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Started building my dash. All switches are mounted and then I started on the actual gauges. All gauges fit in the holes but the bracket that mounts each gauge is too SHORT. Each mount bracket is short about 1/4-inch. I guess tomorrow I’ll have to swing by Lowes and purchase a couple of small 3/8-inch thich mahogony strips to fit between the dash and the gauge mounting bracket. I also have a question.
Each gauge has a copper strip running from the light down the center to a terminal. When I install the mounting bracket the bracket will touch this copper strip. Is that okay? I’m thinmking that the copper strip is a ground and that will also ground the mounting bracket. What can you who’ve built your TDs already tell me?Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackI think you’re right that the strip is a ground. The gauges might give some indication on the back. See if you can find a minus sign somewhere or a GND.
As for the quarter inch of bracket shortness, are you including the thickness of your fiberglass ur-dash? Or are the holes in that way larger than your actual dashboard fascia?
Exceptionally rare that the bracket legs would be too short. They usually make the gauges so that they can be snugged up through a very thin 16 gauge +/- metal dash.
My dash is all wood. When I insert the gauge through the dash it secures with the bracket which is supposed to draw the gauge up into the bracket. But the bracket doesn’t reach the wood when the gauge is pushed up against the front side. It’s either add a wood strip to take up the distance or fabricate new brackets. Adding the wood spacers (for lack of a better terminology) seems the easier of the two.
Ed…I’ll look at the gauges tomorrow after work and see if that strip is in fact a ground.Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackThe copper strap is the ground connection to the lamp in the gauge. I installed a nut between the meter housing and the mounting bracket to space the bracket off the strip. This also allows for tightening the mounting nuts without over stressing the guage housing. As I recall, I made new aluminum brackets with the correct length legs. Pictures attached show the gauge mounting and dash wiring.
Don Loveless
Ford Pinto Fiberfab
Rochester, MII eneded up taking the easier route and added wood pieces between the gauge mount brackets and the back side of the dash. All gauigeas are in nice and tight and orientated correctly. The way the brackets were so short makes me think they were not for my Fiberfab kit but from a kit that has that center piece like the original TD had. Now on to the wiring of the dash. Need to get a couple of 12 pin connectors for the front and read harness connections.Don…you were correct. The copper strip IS the ground for the lights. I took your advice and added a nut under the bracket to allow the bracket to stand off the copper strip. Thanks for the heads up on that.Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack
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