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Dash and Wires, Lots of Wires


peterman

1,871 views

So just to start off, last post I ended with my feelings on prepping the car for paint. Well I did a little research and was linked to an autobodystore.com forum thread. My search questions was "Can I strip paint with a wire wheel?" In the infinite space that is the interwebs I was presented with "About 163,000 results in .56 seconds" or so says the Google. So the first thread read that while you can, it is not advised because you will put a lot of heat into the metal and paint and can potentially cause the metal to warp a little. People have suggested variable speed sanders and also Norton rapidstrip discs.

Wire Wheel ; Variable Speed Sander

Here's the amazon link to the Rapidstrip depressed center wheel. While I haven't tried any of these options yet, I will soon enough! Hold your horses for cryin' out loud!

On to the topic in the title. But first...

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I found 20 bucks! Well it was always mine - emergency gas money you know - but I forgot about it for at least a year so I consider it free money.

So I started on taking out the dash because the floors need to be welded, new frame rails, etc., etc. and I didn't want to destroy an almost perfect dash. So out it came with not too much trouble. I will say that the cold weather we have been having creates a sense of urgency in the task when really what is required is added patience. Make sure your space heater is close by on these 10F days/nights and that you are prepared to move slowly and carefully.

After pulling off the knobs and bezels for the lights, defroster, and cigarette lighter (they just unscrew like any bolt would - lefty loosey) I found my self risking maring the dash by trying to take out the dummy knob in the fog light place. These are the things that the cold does to one's brain. I finally came to my senses and stopped fussing with it because it will come out with the dash no problem.

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The dash slots in in a very snug manner. The PO was nice enough to lose most of the screws that hold the dash in place for me, so I think I took out a total of 2 before being able to move the dash around.

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Be careful with the front defroster vents. They pop out of the dash but they are very capable of breaking out of the dash.

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Once the dash is out and in a safe place, start regretting the decision to pull apart the entire car... The wiring harness is next, and it's tricky and brittle. Unhook the wires that connect to the dome light switch through the door jam. It's one phillips head screw on each door. Don't forget the actual dome light wires as well. Disconnect wires to the heater box and fan switch. Make sure to take pictures as to the wire positions on the connectors.

Move to the engine bay. Unhook all the connectors to the headlights and blinkers. If you're like me and the PO wanted to put some sweet super blue headlights in, cut the headlight connectors off and start over. It's easier to pull through the grommets anyway.

Next take a look at the fuse panel. Pull the one screw off that holds it onto the car and gently lift it out of place. Chances are the connectors on the back are original and are very susceptible to damage. You can remove each of the 4 connectors gently with a screwdriver, be careful not to bend the male connector pins. There were a few stray wires that connected individually to the fuse panel, take time to take clear pictures of their colors and where they are plugged in.

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There are two wiring harnesses, one mainly in the engine bay, and one mainly under the dashboard. the engine bay harness should be taken out through the engine bay. The dashboard harness should be taken out through the cabin. They each have a separate wire bundle from the fuse panel and enter the cabin through separate grommets in the firewall. Convenient, right? Actually, very convenient.

Crawl under the dash and unwrap the two harnesses from each other. Do your best to separate the cables for each harness. There are only three connectors and ignition wire set that come through the firewall for the engine harness. I suggest cutting the grommet at the firewall and pulling the wire bundles through the much wider firewall hole. The grommets, you will find, reduce the hole diameter by about half, thats 1/4 the area to pull a connector through.

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I removed the grommets by cutting the flanges with dikes. Just be careful not to cut any wires.

I started by unwrapping the wires under the dash in the engine harness bundle. I then pulled out the ignition set wires through the hole one at a time. Remember, we do not want to cut or pull off any connectors. I mean, I! The Royal "we"! You know, the editorial... nevermind. Be gentle and take your time. Once the engine bay harness is removed work on getting the 2 engine harness connectors from the fuse panel out the absurdly small hole in the side of the engine bay. There is one connector that has about 4 wires connected to it. Start there, work it out carefully then pull the second engine harness connector out.

Next cut the firewall grommet for the cabin harness. There is no way you will pull any of the connectors through that hole without the grommet out. If you can work out the grommet without cutting it, go for it.

There are about 4 bundles of wires from the engine bay that need to go through the firewall. You many not even have to take off the friction tape to push these through. Once that's done, undo the connectors in the trunk of the car, if not done already, and get ready to clean.

While I was under there, I dropped the heater box. There are two nuts (10mm) one on each side of the box that hold the whole thing in. The fan will come out with it. Be sure not to crack off the defroster hose fitting on the steering column bracket, I almost did.

Voila!

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