[C3C7NIC]

Originally Posted by Kevin68

Make sure all the grounds are shiny metal to metal and use dielectric grease on the connections. For the dash wiring, I believe there were two stock grounds (and I could be completely wrong about this since my '68 is not quite stock). One on the birdcage above the left kick panel and one at the transmission hump that has a strap underneath to the frame since all metal on the hump is attached to fiberglass. I also had one in the center of the birdcage below the window frame. Find all the black ground wires on the harness first and and get them connected.

Suspend the harness from the birdcage with zip ties. In multiple places if needed.

Check for continuity across the fuses (no need to pull them).

Work right to left. After the gauge cluster is in you might turn the key and crank for a few seconds to do a light/vacuum check for the gauges, tail light and headlights, wiper door. Neutral safety switch too. Pull the coil wire if you're not ready to start.

For the speedo/tach cables, if they were working before without bouncing, I'd leave them alone. The aftermarket ones seemed cheaply made to me. Pulling them from the sleeve and inspecting/lubing them would be good. The type of lube has many opinions. The AIM will have the factory spec. I've always used a light oil and re-lube as necessary over time. Pulling the cable from the back of the speedo/tach is surprisingly easy, just pay attention to how it is assembled and it will make doing it by feel easier. Push the tab and pull, no tools needed. Someone talked me into axle grease to lube the cables because it stays in place. That was bad advice IMO. There's a thread on it in CFC3.

For the driver's side, remove the steering wheel and drop the column. You might remove the directional signal stalk so you don't bend/break it. The temptation to have lots of slack in the vacuum hoses to the light switch is tempting, but if you do make sure that you get them secured up high enough you can't yank one loose with your foot...ask me how I know. Check that the screw holes are clean and the wire nuts are aligned with the holes on the door frame. Then it is just pushing it in place and getting a screw started. Don't tighten anything until all the screws are in place. All of this is assuming the top dash and A-pillar trim are in place. It doesn't just slide in; there is some pushing that needs to happen and only your judgement can say whether you are pushing hard enough to break something or not.

Good Luck!!

Wow. Thank you for all that insight. No upper dash pad, steering column or seat. We didn’t take anything out (one of the problems) as there is no documentation/labeling etc as to how anything goes. We are flying blind.

Thank you again.