Dashboard in and seats test fitted

So the dashboard had to be put in over the centre tunnel. It was a tight fit but in some ways that is good as it wont move. Ive only had to secure it to the cross member with 1 sturdy bolt just to hold it there and being honest I dont think it needed it other than for safety.

Once In I tested the dials and gauges all worked as well as the stereo.

All worked well and the look felt more natural. Next i made the vanity panel to go over the dials and the stereo. I actually mucked this up and got dirt under the wrap as I put it on the wrong side so it will need to be done again at some point.

I also put the buttons too far forward and only the hazard is accessible, lucky I can just drill new holes further back and move them.

The seats also go well with the dashboard and feel much comfier, however I will have to get rid of the seat rails and making them fixed, the extra cushioning has raised the position and the 25mm drop will be a big gain to have.

Interior Choices...

The Interior of the car is a long way away at this point but as I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the advantage of a long build is getting some parts cheaper if you're patient. One of them is bucket seats and relevant parts. The seats I've picked up look like new and were barely used. An easy way to tell other than wear marks whether seats have been used a lot is to feel the bolsters, does the foam / padding feel squashed? does it spring back?

As well as that, these seats came with subframes (adjustable) I can already see for IVA it will need some rubber protection on the corners of it, but that is nothing major. I may need to also adjust the mounts if the seats are two high within the car. As well as that these chairs came with E marked 4 point harnesses which I was after as well.

Long term once through IVA and I can do what I want to the interior I expect to do some minor colour coding as I change the interior to how I want it, this will probably include new bucket seats with the relevant colour and stitching.