dash off?

[Tall John]

hi guys,

first question here...

i have a '76 280z that the previous owner screwed with the interior wiring. he put what he claims is a 300zx fuse box and harness in it?? i really wouldn't know if this is ture or not b/c i am totally new to the z's. I have the old harness and would like to put it back since nothing in the cab works now! wonderful wiring job!

my question is, would it be easier to put the old harness back in by taking the dash off? i've seen a couple pictures of dash's for sale and the wiring harness is still attached to them. would this save time, or is it not necessary?

thanks

adam

[MikeW]

To do it right you'd almost certainly need to take the dash off. It will be far easier and quicker to work on the wiring with the dash on a bench. Just think of all of the small wires that have to actually go somewhere, not just the main bulk of the harness itself. Besides all of the instruments and instrument lights you have to deal with the ignition, turn signals, wipers, headlights, blower, cigarette lighter, radio, glovebox light, etc. Getting all of those right with the dash out will be tricky. Trying to do it while still in the car will involve a lot of cursing and blood rushing to your head as you're contorted up under the dash.

Before getting started you should carefully examine the original harness for cut wires and burnt connections. There's probably a reason that the previous owner decided to switch it out - even if it wasn't the smart thing to do.

[Ramses]

The first thing that I did on my '73 was to buy a FSM (Factory Service Manual). Then I isolated the dash from all of the other items that were connected to it: Battery, Engine bay harness, cab harness, all the instruments in the console and all the connectors at the steering wheel. I labeled all these as well. Especially make sure that you label all the connectors to the relay panel under the passenger dash (if a 280z has a relay panel). From what I remember, after you take off the cowel cover, there are 7 screws that hold the dash to the engine bay heat shield, 4 bolts that hold the dash to the steering wheel, 2 bolts that hold the dash to the place where it connects to the console area and 1 screw on either side of dash above where your legs go next to the doors. You also have to disconnect the speedo. The fuse box comes out with the dash. It should come out easily and you should be able to turn it upside down to replace the harness. It is a lot of work but I agree with Mike it is easier than trying to replace with the dash still on. Good Luck