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What is the 2B
[Or, dietary tips for Sierras]

The Build Diary
['99 - Aug. '00]
[ Aug - Nov. '00]
[December '00]
[Early Jan '01]
[January '01]
[February '01]
[March '01]
[April '01]
[May '01]
[June '01]
[July '01]

The SVA
[Did my 2B pass?]

On The Road
[Whats it like then?]
[And now it's been improved!]

New for 2003
[Suspension Mods]

New for 2002
[Engine Mods]
[Fuel Filler]
[Custom Instuments]
[Rear Shocks]

Tricks & Tips
[including do as I say, not as I did!]

Major Problems
[Or how to talk to the Manufacturer]

So you think you've got problems?

Gallery
[Or,some necessary light relief!]

Wifes View
[Or, are you coming out of that garage....]

Links
[Other maniacs who have tried this]

About the Authors
[If you are really bored...]

If, like me, you find the Sierra clocks a good way of passing the SVA test because they are correctly calibrated, you may also agree that they are very plain to look at.

The old Sierra Dash....

I decided that a good 1960's style set of round, chrome bezelled gauges would be just the thing, but didn't fancy paying a couple of hundred quid for a complete set. As usual, the concept of never throwing anything away came to my aid. About 15 years ago, someone gave me a bag full of Ford/Smiths clocks, some in a better state than others (!), which I have occasionally used for projects past. There was a complete set of Cortina Mk2 GT clocks, but on the latest inspection I found I had used the fuel gauge somewhere, so was short that one. I did have a nice speedo, tacho and water gauge, plus a suitable clock that might have been a popular upgrade in a time when no manufacturer thought that a clock was a useful thing in a car.

The new Dash with 30 year old instruments!....

I planned to visit a local classic spares place to source the fuel gauge, but then realised I would have to mess around with different sender units and voltage regulators etc, so decided to try and re-use the Sierra items. These are on a thin steel plate, fuel and temp' together, so not a good looking device to start with! I had another tacho in an 80mm case, same as the speedo etc, and have mated the two together.

The oblong Sierra base plate was cut round to fit inside the new case and sits on a couple of aluminium angles, riveted in situ'. The wires are soldered into the pins on the rear of the gauges themselves.

Then a piece of carefully selected thin gauge steel ( well, OK, I cut it out of a biscuit tin lid but don't tell anyone ) was cut to sit under the glass to mask off the area's that you really don't want to see. To make a template for this, draw it out on the glass in situ in the instrument case using a suitable fine pen, then you can see what you are doing all the while. A modicum of satin black paint and Voila! Your own combined fuel and water gauge, just like your Grandad would have made it, were he a cheapskate instrument maker in the 50's. You may not have the case laying around, but you can get them quite cheap, especially with broken glass or a duff instrument, and it looks well as I hope you can see in the photos. The white symbols came on a universal sheet of self adhesive decals, 96p for about two hundred various.

The tacho was designed to run with points ignition and will not work with the electronic system. Therefore the old case, face, and needle now conceal a modern electronic tacho.

With three round clocks, a couple of warning lights and toggle switches, I now have a dash that looks in keeping with the rest of the car. And no, Mr SVA man, it is not padded anywhere!