Designing a New Dashboard: Part I

I purchased my Defender in the Spring of 2016…

It's a 1988 D90, imported from Bulgaria, where it spent most of its life operating as a milk truck. To say that it was in rough shape would be an understatement. A disheveled interior, heavy cigarette smoke damage, what turned out to be some serious chassis damage, etc. etc. Long story short, the list of issues was long. But of everything that needed to be fixed, the one issue that I was sweating the most was the idea of rebuilding the truck from the ground up, only to put the original dashboard back in. 

The original dash was in pretty decent shape. A few things needed to be fixed, like new heat and vent stickers, the gauge cluster surround was cracked and needed replacing, some knobs, and what not, but all in all it was in good shape. However, my intention from the beginning was to turn this truck into my vehicle for long distance photography trips, and I just couldn't imagine using the original dash for long hauls, much less as a daily driver. So, after what felt like an eternity of internal debate, I made the decision to redesign the dash entirely. 

Where to begin. I knew I was going to need an accurate drawing of the bulkhead to base my design on. So, I did the obvious and searched all around the web for a good Solidworks file of a Defender bulkhead hoping and praying that someone had done all of the heavy lifting already and was charitable enough to upload it to the web for the world to use. WRONG. I looked everywhere but couldn't find anything accurate enough to trust for this project. So, I decided to do the job myself. 

 I jumped right in and started measuring everything I could as accurately as I could. But, as some of you are aware, Defender's aren't exactly square, and the bulkhead isn't exactly the easiest object to measure by hand. It took a LONG time to get it right. Hundreds of re-measures, double, triple and quadruple checking every measurement. It was anything but a fun process, but after getting the measurements nailed for the anchor points, and overall dimensions I began the process of creating my new dash requirements.

I gave my dash project four covenants that could not be broken.  

1.    Functionality: The new dash must maintain and or increase the functional nature of the dash.

2.    Modular: My needs aren't set in stone, and they certainly aren't the needs of everyone.

3.    Intuitive: Things are where they should be.

4.    Aesthetics: Don't detract from an otherwise beautifully designed car. 

With this in mind, I set about listing out my own requirements. 

Switches:

·       Dash Post Lamps

·       Headlamps

·       Running Lights

·       Front Fog Lamps

·       Engine Bay Lights

·       Under Car Lights

·       Dome Lights

·       Footwell Lights

·       Heated Seats

·       Windows

·       Door Locks

·       Wipers Front

·       Wiper Rear

·       Washer Fluid Front

·       Washer Fluid Rear

·       Heated Mirrors

·       Front Light Bar

·       Rear Work Light

·       Auxiliary Options (3)

Gauges:

·       Temp

·       Battery

·       Fuel

·       Oil

·       Tach

·       Speedo

Indicators: 

·       Gear Indicator

·       Turn Signals

·       Indicator light for every switch listed above

Warning Lights:

·       Check Engine

·       Washer Fluid

·       Brake Fluid

·       E-Brake

·       Dif Lock

Functional Additions/Changes: 

·       Ignition Switch Location Change

·       Ignition Security Swtiches

·       Bulkhead Vent Controls

·       Glove Box

·       Aftermarket AC/Heat & Controls

·       AC/Heat Vent Louvers and Location

·       USB Power

·       Footwell Lights

·       Dash Post Lamps

·       Speaker System (6.5" Mid Range, 1" Tweeter)

·       Radio (Single or Double)

I went through this list countless times trying to make sure that I had a comprehensive list of everything that needed to be included. Once I knew this list was set, I began mapping out the layout, picking components, and solving functional problems.

In Part II I'll cover the process of designing the layout.