Dashboard fixing screws

PostPost by: Elseezed » Fri Nov 11, 2016 9:18 pm

Should the outer screws next to vents be cross head, or like I have, chrome dome heads which makes it difficult to hold whilst tightening nuts. The rest of the early +2 Dashboard screws are cross head.
Thanks Les
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PostPost by: elanman999 » Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:14 am

They should be cross head screws and there shouldn't be any nuts. There should be some bobbins for the screws to screw into.
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PostPost by: jono » Sat Nov 12, 2016 12:47 pm

top tip...put a fibre washer under the bolt head to prevent damage to the dash and help keep it screwed in
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PostPost by: john.p.clegg » Sat Nov 12, 2016 4:59 pm

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PostPost by: Orsom Weels » Sat Nov 12, 2016 5:23 pm

elanman999 wrote:They should be cross head screws and there shouldn't be any nuts. There should be some bobbins for the screws to screw into.
Cheers
John


Mine (72 S130) has bobbins for the centre two, but the outer two are the same cross head screws, but with nuts & washers behind. I've just changed the dash & was expecting them all to be bobbins, but couldn't work out why the outer two wouldn't screw out. The bloody nuts were turning ! Easy to access with the crash pad removed, & no evidence of alteration/butchery in the past.

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PostPost by: Bud English » Sat Nov 12, 2016 5:49 pm

...and, if you're clever, they will have some sort of bobbin or captive nut there when it all goes back together. No added lightness and not original, but practical and no one but you will know. :D
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PostPost by: Gordon Sauer » Sat Nov 12, 2016 9:27 pm

I was never sure why it was on mine, but the outer edges of the fiberglass dash platform was trimmed so that the bobbins were not there that took the two dash screws you are referring to. It doesn't seem like the trimmed fiberglass was necessary for the crash pad fitment or really anything I can tell but that's the way it came and I used matching screws just secured for aesthetics. Gordon Sauer
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PostPost by: elanner » Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:53 pm

Slightly tangentially, how long should the screws be? I figure 1/2" for the thickness of the dashboard and 1/2" for the depth of the bobbins, so 1". And that's the length of the screws that I purchased from Sue Miller a while ago.

But when I fitted my dashboard I realized that for the screw that holds the steering column bracket - between the tacho and speedo - another 1/2" is needed for the thickness of the bracket. So 1 1/2". Is this right, because I've never been able to locate a longer one?

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PostPost by: Orsom Weels » Sun Nov 13, 2016 1:15 pm

Bud English wrote:...and, if you're clever, they will have some sort of bobbin or captive nut there when it all goes back together. No added lightness and not original, but practical and no one but you will know. :D


No, just put em back with the nuts & washers as I found em :lol: , as I said, with the crash pad removed the nuts were very easy to access with a spanner or fingers. It is possible to get to them with the pad in place, but it's a bit of a fiddle. On mine, the fibre glass was original, no modifications, it would have been easily possible for there to have been bobbins, but they were obviously never fitted, just nice neat holes drilled. Maybe they had problems with alignment & this was an easier way to get them correct, or perhaps more likely Colin worked out that a nut & washer was cheaper than bobbin & didn't have to be bonded in, so less time involved :lol:

elanner wrote:Slightly tangentially, how long should the screws be? I figure 1/2" for the thickness of the dashboard and 1/2" for the depth of the bobbins, so 1". And that's the length of the screws that I purchased from Sue Miller a while ago.

But when I fitted my dashboard I realized that for the screw that holds the steering column bracket - between the tacho and speedo - another 1/2" is needed for the thickness of the bracket. So 1 1/2". Is this right, because I've never been able to locate a longer one?

Nick


I'm guessing you are referring to a two seater rather than a +2 as in the OP ?

If it's any help, we fitted my friends series 3 dash with screws supplied by Sue, I didn't measure them, but an inch - inch & a half of thread sounds about right & they were all the same length. The bracket you refer to was simply attached to the dash before fitting to the car, it had the one 5/16 screw at the top, with a nut & washer, & two smaller screws with nuts & washers at the bottom. There was no bobbin in the body for this screw. I've just checked my series 4 & that is the same, no bobbin, the screw just goes through the dash & bracket, so is the same length as all the others.

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PostPost by: Elseezed » Sun Nov 13, 2016 1:49 pm

image.jpeg and
Dashboard fixing +2

I could fit a bobbin/captive nut, would need to cut off part of support bracket to make it fit. I think that's the way to go. Will order 5/16" unc stainless machine screws philips pan head and nuts. Another problem out of the way.
Thanks to all for responses, Les.
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PostPost by: Orsom Weels » Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:02 pm

If you are referring to the metal support bracket secured by the courtesy light switch, I don't understand why you would have to cut part of it off ? It/they should attach to the two captive studs on the plate screwed to the bottom of the dash, parallel to the lower edge, nowhere near the mounting screw in question. Your fibreglass dash support looks virtually identical to mine, the screw passes through the dash & the hole in the fibreglass, & with the crash pad removed, you can clearly see the reverse side & it's easy to slip the washer on the screw, then hold the nut in place while rotating the screw. Job done, about 20 seconds each side. I couldn't see me ever wanting to remove those screws without the need to remove the crash pad, & it's not something that I'd have to do often, this is the first time in 30 years of ownership !, so I didn't see the need to spend loads of time trying to 'invent' a better way :lol:
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PostPost by: Elseezed » Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:23 pm

Thanks Tim,
PO had left the left hand bracket flapping loose and I never spotted the two studs. It all makes sense now. :oops:
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PostPost by: elanner » Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:27 pm

Oh, yeah - I was referring to the 2 seater - this bracket:

hb.gif
Steering column upper bracket
hb.gif (7.88 KiB) Viewed 1276 times

The thickness of the bracket and dashboard make a 1" screw/bolt too short to fit a washer & nut on the rear. At least on mine. Perhaps original factory dashboards were slightly thinner, although I don't remember any noticeable difference when I fitted my new dash.

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PostPost by: Orsom Weels » Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:17 pm

Elseezed wrote:Thanks Tim,
PO had left the left hand bracket flapping loose and I never spotted the two studs. It all makes sense now. :oops:


No problem Les, Just one little note I should have mentioned, the screws for a +2 are 1/4 UNC, not5/16 like the two seater :wink:
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