'86 dash in '83 SC

911gilley · 911gilley's Garage

Does anyone know if an '86 911 turbo dash will fit into a '83 911 SC? I bought a full leather interior and am not sure if the dash will fit. It looks like the defrost vent on the 86 is one piece that spans the center 2/3 of the dash vs. the two separate approx 8" vents on the '83. I think that the '86 dash univent will simply cover the 83 dual vents. Also, the center heat/AC vent is larger on the outside, but looks like the same hookup on the back.
I was just wondering if anyone has done this upgrade before.

braddb_82SC · 09-03-2004, 09:32 PM

I put '92-964 dash in my '82-911SC.
I had to dremel away about 1/8 inch of strip metal behind the dash pad to get the new larger vent to slip into the old slot. Very easy and undetectable once the new dash was in. The hook up in the back is the same as the old.
Also, I had to get creative with the installation of the new defroster strip. I drilled some new holes and used black allen-head screws to secure it to the dash. Some of the old holes have all-head screws epoxied in place for apearance sake.
The defrost air is now more defuse. I'm not sure how effective it will be. The window has not fogged since I installed the new dash a few months ago. It can't function much worse than it used to.

I really prefer the look of the new style dash over the old pre '86 version.

-Brad

braddb_82SC · 09-03-2004, 10:02 PM

Here is what I mean when I write "creative installation of the defrost strip."
In the photo, where I write "functional" I mean that the screw goes through the dash and has a nut on the other end. In this photo I have not yet epoxied the short dummy screws into the nonfunctional screw holes.

-Brad

911gilley · 911gilley's Garage

Do you mean Dremel sheet metal around the center vent area because it won't line up? Also, I am not planning on taking the windshield out since it is new/recently installed and the dash is an afterthought, but it looks like it is not necessary to remove it anyway since the defroster vent screws thread in at a parallel angle to the windshield, right? Did you have to drill new holes for all the "new" and "original functional" holes or just the "new"? Looks like windshield would need to be out to drill for "new" holes or can I get around this?
Thanks Brad for the pics and insight.