Custom Dash For My Fairmont Squire

Slowly but surely.

The earlier post shows the way it was all over the place. With the additional gauges and clock, there wouldn't be any room to leave them above the glovebox.

The original mess:


Here'a thw new view:


Here's where they went (left of steering column - from above. that's the emergency brake left of the red connector:


Here's the look from below - that other bunch of wires is the Cruise Control harness - I opened it up to pass the new tach, voltmeter, vac. gauge and ammeter wires.:


Next step is to make the connections to the Electronic Ignition module for the tach, and the two new gauges, from the engine compartment to the instrument cluster, and then to the passenger side.

After that I'll trim the decorative panel for the gauges.

 

Oh yeah, and a few more grounds. Since the dash shell is all plastic, there's a couple of steel brackets that run under the glovebox, to which all the main instrument panel runs ground connections. In the fine spirit of restoration, I derusted them last year and put 3 nice coats of black rust paint on them.

The only reason anything worked at all is that one metal support wasn't painted (factory galvanized) and I somehow scraped the painted piece with a screwdriver.

I know where the grounds connect, so I'll bare them and apply a coat of solder around them and the sheet metal mounting holes.

If you feel like a bit of a Car CSI, the next time you get under an old dusty dash, check out the rustiest parts and where the grounds go. If the grounds are good, there's not as much rust as where they aren't. It's called the galvanic effect. It's not high amperage or anything but a lot of the road dust carries current too and settles where it's attracted magnetically, the weakest point is where the ground side is inadequate.

Just a few extra lengths of number 8 AWG wire, back to the cowl should do it.

Here's a good link for re-grounding the beast:
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~73496~PN~1

 

Gonna go play. My wife likes my car tent. She came home the other day, and couldn't find me, until she saw me crawl out of what she now calls my summer igloo.

I'll tell you that the white is the best color. No rays, no glare, just even light. Barely no shadows inside the car. Even my pictures come out better in the darkest corners under the dash. It acts like a bit of a wind tunnel too, so the warm air that would get trapped inside just keeps moving through. I figured a way to hold both ends open with bungie cords, but I've got a couple more refinements to make. A long piece of PVC tubing at the top to separate the hoops, and some loops around the hoops to the tarp to keep the tarp tighter to them and stop it from shifting.

A better way, might be to suspend the tarp under the hoops. Still thinking on that one though.

 

A better way might be to have a look at some yurt designs.
They're quite strong structures.

 

I was thinking about that, but couldn't recall the name. Thanks.

 

Humidex at 30C. UV 8 (highest) and the kid didn't even get toasty. My summer igloo is a winner. I break out in second degree bubbles after 3 hours with SP60 on. Didn't need any today. I'll save what I spend in sun protection!

Spent most of the day wiring under the hood, matching wire colours and diagrams. Solder, heatshrink tube, routing to inside connectors, adding disconnects, reading and double-checking and triple-checking.

Anyone doing this kind of Xtreme wiring. Start the wires from under the hood and leave an extra 6 inches for additional wiggle room when you finally reinstall. Make sure you have enough wiring to tuck into your harness. A trip to a junkyard or a donor car's harnesses are a lot cheaper than buying some 14 matching wire colours.

All together there's 6 wires that connect for the new Mustang cluster, plus 2 more for the voltmeter (ground and 12 volt+). The vacuum gauge plugs into the Intake manifold. Clock wires need another 2 feet. The Tailgate warning lamp (Liftgate Ajar) need direct wiring, since the Mustang cluster didn't have one.

It might rain (40% on one site, 30% on another, and 60 on still one more) Got lots to do inside anyway. No pics today. No visible mods.

 

I'm not stumped, because I could modify it to fit, but I'm not impressed. Ford kept the same heater control panel from 1979 to 1983, in the Fairmonts, but moved the AC controls into the floor console on the Mustangs. Sooo, if you wanted to update the rear DE-ICER switch on an AC Fairmont with a 1984 Mustang's De-icer switch, it requires a lot of plastic cutting and patching. A Non-AC Fairmont could, but not the AC Fairmont.

Why would I think about doing it? The big timer relay is part of the switch, and eliminates 7 circuits. But I'll bet the relay is a lot cheaper than the switch/relay combo. Easier to just change the relay too.

The Mustang/Capri started this in 1981, judging by the part number E1EB-19A328-AIB and ran with it until 1986 models.

Parts aren't that scarce for mine. Any timer/relay from any Ford/Lincoln or Mercury from 1978 to 1983 will fit. So I'll stay with it. Thought I could thin down my harness some more.

 

I hit a blonde moment yesterday.

I was looking at the Mustang Ammeter connections (and I've done lots of these on old iron, including Army vehicles) and got seriously confused with the Ford EVTM manual, the Haynes Fairmont diagrams, and the Ford Factory manual. So I asked if anyone had pictures. If you've seen under a Fox hood, the air-breather ducting hides the connections at the Starter Relay. Luckily, Fat Tedy was online and checked my post in an older thread:

http://www.stat ionwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=711&page=34

and went out last evening, removed the ducts and took the pictures:






When I wrapped yesterday, thanks to a rain threat (I need a garage), I took a couple pics where the action is:


My relay setup is a an aftermarket replacement with an extra post unused. The original looks like it, but without that post (marked "I" for Ignition). The other one is marked "S" for Starter, and has the connection to the tranny switch via the key in Start position.


Here's the EVTM diagrams with wire colours.

With Ammeter:



With Idiot Light:


Tedy's has different wire colours (Green Fuselink is like my Yellow one with the green tag), but it's similar enough.

So I went hunting for some more info. This is a great article of the Pros and Cons of Ammeters and Voltmeters:
http://www.bmwmotorcycletech.info/amp&voltmeters.htm

And Sun Gauges have an excellent Gauge Installation PDF (128 KB 9 page document) comparing the circuits before and after:
http://www.tradervar.com/All Sun Gauges.pdf

That site has other documents for free download too:
http://www.tradervar.com/

Sheesh! I used the Preview Post and it took more that 5 pics! Well done, Stef!

 

And if Murphy's Law kicks in, this is a Dash Gauge Troubleshooter:
http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/ch18/18TSgagePBs.html

That's a popup window that comes from here - covers all gauges:
http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/...a/icar_resourcecenter_encyclopedia_gauges.asp

Neat site too:
http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/default.asp

Even a page on Roadside emergencies and a basic toolkit:
http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/...ourcecenter_articles_roadside_emergencies.asp

 

Who's your daddy?

Nothing like going back to where it all started. An Ammeter kit for a Model T. Runs on 6 or 12 volts too.

http://www.funprojects.com/products/5016.cfm

The site is dedicated to Model T, Model A, Early flat head Ford V8's and Ford Tractors.

You think they'd be on the new Clunker list?

 

Early Chevelle Ammeter setups. Diagrams and warnings against bad installations of original factory ammeters:
http://www.bracketracer.com/nova/shunt/shunt.htm

Best describes the dilemma I had in my 'blonde moment'.

 

Now this is like a quicky course on reading your car's MRI negatives. All the subtle stuff behind voltmeter readings. If you're doing a harness replacement or major upgrade, this is essential info:

http://classicbroncos.com/electricalbasics.shtml

 

Off-road Magazine has an excellent article on building your own custom gauge panel. Even ideas on best locations for certain gauges.

http://www.off-roadweb.com/tech/0209or_custom_gauge_panel/index.html

And this one ends the Ammeter quandary:
http://www.fordcaprilaser.co.uk/6_pod_dash_conversion.htm

 

Tedy, I need to change two of the sensors for the gauges. The 1979 to 1981 Mustangs came optioned with the 3.3 L I6. The cluster I got from the 1984 Mustang was for a 2.3L I4. The tach has the engine conversion switch, so that's done. But the Oil and Temp switches for gauges are different, over the Idiot Light senders in the block. I checked on Rock Auto, and the I6/I4 oil pressure switch has the same P/N. Rock Auto only list the Idiot light Temp sender, not the switch for the I6. Have you seen what they look like?

I can check with PartSource here. Ford F150's used the gauges too, but I don't know if that was for 250CID or the 300 CID. They also had the 3.3L as an option, but I don't know if the base F150 would have got the Gauge options.

Bronco's got small V4's and V6's from Mazda.

 

You wanting more pics Norm? If so I can do it latter......I'm taking my Honey flower shopping. When I get back "i'll look back in and see what I can do. I'll also take pcs of my sunroof surrownded by flowers, not a bad way to spend the day when every one gets what they want