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left side idiot panel gonna go bye bye, after I get custom guages I'm going to build a custom dash. Current thought is to reusr the stock dash light wires with the custom guage cluster. Not sure yet what I am mounting the new guages on, thinking brushed aluminum.
Right now I just needed to see what was behind doors 1, 2, &3. First, I have several wires with plugs that aren't attached to anything. Gonna trace those back and remove. Second, I'm getting rid of the left hand side alert panel. I can reuse that block for toggle switches or rockers. The rear defrost panel has a blank beside it. I can punch out that blank and re-route... Something lol. The right side has rear wiper and a blank. Both can go away. Upper right has the clock, which I dismantled to ensure nothing else was below the clock. There's nothing. Clock and wiring harness there is going away.
Now I have the left hand dummy light harness, rear wiper harness, clock harness, and various other empty wires coming out. Also, since rear wiper isn't getting used, I can remove the rear wiper washer pump and assembly. More pics coming!
Well, done for tonight. Got most of the dash disassembled, I'm looking at maybe removing the entire dash. There's lots of plastic riveted to the metal support bar that runs the entire width of the dash, I don't know yet if I'm gonna pull it or not. Seems the hardest part and a commitment point... Once I remove it it's gonna be a much longer process to put together. However it may be the only way for me to remove the wiring I need to. So... Decision time come Sunday. Going camping tomorrow. Not sure if I will get to it Sunday or Monday.
It's not strictly off road, but I am planning an all metal custom dash. I am even getting rid of the oft-troubled multi-function switch on the column. Got a basic electrical diagram for turn signals, headlights, and wipers, all operated off different switches. Also going with sealed water tight LEDs (with proper resisters for blinkers) on all corners.
Oh man I'm like a kid in a candy story! My mind is going through possibilities!
Passenger Driver
There are so many possibilities... New dash altogether? More efficient cable routing for sure. Got loads of unwrapping of the loom, labeling, so much gonna happen here!
Always label everything! This won't make sense if you don't. The majority here is a terribly botched (but functional) wiring job. I get to undo it and make it right
The majority of the connectors are very simple, snap in snap out. I will be replacing the tape with heatshrink, and mount circuits more fluidly than stock. It will be so much easier to troubleshoot later on
Weird that I found duct tape under the factory tape... Wonder that that foretells? A very crappy ground splice!! It's a factory press. I'm curious but now that I have exposed it I gotta cover it back up. Wonder how I'm gonna do that?
Got an initial quote today... $800-1200? Thinking of buying a welder, couple plates of steel, a bucket of rods, teaching myself to weld and saving a ton of money
Lol cool got a follower! Right now I am working on designing a framework for the new dash. The biggest hurtle I have is the stock defrost ductwork. The stock dash addressed that by having a plastic frame and attachment points that extended between the ducts. However, my dash is going to be higher than stock at the middle two mount points at the frame. Essentially I am adding a bay above where the stock stereo went. The stock stereo placement is the deepest middle mount area and my CB is much longer than a stock stereo, so it makes sense to put the CB there. The lower section is pushed out rather far for the heater box, so with me having a manual, mounting anything below the heater control module is a no-go. I am, however, going to go with a short throw shift kit, and that will give me a little more space for the new dash middle console, since I am pushing the whole thing out about an inch. My current thought is to mount it to the hump with the frame, then to the stock side mounts, then to the stock 4 mount points under the windshield. Gonna go with quadratek "JEEP" logo dial guages, and rocker switches by OTTRAW. Will keep more updates coming, including which wires I am removing, and also a possible fuse block re-location project. I am also planning a secondary fuse block, writeup on that will also be included
Got an initial quote today... $800-1200? Thinking of buying a welder, couple plates of steel, a bucket of rods, teaching myself to weld and saving a ton of money
Well, first off, you're talking like you want to use the arc process, that ain't gonna fly here. You'll be using thin gauge material. You'll burn right through it. What you want is a decent MIG setup with .023 wire. Great for thin gauge mild steel. Don't use flux core, it burns hotter. Use a mix of argon/CO2, 75/25, I believe airgas calls it their gold mix, but each supplier has their own name...you can use pure CO2, but it will burn hotter, the argon mix help it run a tad cooler and stabilizes the arc. It will also help to do a series of tack welds over and over, to help minimize warping. More finish work with grinding/smoothing, but really the only way to go on thin material.
If you have questions, let me know, I'll try to help you get in the right direction.
10-13-2017, 05:42 PM
New project... Gutting dash!!
