Dash Box project: Musings and developments...

OK, an update on Project Dash Box...

Following a couple of really good suggestions, I’ve laid my grubby mitts on a Rivnut installation tool with assorted metric sized rivnuts. It’s a bit like a pop rivet gun, but for threaded pop rivets style nuts to accept screws and bolts. I’m awaiting delivery of a few metric Cap Head Socket Screws (hex, or Allen key sockets).

From the imagery and measurements I’ve taken of the centre console assembly, it looks as if I should be able to stick an M4, maybe an M5, rivnut in the console flat top, so as to fix the Meccano ‘girder’ in place. I’ve therefore chosen the Cap Head Socket Screws, as I can reach into the screw holes in the top of the girder, to screw the screws down into the rivnuts.

I reckon five of the rivnuts, spaced equally along the dash top plastic surface, should do the trick, with M4x10 or M5x10 screws to anchor the girder in place on the console top with a fair amount of rigidity. The instrument case that forms the dash box will then be mounted on top of the girder, and bolted to it using conventional nuts and bolts through the casing of the box. This will provide resistance to forward and rearward motion of the box at the front.

With the two L-bolts I have on the way from a friend to lock into the air vent I mentioned in a previous posting, and as well as holding down the rear of the box to the dash, the rear of the box will be anchored in place at the rear, and will prevent both lateral and forward/backward motion of the box.

Before I can get moving on this, I have to prepare a few things first.

The Meccano ‘girder’ is covered in a zinc coating, which needs to be roughed up with sandpaper to accept a couple of coats of matt black paint (this to prevent reflections in the cabin of the car).

Once that’s done, the girder will be ready. Then all I have to do is test and install (one trial rivnut smack dab central on the plastic flat top of the dash, to check for practicality), and then it’ll off to the races.

I also have to bend the girder base back slightly - there’s going to be some testing and adjustment to this, as I need the box to rest on top of the thing flat, with no gaps; one ‘leg’ will be at a right angle (and won’t be messed with) - that’ll be the leg to be mated to the dash box. The other will be bent back slightly, so as to provide the correct angle against the plastic dash top, for when the dash box is eventually mounted in place. I’ll have to use a large vice to bend that metal girder ‘leg’, as the girder is remarkably tough for a meccano part!

I also have to enlarge one of the mounting holes on the girder to accept a standard 1/4"-20 pitch thread camera mounting screw. That’s going to be fairly easy (you use an electric drill, and re-drill the hole required).

The initial aim here, is to get the basics done, in preparation for the installation of the box itself, which will be a monumental PITA of a job, but which also lays the groundwork for future upgrades to the wagon.

The box installation will require wiring runs and routing, and may require major parts of the dash to be removed for the purpose. I’m looking at doing that after the first week in June, as the first week, I’m planned to be in France for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. All of this, by the way, when I’m on leave from work for three weeks from the beginning of June (leave tends to be block allocated by the company).

In the interim between this week and the beginning of June, the girder installation will provide me a reliable mounting point to remount the Yaesu two-way control head, and my (new) mobile phone mounting assembly.

Should be interesting!