Need a dash and console for an '84

tmpusfugit · 09-05-2010, 04:37 AM

I just picked up another '84, nice car other than it needs a dash and a console. PO was converting to a custom carbon fiber look, so the dash and the console are both pretty much history. I also need a pair of door insert panels. Anybody got any of the above that can be recovered and used?

thanks and regards,

Jim

Dean_Fuller · 09-05-2010, 04:30 PM

How fast do you need it? I have your brown dash that I havent done anything with yet....the inserts are easy to make from scratch.

I knew you couldnt stay away.

btw...she looks nice!

Can you post a pic of what the PO did with the seats???

tmpusfugit · 09-05-2010, 04:54 PM

Hello Dean,

Yeah, the brown dash did come to mind when I bought this. As you can see from the photos I need a dash, and could use a console, and the door inserts as you suggest are not bad to cut out from fiberboard or fiberglass or what ever... I now have this pretty well cleaned up, the good news is very decent repaint that needs color sanded and buffed out, the interior was new or like new before the PO started the carbon fiber effort. I don't have any photos of the carbon stuff...the car is 71k miles, with all sorts of new parts, including new hoses, new TT, new headers, new dual Hooker exhaust, new switches throughout, new rubber on all the doors and windows, new windshield, understide of the car is extremely clean and for the greater part like new, as are the fender wells and all the stuff therein, etc etc. He had the original paperwork, I am actually the 3rd owner....it had WP and TB 1000 miles ago, unfortunately that was 12 years ago....

The seats are pretty nicely done, as is all the other pieces that I have. At bit colorful, but what the hey????

I am more than happy to buy the dash if you have no need for it....by the way I do have a pair of brown sunvisors in plastic, good condition, mirrors are a bit dim, they should have gone with the rest of the stuff you got, will ship them if you want or need....

JK McDonald · JK McDonald's Garage

Hey Tmpusfugit, When you said you need a dash you weren’t kidding. I thought you had meant that your dash needed to be recovered. Quite the instrumentation and wiring project you have there. I think the seats and door panels look great by the way…..

Michael

tmpusfugit · 09-06-2010, 05:40 AM

Yeah, I need a complete dash, I expect to have to recover a replacement, but as you can see this one has been stripped to bare metal. I have a correct pod, but need the glove box cover, the dash itself, and perhaps the console. I may be able to save the console, have not tried removing the extra filler from it yet...

The wiring is mostly OK other than the pod connectors being cut off...by the way, I just learned there are differences between '81 instruments and '84's. The right hand pod connector on the '84 has 13 wires, the '81 has 12.....have not yet chased down what is different, just an observation to those of us who may be inclined toward swapping parts.....

While the car certainly needs put back together the overall condition is excellent. It started life in Houston, went to Illinois for a brief period of time, then off to California, then Louisiana, then back to Houston. It has evidently been garaged it's entire life and following a good wipe down and vacuuming I can say it is the cleanest used car I have bought....the underside of the car, the insides of the fender wells behind the deflectors are clean, bright, no dirt....scary clean...but that was more why I bought it in spite of the dash and wiring....fairly easy to fix compared to a trashed/rusted/dirty body

JK McDonald · JK McDonald's Garage

Hey tmpusfugit, The 84 928 is a great model to own since it has all the accumulative improvements of the early cars just prior to the 32 valve engine. I believe you will find that the Pod wiring change you mentioned between the 81 and the 84 model is the wire added from pin 11 of the L-Jetronic fuel computer and connected to the short lived 1983 fuel consumption gauge. The B+ and speed input to this gauge were always available behind the dash Pod. The wiring harness in the 1984 model still had the added wire from the fuel computer but the gauge had been deleted.

Good Luck on your project -

Michael

tmpusfugit · 12:33 PM

Michael,

Appreciate the information on the difference in clusters. I also found the tach to have a different mounting scheme between the '84 and '81. Since the instruments were pretty well beat up in this '84, just tossed in a box and got needles bent up and lost, as well as the faces themselves dinged, I am taking parts from the '81 cluster to hopefully have a fully functional set when done....fortunately the speedo/odo portion is fine and has a complete and good drive gear......

As to the '84 model, this is my second '84, the other one has been on the road for 3 months following a new TB/WP/alternator/starter/battery/ground cleaning/new belts/new hoses...I still have to repair the AC and cruise on it, when this '84 surfaced at a price that was very reasonable if one is skilled at wiring, and fortunately I am good enough (I hope!!!) having started my career many years ago as a field electrical engineer....past ham radio, commercial radio telephone licensed, and have spent more than 40 years in high tech.....computers.....all that said, watch me royally screw this up!

I like the '84's because of the points you raised....I avoided the 32v engines simply out of not knowing any better at first. I would be more than happy to own a 32v, just have not found one in the right condition and right price. I also like the smog on 25 year old cars here in TX.....that was at least part of my early considerations....

regards,

Jim

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

Wow Jim, what a beautiful interior (sans the dash and pod). I hope to get to see it in person tomorrow ... if it isn't raining. I'm very glad you made the "I did it again" decision.
Mike

Dean_Fuller · 09-06-2010, 02:19 PM

Let me see if I can find a box for the dash....I can't sell it back to someone that gave it to me to begin with.

Can you hang on to the steel dash for me if your not going to use it? I have some ideas.

Ill check on shipping. the console I have has a chunch out of it but if you need it i will look for a box and shipping for it too.

garylewa · garylewa's Garage

I have a dash, leather glovebox with excellent hinges and two leather door inserts for you. The door inserts have all of the clips and are straight; they are blue leather.
The glovebox is brown leather and has all of the hinges and mounting brackets.
The dash is brown leather that is beat up but the underlining is all there and it is straight. It includes the black defrost vents up top also.

Let me know by PM or email at garylewa@sbcglobal.net. The parts are just sitting in my basement.

tmpusfugit · 09-06-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean_Fuller

Let me see if I can find a box for the dash....I can't sell it back to someone that gave it to me to begin with.

Can you hang on to the steel dash for me if your not going to use it? I have some ideas.

Ill check on shipping. the console I have has a chunch out of it but if you need it i will look for a box and shipping for it too.

Dean,

Greatly appreciate the offer, let me check out Gary's parts below. You are of course welcome to this raw dash, happy to ship it to you.....

thanks,

Jim

JK McDonald · JK McDonald's Garage

Hey tmpusfugit, To get the A/C operational on your 1st 84 model you might try to connect up a good vacuum pump to see if your system will hold a solid 29 inches of vacuum. I have helped revive a couple of 928 A/C systems by simply installing new “O” rings, a new dryer and a few lbs of Freeze 12. There have been several in-depth discussions on this topic on Pelican Parts and Rennlist.

By the way - there is a small relay mounted within the dash mounted A/C system controls that can fail on the older 928 models. This small relay provides B+ power directly to the compressor clutch coil when the A/C button is pressed. You can extend the life of this small relay considerably by adding an additional external relay to the circuit. I usually mount a fog light style relay to the passenger side inner fender well - energize it’s coil from the 12 volts coming from the small relay in the dash and add a fused +12 tap from the POS Power Post on the passenger side inner fender to the A/C compressor clutch coil. Most Texas summers makes A/C pretty well mandatory ........

Good Luck, Michael

tmpusfugit · 09-07-2010, 04:29 AM

Michael,

Greatly appreciate the tips on AC. The white '84 sat, non running for about 4 years before I bought it. The AC system is still charged/pressurized, but the clutch does not pull in. The automatic AC controller is missing the external air temp thermistor/sensor which I understand tells the system to "turn on heat" which is precisely what it does...max hot air immediately, and the only way to turn off the heat is to shut down and restart. I have been casually attempting to source a couple of air temp sensors (so far on the 3 928's I have bought this year not one has had the sensor). I have not really attempted to troubleshoot this AC beyond casual observations, now that I don't need the AC so much I will start to fix it? Actually I want to get my red '84 on the road before I jump into the AC on the white car...

Benton · 09-08-2010, 05:59 AM

Jim,

If you don't strike a deal with one of the other guys, I have a pod, center console, door inserts, and dash available. They are slightly cracked in the normal areas, but would be great candidates for a recover. The only thing I don't have is a good glove box door. Shoot me an email at mark@theninesource.com if you are interested and I can get you a price for the lot of which parts you need. I have most any interior part you may need other than the glove box door.

Dean_Fuller · 09-26-2010, 04:32 PM

Hi Jim,
Did you find a dash??? Let me know if you need this one back.

Dean

tmpusfugit · 04:43 PM

Dean,

I did find a dash. It needs to be recovered as its leather is shot, but it is in otherwise decent shape. So, I do not need that one back. Thanks for the offer. I also located and purchased a console, dash glove door, door inserts, and some other stuff, all in pretty decent shape. I got some of it from Mark Benton (thanks Mark, as described very decent, good price, quick delivery)

Do you want the other one I have that is stripped of all the padding (steel carcass only) Also, how are you progressing on your efforts to do the interior stuff?

Jim