Project Fur-Kota!

[69.5CUDA]

and cardboard templates or thin tin stuff...measure measure measure..and take alot of notes

 

[340EH]

Started hacking on the dashboard. Obviously lots of work still needed there is a piece that goes over the "Pod" and I think it would be wise to put some reinforcing back behind it all once I get it situated properly right now it's just sitting/wedged in there.

 

[69.5CUDA]

i cant help but think it would have made more sense to use just the guage pod and not the whole thing

 

[Dr.Jass]

That's what I thought he was going to do... just the gauges inside the original housing.

 

[340EH]

You are both right I was just going to just use the gauges. I have been looking at a good way to put everything where I want it. Alot of the old switchgear and controls were not going to workout as I had hoped with just the gauges. It looks spooky now but I think it'll all work out and I like the finish panel on the front. I hope it will help me hide more flaws. Time will tell if i was right or wrong.

(I'm sure now that I have dyslexia, every single time I've gone to type "gauges" i reversed the a and u, including the one in this sentence.)

 

[Dr.Jass]

That's going to be tough to trim out correctly. I would have gone about it much differently but if that's what you thought was the best option, hey, it's your car. I just think the whole Dakota dash piece looks completely wrong in a vintage interior. Everyone's got an opinion, though, right?

 

[69.5CUDA]

you might be better off trying to graft in the rest of the dakota dash along with it...its the only way youll get the smooth transitions

 

[340EH]

There is a cover that goes over the top but it will have to be cut to fit, and it currently has a passenger seat airbag attached to it. I would have liked to keep all the old gauges and have classic instruments do them up but my god the dough they want... Stratophere. I don't think it'll be perfect but hopefully I'll be able to live with it.

My wife used to say "You always ask my opinion but you never use my advice" then I'd say "True, I am usually pretty sure I'm going to do it my way but that doesn't mean I didn't consider your point of view." I've said it before Jass but it bears repeating; I appreciate any input on what I'm doing.

Thanks to those who keep posting your thoughts on this thread, makes me feel less alone then I really am when I'm out in the garage ;^)

 

[340EH]

I happened upon a guy parting a fury near hear and bought his rad cradle from him. I'm going to move the engine and trans back and put this thing back in. (I didn't retain my original at the time of the big merge). So I went out to the garage today and did a little cleaning up of the interior and removed the seat again when I found a little spot of rust through over the drivers side front leaf spring mount which led to putting in a patch about 8"x6" the floor is pretty thin where the patch meets the top of the rocker so that is challenging but I'll get it (rebuild it entirely out of weld :-/ ). Never got to look at measurements from the engine/trans move. ADHD autoshop at its finest. I'll take a pic of my handywork when I get it all sewn up.

 

[340EH]

Here are some pics of the dash cover from the dakota over the plastic piece I fitted. It looks a little better but I think it'll end up as a template for a piece of metal or maybe FG. also a pic of my latest patch, about 90% tin and 10% weld lol

 

[thrashingcows]

I have to agree with the others...that dash section just doesn't look, or feel right to me. I'm not there in preson to see things, and maybe it will work out in the end. Maybe grabthe dash out of that parts car fury...maybe you can play around with gauges and such on another dash?

That rust spot is pretty common on C-bodies.

It's coming along...keep up the good work!

 

[69.5CUDA]

deffinatly grab the other dash then you have a spare if you find you dont like it you can go back to stock or atleast have a spare uncut to work from

 

[340EH]

Summer shutdown and week two (my week) began with a trip to the JY to look at Jeep Mounts to use moving the engine back also bought a few interior trim parts for the Driver Neon (nice steering wheel and mint drivers side window track) then started cleaning up the driveway in front of the big door so I can get in there to lift the engine. Yesterday spent a lot of time cutting the roof off the old truck cab so I can fit it down the driveway for the scrap guy. Today, picked up some new motor mounts and was heading out in the neon to do some running around and ate the clutch at the end of the Driveway. I wonder if this has anything to do with that little trip to the autocross last month? Grrr I just had some work done on the front end too.

Mustn't track the daily driver - Mustn't track the daily driver.

 

[69dart340]

Stopped my Middy's on Friday to help out with his driveway beautification project. Saw the dash in person and have to say I think it looks pretty good. Once he gets everything closed up, it should look pretty sweet.

 

[340EH]

Well I'm looking into the rearward movement of the engine trans and I found a way to do it in the Garage without having to leave anything out in the weather but the body is slipped way into the back corner of the Garage and I've had to move just about every piece of equipment out there with the exception of the bench, shelves and paint/fluids cabinet.

 

[340EH]

Next steps were to level the frame and put some plumb-bobed ref points to the floor from the frame so if it moves while I'm pulling the engine off I can realign. Then I dropped a point from the middle of the tailshaft to the floor. At the front I had to go and get some 3/4-16 allthread and cut it at 9 inches then threaded it into the crank bolt hole to get a refrence point out of the pulley and past a x-member at the front of the frame, plumbed it to the floor snapped a line to the tailshaft mark and measured 5" rearward I'll probably put the picker in through the garage door to get the motor and trans up and start looking at what to remove and what will have to go in.

 

[340EH]

With the front end off I also had a look at the wiper motor and I think I might be able to use the motor and gearbox from the dakota which should simplify the wiring. I have also come up with a plan for the bulkhead connector. It has been a very productive week off and moving all the stuff in the Garage even helped me give it a good cleaning. :giggedy: :xl:

 

[thrashingcows]

I feel your pain with just not having enough room. But your progress is looking good!

As for the wipers. The motor should unscrew/bolt from the mounting plate, and you should then be able to remount the new'er motor on the original plate.

 

[340EH]

Well I got out to the Garage today and finally pulled the engine out and started looking at the move aft. I settled on a 5 inch shift to the rear which should let me put the Fury rad cradle back in, get the shifter out from under the dash and still allow decent access to the crank position sensor. The front bolt hole of the trans mount is 5 inches ahead of the rear hole so for rough figuring I just set the trans with the front bolt in the rear hole. The Jeep engine mounts are good but the drivers side will require modification. The Dakota mounts had solid centers and the jeep has a weaker looking rubber but the dak mount is cast aluminum and not as easy for me to mod. The DS Jeep mount works best mounted upside down but the plates don't sit right against the bosses on the block so I will likely have to cut it apart and flip some stuff.

Here are the pics

 

[340EH]

I didn't snap the current look, the pass side is upside down and the driver side is reversed from the picture above in order to move the mount forward.