Reinstalling Console

[SteinOnkel]

Hey guys,

how would one bolt in the upper console? I got it wiggled around the shifter, but it won't go any further in. It gets caught on the bottom console.

Let me guess...top part goes in first, which means I get to take the bottom one out again?

[dinghyguy]

bottom console goes in first,
Then slip top over the shifter pointing back down, level it out and gently slide it back until it hags up on the wiring or switches in the way. Note, Centre dash bit is not installed until console is in place. Using your triple jointed fingers move everything and push back until the bottom front is lined up with bottom console and the sides of the top console are approximately level. Make sure all the bulbs and switches are poking out the right holes more or less.
At that point you should be able to position the centre console and try and install the round nut on the too short switches. Practice your italien until you get them threaded on and the console in place. At that point the screws on the bottom on the sides get screwed in.
then i slide the radio in and test everything.

repeat until all is working

If you have the ability to make a really thin nut you can bolt the switches into the dash first and then the trouble with the cdash centre can be reduced, but you need a really thin nut.

cheers
dinghyguy

[SteinOnkel]

That worked, thanks!

I shoved it in and now the car won't crank over anymore. Sweet!

[TheBender]

That worked, thanks!

I shoved it in and now the car won't crank over anymore. Sweet!

Ohhhh No. That sucks.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I shoved it in and now the car won't crank over anymore. Sweet!

Steiny, you're killin' me... Maybe a wire or two got pulled off the back of the ignition switch? The red wire is the one that goes to the starter solenoid, and the ever-popular brown wire also needs to be connected. Anything else not working (lights, gauges, etc.)?

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

I shoved it in and now the car won't crank over anymore. Sweet!

Steiny, you're killin' me... Maybe a wire or two got pulled off the back of the ignition switch? The red wire is the one that goes to the starter solenoid, and the ever-popular brown wire also needs to be connected. Anything else not working (lights, gauges, etc.)?

-Bryan

This thing knows it's going on the auction block and it just will not go down without a fight.

I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that, Bryan. What I done did in the name of safety and longevity of the components is this:

1) Use a brake light switch on the clutch pedal. The starter can only be used with the pedal down. This is because in 2019 my better half was learning to drive stick on the car and had the nasty habit of cranking it in gear.
2) Wire the whole thing through a repurposed relay. Which is in - you guessed it - the stock relay board. That means there are wires for this that now cross over behind the center console. I found one pulled out of the relay socket (bad crimp), but of course that wasn't it.

To top it all off, my cheapo multimeter broke last week. I bought one with a ton of great functions (rpm, temp, dwell, duty cycle you name it), but it had one major drawback. Pretty much every time you wanted to use it, you had to take out the ground lead, blow into the hole and plug it back in with a lot of force. Well, last week I used a bit too much and heard a tiny crack. Now you can't pull the probe back out and the continuity test beeps constantly. I got a birthday coming up and I let it slip that I would like a Fluke 233 (removable display!). That's hopefully the last multimeter I use.

Good times!

P.S: Last night just before falling asleep I realized I had forgotten to plug in the speedo cable. Never ever do I want to remove the gauge pod on a Fiat again, so that will be some fun finger breaking to plug back in. Why is everything always so half-cocked with these cars!?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

That's hopefully the last multimeter I use.

Every El-Cheapo brand of digital multimeter that I have ever gotten ended up being an exercise in frustration, what with the crappy internal electrical contacts. You'll enjoy the Fluke.

That being said, it sounds like you are well on your way to solving the problem. You do realize this thing you have with Italian cars has its origins all the way back to the Cimbrian War around 110 BC...?

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

That's hopefully the last multimeter I use.

Every El-Cheapo brand of digital multimeter that I have ever gotten ended up being an exercise in frustration, what with the crappy internal electrical contacts. You'll enjoy the Fluke.

That being said, it sounds like you are well on your way to solving the problem. You do realize this thing you have with Italian cars has its origins all the way back to the Cimbrian War around 110 BC...?

-Bryan

We whooped their asses in the forest a stone's throw from my birthplace. No joke.

Then they decided not to mess with us and instead swing south and east.

[dinghyguy]

the procedure did mention repeat........

the speedo cable is a challenge i agree, especially the push on clip thingy. I hope you lubed the probe well before you installed the speedo.

Interestingly you complain about the access etc, but i have found just as many frustration issues on my 72 volvo trying to change dash bulbs to LED's . Things could be worse you could be working on a new car.....

cheers
dinghyguy

[18Fiatsandcounting]

...I have found just as many frustration issues on my 72 volvo trying to change dash bulbs to LED's .

Yep! A number of decades ago, I offered to fix a dash light or switch or something similar in a 1970s Volvo sedan. What I thought would take a few hours ending up taking a few days. The entire dash had to come apart...

As for Steiny's ancestors doing battle in early Europe, I'm kinda picturing scenes from Monty Python's The Holy Grail, just 1000 years earlier.

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

the procedure did mention repeat........

the speedo cable is a challenge i agree, especially the push on clip thingy. I hope you lubed the probe well before you installed the speedo.

Interestingly you complain about the access etc, but i have found just as many frustration issues on my 72 volvo trying to change dash bulbs to LED's . Things could be worse you could be working on a new car.....

cheers
dinghyguy

The access I think is no worse or better than other cars. Not even new ones.

What I struggle with is the slapdashery of how the interior is assembled. It may be down to a number of factors, the materials being one of them, but I will never ever complain about my 80's VW interiors again. Yeah, it might not be softtouch, but my goodness is plastic a great material for a dashboard. You can take it in and out 10 times and it fits the exact same way every time. Warpage? Nope. Cracks? Not a one.

This interior is 39 years old. I've taken it apart three times, the last time was to repaint the dash. Yeah, there's exposed paint, hard surfaces all around, but a 10 year old can put it together.