashpad.

When I align the caps with the holes the obvious way around (following the contour of the winscreen), I get quite a big gap on the windscreen side running the length of the slot.  This is because the offset on the cap is on the opposite side to the offset slot on the dash pad.  No photo, sorry.

This means that the only way to align the cap and the dash pad slot is to face it as per the 2nd photo.  Surely this can't be correct???!!! Otherwise what could be the problem please?

I will say that I had to replace the dashpad with one from a Mk1(or so the owner believed) but it appears exactly the same (and the late Mk1 and Mk2 caps have the same part number).  I can't remember which way round the caps were when I took them off and I can't find any pictures in other cars except in the parts manual where they appear to be the same way round as my phot (pic 3).

Interestingly

Many thanks for any advice.

Rich

 

[dougbgt6]

I've never noticed this, but it seems logical to me, the curve is away from the windscreen throwing the air towards the windscreen. However, I doubt it makes a lot of difference the heater motor being so puny! 

Doug

[rulloyd]

Thanks Doug.  But I have found at least one pic with it the other way round  😭😭

[dougbgt6]

Sorry Rich,

It's too late and too cold to go into the garage tonight, I'll have a look tomorrow.

Doug

[Dick Twitchen]

11 hours ago, rulloyd said:

But I have found at least one pic with it the other way round

Rich,  Just been to look at mine and they are like this photo you have found. Dick

[dougbgt6]

Yup, ditto to that, mine are the same, so I'm wrong again! 

Doug

[rulloyd]

Thanks all.  This is very bad news!  Now the question is why is there a gap?  I'll take a picture later.

 

[Nigel Clark]

Here are a couple of photos from my cars. With the screen in, it's difficult to get a good angle to see the shape of the vents but both are as in your second picture, following the curve of the screen.

Here's my GT6 Mk3 first, followed by Spitfire Mk3. I've recovered the crash pads in both cars and can't recall particular difficulty getting the vents back into place. I figured the vent through the top of the crash pad first, then offered up the metal fan shaped heater outlet from below.

Nigel

 

[rulloyd]

Thanks all.  So this has been an interesting but very frustrating experience.   I wrecked my original when I thought it would be a good idea to take the foam off it to repair the metal at one end which had rusted away.  This resulted in and unusable original. 

I managed to find another from ebay (labled as a Mk1) but seemingly identical.  After some careful filling (it had been badly messed with), I went ahead and covered it in leather - it looked great!  However, unfortunately the vent caps were away from the car and I was not able to try them before covering.  I assumed that the vent slots would be in the same place.

Here is what I learnt.  The metal plate was indeed identical, as was the dash pad EXCEPT, it now turns out, the actual cutout in the foam for the vent slots. On my old one, the foam filled much more of one side of the slot and the other side was cut back more.  This meant that on my newly covered pad (for which I did not adjust the foam at all) there was a 5mm gap on the windscreen side.  The lesson is don't assume that the foam slots are the same on a replacement dash pad.  I have no idea why they wouldn't be and pretty sure it wasn't because it was possibly off a Mk1.

I am now having to unpick the glue from the leather around the slot, insert some foam and restick it.  The unstuck leather is quite wrinked from where it was stuck in the slot and will be unsightly unless I can get the wrinkles out, even though it's quite a small width. The iron is the best bet I think.

VERY FRUSTRATING.  😩😩😩😩

[Nigel Clark]

Take your time. The leather will almost certainly recover after a while (no pun intended).

Who would have thought there was such a detail difference between now and Mk2?

Nigel

[Peter Truman]

using an aftermarket dash cover you won't have experienced what our problem was we brought my daughters Mk2 Spit 19yrs ago when it was 95% completed ie a runner and the dash had been recovered by the PO ie a length of vinyl glued over the edges it looks good only the outer corners show a little folding, the slot covers curve with the windscreen, being in Aus the demisters were not used till one rainy day & wipers failed requiring rainex to the outer screen. I switched the heater to demist ie shut the 2 lower vents, NO effect on the windscreen when I got home I took a closer look at the demist slots (hard to see thro the outside of the windscreen) it was apparent the vinyl dash top hadn't been cut along the slots, judicious use of a scalpel achieved a modicum of hot air flow so it works somewhat ok for OZ.

learnt one thing from the photos how the tonneau pegs fit

Beware of PO shortcuts or forgetfulness.

Peter T 

[Colin Lindsay]

11 hours ago, Peter Truman said:

 it was apparent the vinyl dash top hadn't been cut along the slots, judicious use of a scalpel achieved a modicum of hot air flow so it works somewhat ok for OZ.

Same as my Mk1! The vinyl was covering most of the vent, and as with your solution a good sharp scalpel trimmed it right back.