With the original facia now clearanced you can assemble the bezel, CF facia, and the modified stock facia then clamp them together. This will allow you to mock up the panel and have some fun seeing what your new dash is going to look like.

Now that you've had a glimpse of the future for your dash it's time to get back to work.

Take everything out and put all the gauges back in the boxes except one of each size along with one bracket for each that holds the gauge in place and 2 nuts, no need for lockwashers. Take the original facia and bezel off. Use some wax and grease remover to clean the original bezel in the area surrounding the vent hole then paint it flat black. You only need to do the area around the vent because the rest will be hidden but if the vent area is left shiny or wood tone you'll be able to see it after the panel is inserted into the dash.

Now it's time to modify the dash structure for clearance for the gauges. You should put some masking tape around the edge of the CF panel because you will be putting it into the dash several times to check for clearance of each gauge. Do not try to assemble the pieces of the new panel yet. ONLY USE THE CARBON FIBER FACIA WITH ONE GAUGE AT A TIME TO CHECK CLEARANCE.

In the pictures below I put white paint on the areas of the dash framework where you will have to cut the plastic away. It is much easier if your dash is out of the car but if it is in the car it can be done, it's just more of a pain to work in there.

You can use a fine toothed hacksaw blade with a hand held blade holder to cut the plastic and then break out chunks as you work your way across the area where the panel fits into the dash. Once you think you've got it set then install one gauge with the retaining bracket screwed onto it in the CF facia and place the facia into position to check clearance for that gauge. Repeat for all gauge openings.

Once you've got the dash clearanced you need to set up the lighter bracket assembly. The bracket itself needs to be modified to provide clearance because it has to move out from the dash to meet the new CF facia. When the bracket moves forward it will contact the bezel so it has to be notched as shown in the pic below.

Next you need to space the lighter bracket out away from the dash panel. The reason for this is because the new cf facia is flat and the original facia was recessed around the lighter. You can do this by getting some 1/8" rubber hose and cutting three 3/8" pieces off of it. Put the little hose sections on the three screws that hold the lighter bracket in position and reinstall the bracket. Do not overtighten or you will crush the pieces of hose.

Well you're almost ready to assemble the new panel but first gently clean the bezel with some metal polish and repaint the hood. Use some wax and grease remover on the hood, sand the hood with 400 grit and then spray with SEM trim black. Use a black magic marker to black out the cut edge of the carbon fiber of the lightswitch hole and where the vent opening is. Repaint the trim bezel for the lighter that screws on from the front after the panel is installed into the dash.

Now lay the bezel, CF facia, and modified original facia on the bench and use clamps to hold it into position. Gently bend the tabs over that hold the bezel to the facia. It's important to make sure the three pieces are tight when you fold over the tabs. Take your time, be very carefull, and don't screw up! You only get one chance! Rebending the tabs again will probably break them off. GM only designed them to be assembled one time. If you should break off one of the tabs carefully cut a new tab with a hacksaw blade close to the broken one.

With the tabs folded over stand the facia assembly upright and you'll notice the pop rivet holes where the hood attaches don't line up quite perfectly anymore because of the thickness of the cf facia. Use an awl to widen up the hole in the bezel so the new 1/8" pop rivets will fit. Do not make the holes any wider than necessary to insure the bezel , cf facia, and original facia stay squeezed together tightly. Then place the hood on the facia assembly and pop rivet the pieces together with the 1/8" rivets. I add a couple extra rivets in top areas around the bezel before adding the hood to make sure everything stays tight and you're not counting on the (now weakened) fold over tabs. Be cautious on placement of the extra rivets as they may cause an interference problem.

YOU NOW HAVE A CUSTOM CARBON FIBER DASH PANEL !!!!!

With the new panel assembled it's time for a final mock up of the panel. Install all of the gauges, switches, turn signal indicators etc. If you're lucky enough to have a spare dash to work with like I do, you can mount the switches and Vintage Air controller first, then put the panel into the mock up dash and install the gauges. If not, you can install everything and align the gauges so they are straight. If you are using the Twist Machine bezels you can position them to see how it will look but wait until the panel is installed into the dash for the final time before mounting them with the small removable silicone "dots" they come with that hold them in place.

Stand back and admire your work! Relax a bit before getting ready to install the fully assembled panel into your dash.

The new light switch from American Autowire needs to be installed into the dash now. You will need to disassemble the original light switch assembly to transfer the bracket and trim bezel over to the new switch. The new switch comes with a nice billet knob and a shaft you can cut to length for your dash. If you'd like to keep an original appearing knob and shaft they can also be used with the American Autowire switch. Once the switch is installed into the dash, plug in the electrical connector. There is very little space between the light switch and the larger aftermarket delay wiper switch after the panel is installed. Also, who wants to lay under the dash trying to do it afterward anyway?



You're now ready to test fit the fully assembled panel into your dash. Because the original panel was installed without gauges and other items sticking out of the back, you must be very gentle and cautious installing the new panel. Wrap some protective sheeting in the area where the panel slides in to prevent scuffing or scratching the vinyl. This is particularly important if installing to redyed dashes. DO NOT USE MASKING TAPE ON THE VINYL OF A REDYED DASH OR YOU MAY PULL THE DYE OFF WHEN REMOVING THE TAPE!

To install the panel tilt it so the bottom goes in first and gently tilt up little before the speedo and tach contact the framework. Then push the panel straight back and the panel should settle into it's original position. In this installation we're installing the panel into a reconditioned dash from Restore A Muscle Car so I clearanced the dash on a work table and will do the final fitting to check everything before we mount the dash in the car. Restore A Musclecar are my kind of guys! They packed the dash very, very well to protect it from damage in shipping. Since we already covered clearancing the dash structure to allow the new panel lets move on!

After checking the fit of the panel in the dash from Restore a Musclecar we installed the dash into the car and mounted it into position using a screw kit from Fbodywarehouse.com. Having a complete screw kit with all of the pieces individually bagged and labeled for each part of the dash and related assemblies is great for anyone who has lost any of the original nuts, bolts, screws etc. or for cars where previous owners have replaced the original hardware with whatever they could find laying around. Most of the 2nd gen cars have had portions or all of the dash apart over the last 30-40 years and people lost or broke some of the pieces. The Fbodywarehouse dash screw kit even contains the plastic T bolts that hold the plastic panel under the steering column, AND the inserts that fit into the dash framework that the T bolts insert into!





With the dash installed into the car it's time for the installation of the gauge panel. Each Autometer gauge has a wiring harness with a plug attached to it. Plug each one into the corresponding gauge and then coil up the wires for each gauge separately and install one of the labeling stickers provided with each gauge which names what gauge those wires are for. This way later on, when you're upside down under the dash trying to wire everything you don't have a big mess of wires to sort through trying to figure out which wires go to which gauges.

When installing the panel use some protective sheeting only on the ends of the panel where it is most likely to scratch the vinyl. If you use the sheeting all around you won't be able to see where the screw holes line up and it will be very difficult to remove the sheeting on the top and bottom with the panel fully into position.

Install the panel into the dash remembering to tilt the bottom in first, straighten it up, then push straight back. Once the panel is in position pull out the protective sheeting and then loosely install the three screws in the hood where it screws into the dash, then the two hidden screws that come up from the bottom of the dash. You can then loosely install the lighter trim ring, center up the panel where you like it, and snug up all of the screws. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN!

If you are using a replacement screw kit the two long hidden screws that come up from the bottom may be Torx head screws. If they are Torx heads then tape a note to the back of the plastic panel under the steering column saying that they are Torx heads otherwise someone in the future will be going nuts trying to figure out why a phillips won't work up in there because its so dark they won't be able to see the heads. It might be you when you're old and senile and can't remember or a future owner but someone will be in there eventually. At this point in time we're just caretakers of these cars and the cars will probably be around after we're gone.

The Twist Machine bezels can now be installed on the gauges. It is a very simple, reversible operation.

The bezels are held in place by small silicone dots which are supplied with the bezels. Simply place a few dots around each ring and press the bezels into position. If you ever want them off you can just pull them back off with no damage to the bezel or gauge.

Once the bezels are installed it's time to sit back and enjoy your new dash panel. One hand on the wheel, making engine noises, and banging through the gears with the shifter is optional!






This list is all of the current websites for the companies whose products were part of the dash build for Ty's car.

http://www.anvilauto.com/
http://www.americanautowire.com/
http://www.autometer.com/
http://www.fbodywarehouse.com/fbw/home.php
http://www.twistmachine.com/shopping/
http://www.vintageair.com/
http://www.restoreamusclecar.com/index.sp
http://www.holley.com/index.asp?division=NOS
http://www.pypesexhaust.com/

Things needed other than basic hand tools.
pop rivet gun
spring clamps
drill and bits
hand held hacksaw blade holder
grease pencil
markers
files
vice
ruler
compass
caliper
dremel and bits
cut off tool
hole saws
drill press
80 grit sandpaper
posterboard
body shop masking tape
clamps to hold work
spring clamps