Dismantling Elan dashboard

I have '68 Elan S4, and I believe I have a “short” in the wiring behind the dashboard, which could be serious if a fire starts. Before I start something I can’t finish, can anyone give me a brief procedure of how to remove the dashboard, or is there somewhere I can read up about it.? I have a maintenance manual, but that doessn’t help.
Thanks in anticipation

Removing the dash easy as long as you take it slowly and carefully and take lots of photos and notes of where things go.

Pull of the steering wheel and disconnect and remove the upper steering column that connects to the dash and the firewall. Split it from the lower steering shaft at the slip joint. The wires going to the column switches need to be disconnected when removing.

Pull the trim off the lower edges of the dash if its still there to avoid damaging it as you remove the dash.

Remove the large chrome screws that hold the dash to the body and gently ease the dash towards the rear of the car a couple of inches taking car not to overstretch anything connected to the dash.

You then have access from top and bottom to disconnect all the wires, air vent ducts and cables that go to the dash taking lots of photos, labeling and notes so you know where they go back

Once everything is disconnected you then can remove the dash completely

Hope this helps - I am doing this from memory so perhaps I have missed a step that others can fill in

regards
Rohan

Hey! Rohan you beat me! …
Pretty much the same - I just don’t like taking the wheel off , or the slip clamp.

Tyasman
Question 1. How confident are you?
Question 2. What are you going to do once it’s apart? Repair or replace?

I’ve had my dash out twice in three weeks - admittedly the doors aren’t on and the car’s on stands, which makes life so much easier.

Photograph everything! Make copious notes. Lay the nuts and bolts out as if you were taking the head off! Don’t force anything! Label any wires- position/top/bottom/left/right/switchetc/etc

Disconnect battery, get a tiny torch.

Under dash trims off, heater and choke (if it’s connected) disconnected, speedo disconnected, maybe bonnet pull unscrewed, centre console out - I also took the seats out - not necessary but more space and only two minutes, steering column support released (about half way down near pedals - support not inner column clamp, if you want dash right out - temperature sender (fragile tubing) will have to come into the cockpit, dash bolts - bottom may two have nuts to hold earth wires, one between speedo and tach may have a bolt too (in fact, just watch out - who knows what’s gone on before!), two steering column support bolts below speedo and tach… probably more stuff to dissonect - radio? watch those fragile windscreen trims.

GENTLY tug/pull/cajole the facia forward - the wood is fragile especially around glove box, if it doesn’t budge don’t force - LOOK! could be aged grime sticking things.

It won’t come out far before you will have to start pulling wires- NOTES! PHOTOS! (good ol’ digi cameras)

Ooh? about 20 minutes… that was (nearly) a joke. About a couple of hours to the looking at the wires stage but then I had the doors off and have done it before… I don’t enjoy it and I do psych myself up.

Still confident? I expect and hope others will add their bit too - it all helps - good luck.

Paul

Ps I also have a 68 S4 - the ignition is very close to the heater and can short, also the heater support is a hot favouite too.

Thanks Rohan and Paul. To answer Paul’s question, I’m confident alright - in fact I’m so confident I think I’ll get a really confident mate to help me! He’s built several cars, loves taking cars to bits and he’s a sparky. I (he) will be looking for tell tale signs of melted wires. Thanks to both for the info.
Simon

? why do you think you have a short circit supply to earth.

If I were you I’d first get a disconnect switch on the battery cable so there is no juice whenever the car is off and sitting in the garage.
Next, I’d remove the driver’s seat, lay a blanket the length of the floor and climb in, head at the pedals with a very bright light. Look behind the dash for the problem, find it, fix it. Put the seat back in and drive. Removing the dash seems like an awful drastic solution. All the wires can’t be bad. What if it’s just the cigarette lighter? (you may have to look from the passenger’s side as well)

My worry would be that after removing the dash you cant find the short, and it turns out to be a component… Have you tried to isolate/confine/identify the short into an area of the car/harness?..ED

Thanks to all - I think this is one for a pro! And I know one, so I’ll book him for a day in my garage.

The best advice I had came from Paul Matty for when I replaced my dash. Pretty obvious, I know, but worth repeating.

Clearly identify each set of wire connections to each switch and dial etc. ? I used masking tape and permanent marker. Make a sketch of each switch and dial and note which colour wire goes to which connection. The switch connections are numbered. Also mark each switch sketch for top or bottom just to make sure they go back in the right way up if you remove any of them.

I also partially rewired the earth circuits in a manner that had the connections wired in a combination of series and parallel, and connected to the chassis in three places. OTT maybe, but it?s an easy action with the dash out, and I feel more comfortable now as the memory of earth continuity problems in my old S2 has never gone away.

Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint)

Great advice Brian. May I add that your local hardware store sells numbered stickers for electrical work. There are two of each number so you simply attach one to each wire and the matching one to the corresponding terminal. Really speeds things up.

Frank,

In my professional days that is exactly what I would have done as a matter of course - but now I’m a poor pensioner (British, of course), I take the low cost options.

Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint)

Hi Guys,
I just did this bit. Easy peasy…Loosen/remove everything you can find . Gain access to the main loom feeding the dashboard. Cut it. Pull out dash panel.

        Reverse when fitting it back in. Just like the manual says. Join the harness with lots of those wee blue scotchlock connectors. (arnt they marvellous!!   :confused: ) Mind and keep the wire to wire colour code,  cos' if you don't you could wipe the windies when you switch the lights on.

Have fun… But not too much…

Only kidding :smiley:

How on earth do you attach pics etc… ??

Again, Thanks to all

A word of caution to anybody replacing their dashboard. The varnish on replacement dashboards can be thick and brittle and will crack if you bend the dashboard even slightly while fitting it. I discovered this the hard way when I ‘cracked’ a brand new dashboard trying to fit it. Luckily (for me) there were other problems with the dashboard (the varnish was so thick that it sagged when the dashboard was in the car - after a long fight with the supplier it was replaced.
Any small stresses in the dashboard can also lead to cracks, like those associated with the two screw holes where the ashtray is fitted. It safer to mark the holes and drill out the surface varnish before screwing the ashtray in- don’t be tempted to try and just screw the ashtray in without pilot holes.

Carl