Latest POCA issue/ Interior

During my reassembly of 2511 after repair of the collision damage and the repainting, I installed an aftermarket Restomod HVAC unit, Kenwood touchscreen and added HVAC vents at both outer sides of the dash

It took me hundreds of hours. Mounting the HVAC unit required designing brackets and modifying output vents to supply cabin, floor and defrost zones. The outboard vents required modification of the glove box support and the driver side steel dash structure. Ducting to the driver side vent is very restricted due to the steering column support.

I basically did what Denny’s prototype does.

At the point this article was written it appears there has yet to be an actual dash/console installation performed. I am quite sure they will find the same obstacles that I faced  

Unlike you I would most definitely not want to be one of the first to attempt the DYI installation of a kit or to leave the car at Denny‘s for his shop to perform the installation.

whatever approach is taken one must consider the downtime required to perform the task. A DIY approach follows your own timetable, while a shop installation puts you at the mercy of their timetable.

I would most definitely wait to receive other owners’ feedback, from those that took the DIY approach and to those that elected to have his shop perform the upgrade.

My 2¢

Larry

Larry

that dash is exactly what I want… do you have a pattern for it? Most interested in a double  din GPS

im in Phoenix and the car isn’t currently drivable so I don’t know how the AC does out here

Do you have an early two pod dashboard or the later single pod style?

Larry

Larry, I don’t know what that means.  How would I know?

If your speedometer and tachometer are each in their own pod, two pod Dash.

As in my photo  

Larry

Ah

then I have a two pod dash

Then, sadly, your dream will be very difficult to obtain. Unless you too are prepared to devote a couple hundred hours

The two dashboards also have 2 distinct center console designs. Nothing inter-changes from one to the other

you can buy a fiberglass horizontal gauge panel and matching base from the vendors, but it will only fit the late one pod dashboards

what I did was buy just the horizontal panel, then added and subtracted to the edges so it properly fit my early console. Then I had to gut my console and devise a method to attach the gauge panel to my modified console base. If used with the late single pod dashboard there will be enough room for a touchscreen and the OEM HVAC controls. But when modified to work with the two pod Dash, as I did, there is no room for the OEM controls. There was room for the controls for my aftermarket HVAC unit, and I relocated the OEM switches to other locations.

Not saying you cannot pull this off for your car, but the task is quite the undertaking  

Larry

I carefully trimmed away the center section of the console base, leaving about a half inch perimeter border. With careful planning and retaining all the overlapped upholstery I was able to avoid any reupholstery tasks

using brackets I had on hand I was able to mount caged nuts in the four corners that allowed panel attachment using four  thumb screws. Brackets were fiberglassed to the existing console  

Looks amazing! Project for next year. I have to replace the fast tank now, adding Holley sniper and fixing The AC first.

Larry

what vender did you purchase the panel from? I found it at precision proformance but they might not be open anymore, the number doesn’t work.

Precision Proformance is no longer in business.

I purchased the panel from Wilkinson. He sells them as a set but he was kind enough to just sell the gauge panel.

Larry