directordanw Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 So the cracked windscreen, and attendant water damage that I inherited with my Éclat Riviera has caused the leather to start to peel up off the top of the dash. It's not so bad as it can't be rescued but it'll be much easier to do if I remove the dash top. Much as I hate to admit it..! The workshop manual covers removing the dash from an S1, an S2 is presumably pretty similar, but it seems to involve a fair bit of demolition. So I was wondering/hoping if there was some way of removing the dash top without having to dismantle the whole interior of the car. Does anyone have any handy short cuts? Or failing that can anyone run me through the best method of getting the dash out so I can restore it? Thanks in advance! Dan Quote Regular restorer. Rather less reliable forum poster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaKa Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I'm keen on someone giving feedback here as I have the same problem with the raised instrument section of my Excel dashboard - presumably the fixings are similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieCroker Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 I have just removed a complete dash yesterday from a S1 Elite, I take it the Eclat is the same? It's very simple apart from two screws. Ok so remove the handbrake console and gear stick gaiter which inturm enables you access to two screws to the body, remove those. Then two screws each side of the dash right by the door pilars, these can rust so expect a fight. Once these are free the dash starts to give. Now the two difficult screws, which are under the dash top about a foot in each side of the door pilars. These are difficult for two reasons, one they are under the leather and two the windscreen doesn't give access for a screw driver. I was lucky in the case that no windscreen was present so I went in through the cavity. Once these are out just a case of removing all the dash wires and cables, speedo and oil pipe. Took me 1, 1/2 hours. Biggest problem is those top screws and if the are rusty you will have a fight on your hands. All the best Charlie ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
directordanw Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks Charlie - mine's an S2 but I'm assuming it's all the same. And my windscreen's out too so that makes life easier. But it's only the drivers' side and glove box cowls I need to recover - do I still have to pull the entire unit out? And had you removed the centre switch panel first or did this all come out as a oner? Ta! 1 Quote Regular restorer. Rather less reliable forum poster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieCroker Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 It's one bloody unit! Center panel comes out with the unit after you remove all the wires at the rear. The glove box section does come off, so no problem there. But as far as I can see the steering wheel side is covered as a fixed piece, I could be wrong though it may well unscrew (got the dash on my kitchen floor), let me check mine when I get back, just having my Sunday morning coffee and the papers, hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herc Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Dan, If I understand your question correctly, the actual cowl bits for the glove box and instruments on either side do come off separately. There are bunch of screws that aren't too hard to track down, if I remember correctly. Unless I'm hallucinating, I'm sure I had mine off at one point Herc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
directordanw Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 That is exactly what I'm after. Took a bunch of screws out yesterday but don't appear to be any closer to releasing just the cowls - I can't separate them from the centre binnacle. If you have a brainwave as to what you did I'd be much obliged! Quote Regular restorer. Rather less reliable forum poster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieCroker Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Ok, the left hand side is easy, two velcro fasteners holdind the top down, with a locating pin on the right side of the center cosole which you can see from the top, looks like a further screw inside the glove compartment. Right side has the same top fasters and left side locating pin. I can't quite see but it looks like the dash with dials has to either come out or loosen to remove that side. Even with it on my kitchen floor and access to the back of it is not conclusive. You may have to loosen things and go lightly and I think it will come off, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herc Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 It's possible I was hallucinating of course - it wouldn't be the first time. The manual shows the instrument cowl as separate for sure, but it's not very clear on the fixings.. I thought you pulled the instrument panel forward, undid some stuff, maybe unscrewed the centre console panel too, and there were screws from one side to the other. Whenever I'd worked i the dash it has required me to remove the shroud over the steering column, which in turn required the steering wheel removed. You need a small puller (or mess about for an hour with G-clamps like I did) to pull the steering boss off the column. Then you can get the shroud off. However, don't waste too much time on my account, I have been certified wrong more than once in the past Herc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil1961 Posted May 15, 2014 Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 any more advise on this i have to do the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Wood Posted May 16 Report Share Posted May 16 I know this is an old topic but removing my 1975 Elite dash was an absolute pain, to the point that whoever did the design is not an engineer and should have been shot!!! Everything was badly rusted and there were three relays bolted to the back of the glove box that I had to basically rip out. Part of the problem was my car has sat for 15 years under a tarp and everything was completely seized up. Still trying to recover the mess I ended up with and not sure if I can ever get it back to how it was. Good luck to anyone trying this. Ivan W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don.Hasi Posted May 16 Report Share Posted May 16 in my understanding it was the work of Giugiaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAR Posted May 16 Report Share Posted May 16 I'm not sure an engineer doing the design would've considered the car sitting under a cover for 10 years. I suspect rusty fixings wasn't really an issue? 1 Quote It's getting there...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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