Radio console

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Nanonevol
Patron 2018
Patron 2018
Posts: 828
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:17 am
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Medway, Massachusetts

Radio console

Post by Nanonevol »

This center part of my dash that holds the radio and speaker is just sort of jammed in to the space with no hardware holding it. It kind of sags to the right like I've seen on other Spiders.
I could fabricate something but what is supposed to hold it in? Where do screws go?
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1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Radio console

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

The lower dash (with the radio, cig lighter, etc) is secured to the center console (the part that runs over the driveshaft tunnel from the front of the passenger compartment almost to the back seat) by 4 screws, 2 on the passenger side and 2 on the driver side. These screws are located on the bottom edge of the lower dash, going through the lower dash and then into the lip on the top of the center console on each side. Going by memory here, but I believe the location of the screw holes is on either side of the 4" x 2" heater air openings in the center console near where your feet would go.

It's very common for these screws to be missing or loose, resulting in a wobbly lower dash.

-Bryan
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Nanonevol
Patron 2018
Patron 2018
Posts: 828
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:17 am
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Medway, Massachusetts

Re: Radio console

Post by Nanonevol »

Thanks! I see those locations now and did my best lining up the parts to get screws in. This does seem to hold the lower dash together fairly well. I thought there may be another connection point higher up.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Radio console

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Nanonevol wrote:I thought there may be another connection point higher up.
That would certainly make sense, but I don't recall a connection point that secures the top of the lower console. Unless my cars originally had such a beast and it's been lost in the ages... I vaguely recall that I made a bracket out of some wood framing brackets at one time, just to keep the top of that lower console from squeaking against the lower rim of the dashboard. Definitely not stock, of course.

-Bryan
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