RHD instrument cluster bezel question

Started by Mach ro1, December 25, 2023, 09:34:02 PM

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Mach ro1

I have a RHD 1969 Mach 1. The dash cluster had been done and 'fitted' by the previous owner. It's terrible. An absolute Frankenstein mess that doesn't really fit into the dash very well. I've taken it out and had a look at the attempt and it kind of looks like they've chopped up another dash and then fiberglassed areas to try to make the correct shape. But it doesn't look like they cared or maybe just got insanely frustrated and that's what they accepted as an attempt.

I've had a good crack at fixing it up over a few days by reshaping it an respraying, but it was polishing a turd and it doesn't fit under the dash well anyway, as in no screws line up with their intended place into the dash. There's a good 1cm gap right round.
To look at when seated in the drivers seat it's fine I guess... just don't look too close.

What I'd like to know is what have the other RHD owners done to make it look right?

Any pictures would be great if possible, to show what is possible with the right craftsmanship and decent time spent getting it right.

Thanks

Aussie-67


GEOFF289

I don't know anything about this subject but won't let that stop me from chiming in.

I would have thought a RHD conversion would just use the original gauge cluster without any particular modification. If yours has had to be mucked around with to still not really fit properly doesn't it suggest that conversion of the actual dash panel itself is the problem rather than the gauge cluster?

Reborn67

That is a good point, the devil is always in the detail, the idea is the final product has to be a mirror image of the original, that includes all the metal work behind, did they do the wipers.?

Mach ro1

Quote from: Reborn67 on December 26, 2023, 09:06:48 AM
That is a good point, the devil is always in the detail, the idea is the final product has to be a mirror image of the original, that includes all the metal work behind, did they do the wipers.?

The instrument bezel is lop sided so it's wider on one side than the other therefore it doesn't flip to the RHS without some serious work. Also the part that fits around the steering column also needs to shift across about an inch so that has to be cut out and moved then the gap filled.


Reborn67

So if the cluster is asymmetrical you can only assume that it is side specific, and has to be a genuine Rhs part otherwise it is just Lhs part forced into a place it will never fit..,

GEOFF289

I guess I assumed the best practice RHD conversion involved cutting the dash panel and swapping the instrument panel bit for the glove box bit, otherwise all the switch gear is still over on the left and kind of hard to reach. If so the gauge cluster would just be going back in where it came from, although I can see how the column might not be in the right place.

This latest info though suggests the gauge cluster is modded to go in where the glovebox was.

??