Dash

Well I'm back from Down Under and at last the sun is shining here in Cumbria. Now I've got to make some time to prepare Carrie for the road. Regular followers will know I've been rebuilding my dash to a new design. It's still some way off completion but I have offered it up and it fits pretty well and everything seems to be accessible. Now all I need to do is connect up the wires correctly and calibrate the new speedo. Doesn't sound much but it is a major task for a duffer like me. Anyhow I've taken a pic of the dash roughly in situ covered in cling film and it looks OK but needs relieving round the steering column which I have raised by about 3/4".

As long as I can get everything to work it will be a major improvement over the original (see below).

It seems awfully quiet out there with the exception of John in Wales. I'd love to hear from some of you

New dash for Carisma - Part Two

Phase 2 is well under way.

After a few disasters the new dash is taking shape. The surface has been rubbed down more than I care to think about and I'll have to watch that the veneer doesn't get too thin. I had a lot of problems with glue bleeding through the veneer and holes appearing mysteriously. Every time I filled them the filler either seemed to swell or to dip. I've now accepted that absolute perfection is probably not an option and that the natural flaws in the walnut are the features that make it interesting. It still needs to be lightly rubbed down (600 grade I reckon) and re-varnished another couple of times (I'm using a paint pad rather than a brush now and getting better results). I've got to allow 24 hrs between coats and it is frustrating resisting the temptation to tinker with it. I'll get another pic prior to installation.

New dash for Carisma - part one

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I finally had to bite the bullet as it has been bugging me since I bought the car. My old dash was awful. Damp had set in and swollen the mdf. The proportions were all wrong too though the felt tip guide to the controls had a certain home made charm. I bought a new set of TPI instruments from the US which should be easier to calibrate with my 16" wheels. I have 3 original Carisma gauges Speedo, Fuel and Temp (which are still available to order at reasonable cost from Speedy Cables) for sale if anyone needs them and also the ones from my old dash (Smiths - see pic).

I have made a new blank and with one major disaster behind me (the blade on the hole cutter snapped off and scored the face of the expensive blank - be warned - it's always the last hole!). I have now veneered the blank and I think it's going to look ok. I used the old dash to create a rough template and I numbered and removed all the cables behind the dash to reveal a huge bird's nest of wires.

It's going to be a mission putting them back as the new dash layout is a bit different from the old one but should be worth it. If any other owners are intending doing this job themselves I can supply a paper template if they wish. It

took me ages so I might as well pass on the knowledge to someone else. The next exciting instalment will follow (hopefully fairly soon!)