One of the challenges is to have the chromed strips above and below the dash panels perfectly aligned. That would have been easier if I had opted for glovebox-delete. But with the glove box in, the strips are cut in tree pieces from the right door to the steering column. An extra challenge is that the square vents are spring centred, and that does not guarantee a perfect positioning.
So my first exercise is to define a straight line that spans the das from left to right. Using that line I can then position the vents perfectly aligned.
It may be an overkill, but I used a hobby laser level. It worked out great.
Once I had that reference line I did modify the outer casing of the vents to fit perfectly in between the dash top and bottom of the dash metal chassis. First went the springs. I then glued on some wooden shims. The top edge of the dash opening must be filed so it is perfectly horizontal (I call horizontal anything that is parallel to the laser line). The bottom edge can be bent and twisted. Now, the vent frame drops in perfectly. I'll need to find a way to fix it, will do that later. Note that when I modify something, I make sure it is 100% reversible, so I can go back to my original dash if this whole exercise fails
Here is the laser level
Used to set the bottom edge of the opening straight, see the red line
springs removed and shims added top and bottom
