All the Dash Lights....Finally!

 My speedometer and tach were returned from the manufacturer yesterday. The backlighting did not function on those two gauges, though the four small ones work just fine. I had assumed that the pigtail and connector were tested with the gauge when the set was purchased, but that was not the case. To make a long story short, when the factory tech support verified that the gauges were fine and sent them back to me, they gave me a set of new pigtails to try. That solved the problem and I now have a brightly lit dashboard! Some of the original pigtail wires were apparently crimped on the insulation which damaged the conductors. Note to self...When things don't work like they should, trust nothing and don't assume. Check everything!

I still have a problem with the variable speed windshield wiper park feature and will have to fix that before I can re-assemble the dash.

I had expected the plating shop to have shipped the interior door handles by now, and now that the updated version of the door latch is working as designed, putting the door back together should be a half-hour job when the chromed parts show up.

In the meantime, I'm researching the things I'll need to install a temporary flexible pipe from the manifold to the muffler. I don't have a trailer to take the car to the muffler shop and was hoping to get the engine running before really cold weather arrives. I know my neighbors wouldn't enjoy hearing it running through open exhausts long enough to break in the camshaft.

The Good...the Bad..and the Ugly!

 

I'm back to waiting for parts again, but for some reason, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic than I have in a long while. Maybe it's because cooler fall weather has arrived 

I was notified that the speedometer and tach I sent back to the manufacturer for repair have both been repaired and shipped, so I should have them in hand sometime next week. If they actually fixed them this time, I'll be able to reassemble the dash and console enough to test the HVAC operation and all the electrical dash and console controls. 

I'm also expecting the chrome plating shop to ship the interior door handles next week. While waiting for them, I redesigned the passenger door latch to see if I could improve the outside door handle operation and durability. So far so good, but I'm anxious to get all the door latch parts together to see if it works better than my original design.  

This is the original mockup, using light weight material to test feasibility.

Below is the redesigned part simplified and made from heavier gauge material. It's still ugly but operates and sounds much more rugged. Since it is out of sight inside the door, I'm not concerned about beauty as long as it functions properly.

  

For what it is worth, I've been looking for a stock actuator from some kind of Mopar vehicle and thought I had found one in a '79 Aspen, but it wouldn't quite fit between the glass and the door sheet metal. I'll keep looking but for the time being I'll use my homemade parts until I get the car running before I get too old to finish the job!