New Dashboard S130/5

[Bigbaldybloke]

Not sure how you would do it with multi plugs as for things like side lights and indicators the single dash harness wire has to connect to both the front and rear harnesses. If you put two wires into one plug pin you can?t then split the harnesses easily at a later date. Brake lights and reversing lights are also awkward as these go from front to rear harness but not the dash, whereas most connections go dash to front with just the interior lights and fuel going dash to rear only. Handbrake and column switch have separate subharnesses off the main dash harness and are simple enough to connect as they are just like to like colour and there?s only a few of them. That leaves the connections to each door and again there is a leg off the dash harness to each for the windows and interior light switch, and that just leaves the radio and whatever speakers and aerial you have, I?ve got four speakers and an active DAB aerial that needs power, so I?ve made a separate harness for the aerial and rear shelf speakers. If you started from scratch you certainly would design the whole wiring scheme differently and it would use multi plugs, but adapting the existing harnesses for it I don?t think is practical, although you could put some of it in multiplugs, but not sure what gain you would get for a whole load of work. The existing wires are all colour coded so it?s not too difficult to connect then up correctly using the individual bullet type connectors.
My front harness is completely custom made as it incorporates relays and fuses for the major users, it has an electric fuel pump and inertia cut out switch, two electric cooling fans, Mazda electric headlight pod motor, the additional fog/spot lights under the bumper, electric washer, electronic ignition and an electric oil pressure gauge and a voltmeter instead of an ammeter, plus it?s got an alternator and has been converted from positive earth to negative earth.

[10kph]

I am thinking about renewing my dash on a similar car with the fuses inside. Is it better and easier to pull the front loom through the bulkhead to leave the wires fastened to the switches and do the swap on the bench .I remember that on a previous car the screws holding the switches were a right pain to remove.
Tony

[Bigbaldybloke]

I?d split the dash wiring harness from the front one at the bullet connectors before it passes through the bulkhead and from the rear one at the same location. That just leaves the wires to the doors, heater and handbrake to disconnect plus whatever radio and speakers you have. I?ve done all my dashboard mods and swop over on the bench with some old carpet on the bench to protect the new dash. The wires should all be colour coded but take loads of photos and mark any joints in wires that aren?t like to like colour.
Then take even more photos showing exactly how the wires run between and around the various instruments, can never have too many pictures when doing this sort of work, I regularly refer back to mine.
If you are planning fitting additional fuses and relays, most of the changes are to the front harness not the dash one, depends on just how many changes you plan to make as to whether you do them in situ or pull the front harness out and do it on the bench, I did it in situ so I could get the locations of the new parts and wire lengths sorted, but you could do the mods on the bench and leave the wires over length then cut them to length as you make the final termination. Lots of ways to do it, in the end it?s what you feel is the easiest way for you!

[10kph]

Thanks for the info. Did know about the rear harness split but did not know that the front harness separated from a separate dash harness.This should make it easier and encourage me to do it when the weather is a bit cooler and after Oulton Park Gold cup meeting. In the meantime I am laying up some nice walnut veneer onto marine ply in a vacuum press then router the holes from my original dash
Thanks
Tony

[Bigbaldybloke]

Ok, took the brave pills and set about drilling the additional holes in my new dashboard, no problems, can?t think why I?ve been putting it off.
I?d already drilled through the original dash into the back of the new one to mark the positions using a 10.5mm drill, going in about 3mm, then I drilled a 1mm hole right through to mark the position on the front. I then made up an aluminium masking piece with a 10.5 mm hole in it and carefully clamped this in position over the 1mm pilot hole. I then just used a small grind stone in my Dremel to grind away the lacquer through the hole in the aluminium. With the lacquer removed I then used a new 4 flute 10mm wood drill to drill through from the front. I then cleaned the hole up with. 10.5mm metal dril, job done! Last few jobs were to fit the eyeball vents, the holes for these needed cleaning up where the lacquer had run into the hole, no problems with the faithful dremel, just the glove box lid and box itself to fit and the dash can go back into the car once I find the little brackets that fit at each end of the dash. Not sure, about the replacement order, do I fit the dash and then the crash pad over it or vice versa, any thoughts on this?

[wotsisname]

The crashpad was stapled to the OE dash on my car. I'm sure I read previously that this was not always the case and was possibly to stop squeaks.

[The Veg]

For the two-into-one to a pin in a modern connector issue, such as the wires from the indicator switch, I am simply putting a M/F spade connection on the branch that goes to the lesser component (e.g. switch). Everything can be separated if need be.