P1800 Dashboard Repair

I bought hard covers for top and bottom of the dashboard (black) for the bottom part I must remove the steering and as this cover is a hard one is there a way to remove or by pass the levers for the turn signal and horn.
Thank you

[mike gilbert]

When you remove the steering wheel you will find the cover for the indicator and overdrive switch (or horn switch if its an early car) is held in place with three screws, which were hidden by the steering wheel boss. Undo them and remove the cover, then you can unscrew the overdrive switch. To remove the dash you will first need to also take out the indicator stalk. That is grief because the screws that hold it to the column sleeve are not easily accessable. You have to get under the dash and loosen all the clamps holding the column sleeve. Then slide out the column sleeve exposing the screws for the indicator stalk. Theres lots of other stuff to disconnect as well to get the dash out but if you want to do an authentic job of covering it, the dash should really be removed.
Mike Gilbert.

Thanks for your response, it seems that the answers to my questions have me facing more work that I am capable of doing at this time. I will follow them to the best of my ability. Patrick

[mike gilbert]

Getting the dash out, repairing it and replacing it is a horrible, fiddly and time consuming job. Just taking one out and putting in another is a full weekends work, well certainly if you havent done it before, and really you need two people to put it back in because they are almost 'sprung' in place - and thats a lot of metal to persuade into a gap it doesn't want to go into, without help. You can do it alone but if you drop the thing and damage it, you won't be happy. That said you can take the opportunity to sound proof the bulkhead and clean and grease the wiper motor and all the heater and vent cables etc while the dash is out. Also check the corners of the windscreen aperture for water ingress and rust - very common. Also you can clean and polish all the switches and instruments, which always come up like new. Makes the job worthwhile then.
Mike

[jimmyleeday]

Hey patree,
Where did you buy/get your dash covers from? Can I ask roughly how much? Are they the same as the originals?
Cheers,
Jimmy

[jimmyleeday]

Hey Mike,
I'm looking to make repairs to my upper & lower dash and I'd like to recover in leather. Do you have any experience of this being done and also what are your views on this matter?
Thanks,
Jimmy

[mike gilbert]

To re-cover the dash in leather will require the top to be made in Several parts (more still for the bottom), as the leather will not stretch enough to match the dash's countours. All the leather tops I've seen are in several parts and that means there is stitching visible along the front of the dash top and around the instrument binnacle. It therefore looks completely wrong. Then there is the maintainance of the leather which gets red hot under the windscreen and dries out. Then theres the expense. Why bother?
You can get authentic vinyl dash covers I believe, but if you can't, and anyone is looking for a pair - top and bottom - I do have them but in the later 'heavier grain' vinyl.
Mike

hi i can trim your dash in plastic or leather top as to have stich line along front edge. top and bottom £150 if you want it taken out and refitted about £300 look on www.specialist-upholstery.com

[didxxx]

Originally Posted by mike gilbert

To re-cover the dash in leather will require the top to be made in Several parts (more still for the bottom), as the leather will not stretch enough to match the dash's countours. All the leather tops I've seen are in several parts and that means there is stitching visible along the front of the dash top and around the instrument binnacle. It therefore looks completely wrong. Then there is the maintainance of the leather which gets red hot under the windscreen and dries out. Then theres the expense. Why bother?
You can get authentic vinyl dash covers I believe, but if you can't, and anyone is looking for a pair - top and bottom - I do have them but in the later 'heavier grain' vinyl.
Mike

Hi Mike,
i bought some dash covers but the contours do not seem right to me and Simon at Brookhouse said they were the only ones. Can you confirm if this is true and if not do you still have any as ive just spent the afternoon taking the dash out and i do not want to be replacing with the wrong stuff.