I HATE interior work on these cars

**BarryK** · 04-12-06, 07:54 PM

Ok, I'm getting used to working under the hood of the cars and have gotten to the point that while I still don't have muych of a clue about what i'm doing I'm at leastwilling to dig in and just do it and work my way thru things but the interior work is seriously starting to work my patience!
First, yesterday I went to swap out an aftermarket POS radio back to a stock factory radio and the antenna cable fell apart on me so today I went out, bough one of the those antenna extention cable, cut off the female end and had to splice the two together to save myself having to replace the entire cable.
I got that done and put everything back together and now the gear indicator on the transmission shifter stopped working so now I get to take the dash/center console apart yet again to figure out what's the deal with THAT.

Dealing with the dash and console is harder than pretty much any of the underhood work was! go figure!

**srs244** · 04-12-06, 08:00 PM

barry
sorry for the troubles you're having. it just seems that there is some unwritten rule that whatever you think will go easily into the night, usually turns out to be a pretty bad nightmare. it also must have an footnote that no job is ever what it seems to be and each usually begets at least 1 (and usually more) other.

i am about to rip my entire interior out back to the "walls" and re-do it all. during this "adventure" i plan on replacing just about everything i can see or touch so i don;t have to even thinbk about it again for a long time (and yes, that will include the entire radio harness and antenna cable as it has been bubba-ized somewhere along the way).

**67HEAVEN** · 04-12-06, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by BarryK

Dealing with the dash and console is harder than pretty much any of the underhood work was! go figure!

I agree, Barry. I installed new speakers (stock location) and a new radio today.

To accomplish that, I had to remove the radio side panels, the glovebox, the lower heater duct panel, etc. Much of this has to be done while lying on your back under the steering column. It gets harder every year to crawl under there.

**BarryK** · 04-12-06, 08:20 PM

srs, yep, go figure that what i thought was going to be hard (the motor and engine bay work) wasn't that bad but what I figured would be a breeze (the small amount of interior work) turns out to be nothing but one problem after another.

Bob, I know that do the radio and speakers in our C2's isn't the easiest job and it helps to be a contortionist, but somehow I think it's still easier on the C2's. Everything was still mostly metal back than rather than all the plastic and/or vinyl covered foam parts that never want to go back together the same way again.
When I did a lot of the interior panels of the '65 I didn't have half this amount of trouble and I had a LOT more of the parts out and apart.
When I finish this car i'm going back to working on the older vettes again - they are easier!

**bossvette** · 04-12-06, 09:14 PM

Wait till winter when your heater core goes south

**JohnGrawcock** · 04-12-06, 09:26 PM

Barry,

The shift indicator is an easy one. It's just a white plastic slider with an arm extending down from the bottom of it. A hole in the arm fits over a post on the shifter. It's petty easy to knock lose when your digging around in the center console.

If you want some real fun in the center console, try disconnecting the vent cable from the heater switch. Bet you can't do it without cursing.

One thing you might want to consider the next time you have to dig into the console or dash is replacing the center gage bezel and console trim plate. Freshening up these pieces makes a bigger difference than you might expect.

John G.

**BarryK** · 04-12-06, 10:13 PM

John, Thanks! that will be a HUGE help knowing what to look for to fix.

on the bezel and trim plate, both are in excellent condition as the car is a '78 with only 9,489 miles.

**LT4man** · 04-12-06, 10:25 PM

Barry, I give you a lot of credit for attempting and accomplishing as much as you have been able to do! I have read most of your threads and am impressed with your attention to detail and your 'sticktoitiveness'!

I have been a tech since 1970 and actually owned my own auto / truck repair shop for nearly 20 years. Now you have an appreciation for what mechanics go thru on a daily basis. An independent tech needs to know how to work on all different cars while a dealership tech at least sees similar problems on a pretty consistant basis.

I used to do a lot of interior work. Only easy if you know what you are doing. To this day I have a great respect for radio / audio specialists. How they can take these later model dashboards apart is beyond me!

I enjoyed your pics of the engine painting and bay painting. I learned a lot. You did a 1st Class job!

**JohnGrawcock** · 04-12-06, 10:30 PM

Berry,

If yours are in mint condition your lucky. Even on most low mileage cars I've seen, the chrome boarder on these pieces is worn or discolored and the satin black finish has turned glossy from years of cleaning.

**elints** · 04-13-06, 04:15 AM

The only comment I have to make after redoing the interior of the '79 is to learn how to remove the seats quickly. It's either that or Maalox.

**BarryK** · 04-13-06, 05:27 AM

Craig, don't cause me more problems!!

LT, thanks for the kind words

John, there are one or two very, very small areas on the trim plate chrome border that slightly worn but overall both pieces are in great shape and nnot worth the expense to replace - not to mention the hassle since I've learned that for the most part repro parts usually turn into a hassle when it comes to proper fit. i'd rather stay with an original part whenever possible instaed of just spending money and having aggravation with a replacement part when I don't need to.

Elints, yep, the drivers seat has already been in and out a couple times.......

**BarryK** · 04-13-06, 06:54 AM

John
you DA MAN! THANK YOU!
I just fixed that gear indicator problem. It was exactly as you described. I would probably have never seen it or recognised where the problem was without your explanation but since i knew what to look for I had the console unscrewed, the parts you described found, problem seen, problem fixed, and console screwed back down all in the course of 15 minutes.

**red70vette** · 04-13-06, 04:33 PM

Now wasn't that easy?

**BarryK** · 04-13-06, 05:20 PM

yeah, but still a PITA to have to deal with.........

**JohnGrawcock** · 04-13-06, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by BarryK

John
you DA MAN! THANK YOU!
I just fixed that gear indicator problem. It was exactly as you described. I would probably have never seen it or recognised where the problem was without your explanation but since i knew what to look for I had the console unscrewed, the parts you described found, problem seen, problem fixed, and console screwed back down all in the course of 15 minutes.

You welcome Barry. Glad I could save you some aggravation.

John G.