1979 SpitfireDashboard Upgrade
As
every LBC owner knows, there's always something to do when you
own a British car...always. For those of us who live in the northeast,
winter is the optimum time to perform these necessary repairs.
Sometimes we even have the chance to upgrade our vehicles when
all of the required work has been completed. This is what I was
able to do this winter/spring of 2005. 
I
have been working to get my Spitfire as reliable as possible and
one of the drawbacks I've encountered over the years was a lack
of dashboard instrumentation. Not really knowing what temperature
or oil pressure the car was operating at always left me at a disadvantage
when troubleshooting "situations". I decided it was
time to let go of the stock dashboard and make some changes. I
know I wanted a temperature gauge that I could read and interpret
and I definitely wanted an oil pressure gauge because the so-called
"idiot light" was just that. I also opted for a voltmeter,
but where to put them? My dashboard had been refinished by a PO
and had the standard Triumph Spitfire gauge configuration.
I searched the Internet, specifically
web pages of members of the various Triumph and Spitfire organizations
and found a bunch of options available. I came across the following:
Whitey's New Dashboard on Paul Tegler's web page, and I really liked the layout. Since
I also wanted a voltmeter, I felt that the dash would be a bit
better balanced by placing it in the right section of the dash
adjacent to the SCCA Plaque. 
Once
I selected my gauges, it was just a matter of laying out the pattern
and putting some basic woodworking skills to work. With some simple
measurements I relocated the headlight switch and drilled the
center hole along with the gauge recess. For the voltmeter, the
placement was easy. Behind the wooden dash lies a metal backing
frame. There already was a hole, which I think was used for GT6
configurations, so it was logical to place the gauge in that location.
The gauges I selected were a SunPro product with the oil and water
temperature gauges being the mechanical reading type. In Issue
# 14 and 15 of the Spitfire and GT6 Magazine, 
Howard
Baugues describes his Spitfire dash upgrade along with the additional
parts required to adapt the mechanical gauges to the standard
1500 engine. (Thanks Howard!) In order to connect the mechanical
temperature gauge probe I needed to purchase an adaptor, # 11K2846.
(White Arrow) This item is available from the various
Spitfire parts suppliers for a minimal cost and absolutely does
the job. The oil gauge connection was rather straight forward
in that a simple "T" connection for the oil pressure
sensor was used.(Yellow
Arrow) This enabled me
to still have the "idiot light" and a gauge too. 
I used the flexible
plastic line and connectors supplied with the oil perssure gauge
to complete the installation. To ensure accurate gauge readings,
I bled out any remaining air from the oil line before before replacing
the center dash section. So, will the addition of these gauges
make my Spitfire run any better.........probably not. Will they
make me feel better when I'm driving the car........definitely
yes. For a minimal expense I believe that the addition of these
gauges will help prevent some of the typical problems that arise
when we really can't "see" what's going on. It will
surely make my driving experience a bit more pleasurable.
Home