Dear fans of mid-60s V-8 Buicks, Greg insisted that needed the dashboard components I've been restoring back this morning. So I had no alternative, it was time to put everything back together. Still, I kept my camera handy and took lots of pictures of the process. This are photos like this: I believe most guys wouldn't have any trouble taking these apart on their own, but there is something nice about knowing what you are going to find. So rather than filling the forum with pictures, I'll just give links to the photo slide show: http://canebas.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=31292743&AlbumKey=Js8Mjv and the gallery: http://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Drive-Train-makeover/Reassembly-of-Speedometer-and If you are working around the dashboard of a mid-60s Buick, the photos may be of some help to you. I have a second photo gallery showing how to dismante the speedometer housing itself and flip the colored lens. Here is the slideshow: http://canebas.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=31361585&AlbumKey=pWF9dF and the gallery: http://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Drive-Train-makeover/Flipping-colored-lenses-in There is one gotcha worth mentioning for at least 1965 Special owners. The 1964 Skylark as emblem nuts to secure the knob bezel into the larger instrument bezel. However in 1965 Buick stopped securing that bezel with anything but the knobs and swtiches themselves. You can see the metal posts on this bezel have not been scratched: That meant when I finally got the cigarette lighter lose the knob bezel jumped out at me. So I used some spare emblem nuts I had to secure it this time: Thanks to Michael (64 Skylark Mike) for getting me the info about the 1964 dash! By putting up these photos, I'm letting two "cats out of the bag." I've made two modifications that I hope to describe later when the installation is complete. I've created a brushed metal plate to hide the old transmission shift indicator and allow a path for the tachometer wires to go behind the dash. My modification is clear in this picture: The biggie change is the way the central air conditioning vents will work: I have kept copious notes on how I did this. So when everything on that assembly is complete, I'll provide a blow-by-blow description of these modifications in case somebody want to show me some "flattery" of the imitation variety! Cheers, Edouard :beer
As an FYI, the factory simply painted the back-side of the shift indicator window with gloss black paint on the floor-shift cars. I wonder if you also noticed that you can just flip the green turn signal indicator plastic windows over to get the fresh green color as they were when new?
Flip the lenses you say? (Re: Photos of a 1964-65 Speedometer) Hi Adam and mid-60s V-8 Buick fans, Yes, I was aware of that and if you look at the pictures you'll see that I had painted the plate where the shift indications were printed black because that was my Plan-A. However, I want to mount a tach right in front of the shift indicator. To avoid any mess of wires I wanted to put some sort of a grommet to run the wires behind the tach and keep things clean. To support the grommet, I decided to glue a piece of plastic over the location where the aluminum plate is now in the photos. Alas the plastic was too soft so I switched to aluminum. My plan was still to paint that panel black. However, on a whim, I first wet-sanded the aluminum until I got a very nice finish and for kicks I tried Flitz polish on it. All of a sudden it had such a nice brushed metal look that I didn't have the heart to paint it black anymore!! . . . . Turn the plastic windows? Which plastic windows? Something like this: Maybe turning them over like this? So you get a nice green turning signal light like this? What a great idea!! Sure wish somebody had told me this!! :Brow: Ahem! Yes I did remember to turn over the lens and as you can see I had my camera at the ready. I just forgot to upload the photos. I just completed the uploading. The slideshow is here: http://canebas.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=31361585&AlbumKey=pWF9dF and here is the gallery: http://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Drive-Train-makeover/Flipping-colored-lenses-in I also edited the initial post in this thread to point people to both galleries. How there is a more complete collection of photos should someone need to dismantle their instrument cluster. Thanks for your thoughts! :TU: Cheers, Edouard :beer
YOu got 'er nailed! Also, if you're not 100% committed, a nice out of the way alternative for the tach is in-between the dash pad and the LH windshield post. It's clean and visible without blocking your view of anything else. I had mine that way before going to the knee-knocker.
Wow, great thread, thanks for pointing me to it and preparing all those photos. One question- how are the turn signal green lenses held in place? Are they glued? I'd love to flip mine, as they are faded clear just like your pictures show.
Check out photo gallery. (Re: Photos of a 1964-65 Speedometer) Hi Kevin and mid-60s V-8 Buick fans, Thanks! I sure hoped it would be helpful to folks like you. They are held in place by the cardboard inserts that in turn are held by the plastic moulding with the numbers printed on it. So you just turn them and put them back. Take a look at this photo gallery: http://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Drive-Train-makeover/Flipping-colored-lenses-in It more or less shows a step by step procedure for flipping the lenses. Cheers, Edouard :beer
Check this photo out of my turn signal "green" filters. I guess they are spent?? Check mine out, did 1964 have a much fainter green for the instrument panel turn signal indicators?? Really weird how mine have 2 rectangles of fade. I guess it's possible that someone did this trick years and years ago and thus both sides are "spent". I was hoping for some pristine green to flip to and get the same restored green glow as Edouard.
Also another question- did you happen to repaint the orange needles?? If so, what paint do you use? My speedometer needle is pristine but the fuel gage needle is very faded. While it's apart I figured I could spruce that up as well. BTW the high beam red filter is pristine as well, no fade at all. And my TEMP, OIL, and GEN filters are pristine as well. I'm wondering if my 64 Special came stock with that faded green for the turn signals, or deep green like shown on the 65 panel.
Green plastic out there. (Re: 1964-65 Speedometer bezel cluster assembly.) Hi Kevin and mid-60s V-8 Buick fans, Well, I always had in the back of my head that you could replace these pieces of plastic very easily. When I was a "young man," Edmund Scientifics carried cheap plastic color filter material. They seem to have lost their calling, but making a quick web search I came across this at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cast-Acrylic-Sheet-Thick-Thickness/dp/B009AEAFIE/ref=pd_ybh_3 It might delay your project a bit, but I'm sure you can find a nice piece of thin colored green plastic if you want to restore the green to the turning signal. Lucky for me, the inner instruments were really pristine and the needles were in good shape. Sorry I don't have any suggestions on that. You might try to find something with hobby paints colors. Cheers, Edouard :beer
I am in the middle of taking my 65 Skylark dash a part for restoring. All went fine until I got to removing the cigarette lighter bezel and housing that the wire plugs on. I got it to turn but the bezel will not come loose to get the rest of the assembly apart. What is the hot tip to get it done. I have already used all the cuss words I know Help!!!
The "back-shell" of the lighter (red circle) is unscrewed and removed from the "well/receptacle" (arrow) from the back side of the dash bezel. (not the lighter escutcheon that you are calling bezel)
I went back to it after calming down a little and looked at it more closely. Just as you say, it came apart with no problems. I guess I should check things out better before I bother someone else with dumb questions! Thanks for the help...………...Mike
Not at all. Ask away. Breaking something that is hard to replace or repair is a real drag. And some things were only made to be put together and not taken apart, so there are tips and tricks you need. It's all part of the "brotherhood". And if you used up all yer curse words, you waited too long to ask.
I do appreciate all the good tips and information on this site, not many places to turn to when it comes to our Buicks. I guess that's what makes us such a close group!
