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MG MGA - working beneath the dashboard

Reading the thread about brake light switches and reminded me to ask everyone about how they go about working under the dashboard.

I recently fitted a relay system under the dash to replace the mechanical dip switch.
This meant that I was on my back with my head and
shoulders under the dash with my stomach (some may say beer belly!) wedged beneath the steering wheel and with my legs and backside hanging out of the car.

I must admit that in this position, you would be very vulnerable to pickpockets and any passing shoe or trouser thieves!

It took quite some time to get myself into that position and even longer to get myself out of it!

You have to carefully plan in advance which tools and parts that you will need to save the annoyance of just getting into position and then having to wriggle out again if you have forgotten something I think I invented some new swear words on that day.

I have tried taking out the seat base to make more space but then I found the seat frame was too uncomfortable to lie on.

I have thought of making up a temporary padded platform the same height as the sills. This would fit just outside of the car next to the sills and would hopefully be much more comfortable than having your back bent backwards over the sills.

Has anyone else come up with a way of making this any easier?

Colyn
Colyn Firth

removing the steering wheel is too obvious. I never bother and struggle like you do but will put towels or pillows on the seat frame. Kneeling on a towel on the garage floor next to the car with the driver door open and stretching and reaching under is another way, or reaching over from the passanger side.

no simple way. How did they build these things?

Ted
Ted Persons

The easy way is an old thin chair cushion or pillow over the seat frame, gives a few inches of space compared to lying on the seat base. If is going to be a longer job (like rewiring an entire car), I put my legs up over the back of the seat.

Or you could (cough) lose some inches on the waistline ..... probably the healthier option in the long run
dominic clancy

my legs arnt long enough to reach over the back of thr seat
Vin Rafter

Dominic, I really take Health and Safety seriously with my MGA.

I have recently retro fitted seat belts into it which was a fairly quick and easy process.

However, it has taken me many years of dedicated time effort including the lifting and emptying of countless numbers of brim-full 1/2 litre liquid containers to help me to develop my own "personal built-in air-bag system"

Ok, some may still call it a beer-belly but it works for me!

Have is there picture of you inverted in your MGA with your legs up and over the seat Dominic?

It would make for a great "Caption Competition"

Colyn
Colyn Firth

So much for a "Yorkshire Airbag" - I think most prefer the Bulgarian variety which also makes a very suitable cushion but would not solve your space issue

dominic clancy

Colyn,

I use two up turned plastic beer crates which I line up end to end outside the door at about 45 degrees to the car ,they are exactly the same height (11 inches)as the sill and provide a very comfortable bed to lay on.
D Townshend

Now that sounds like the ideal solution!

Buy a couple of crates of beer and use them upturned to lie on when I want to be able to comfortably access anything under the dash board.

And, as a bonus, drain the bottles to help maintain my "personal airbag"!

Perfect

Colyn Firth

Colyn, it's a lot easier to fit them on the next to where the headlamp pigtails connect to the main loom. You then run a single large gauge fused supply wire down to the relays to power the headlamps thus losing the voltage drop on the original lighter gauge loom wires.
Lindsay Sampford

Lindsay, I think he's working on the brake lights. That would be a long wire run to put the relay by the headlamps.

Cheers,
Larry
Larry Wheeler

I feel your pain, Colyn! I usually feel it double on the next morning. I'm fairly large, and pretty much need to remove the seats if I'm to be crammed in there for any length of time. I usually remove them by unbolting the lower tracks, giving a bit more comfort to my back, and often I raise the level up to the sill tops with cushions and towels. Finally, the greatest boon here has been my patient wife, who kindly hovers in the vicinity to fetch whatever tool I may have forgotten. Sadly, it's not becoming easier with practice.

Ken
Ken Korey

Lindsay, it was the dip switch and bracket that I removed and replaced with a special relay that operates with a single spring loaded flasher switch.

It flashes the main beams when pressed but when the lights are switched on it then operates as a dip switch- one touch switches between hi and lo beams.

It is brilliant for me as I no longer get my size 12 left foot stuck between the clutch pedal and the bulkhead.

I re-routed the dip switch loom backwards to fit to the new relay that I fixed to the dashboard bracket. So no alterations to the wiring were necessary and to be honest, I wanted to be certain that the new relay worked ok before I changed too much.

I probably will eventually fit a couple of relays nearer to the headlights combined with a larger gauge wire to see if it will boost up the brightness.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn, I like the sound of that and I am interested in how you wired it. When the lights are off and you flash does that reset the main/dip sequence?

Any chance of pictures and diagram? It would make a great new thread.
N McGurk

Neil, I got all the relay and wiring information from Barney's MGA Guru site, look up Flash to Pass and Headlight Dipper -AT-113A in the accessories section.
Barney doesnt exactly recommend it but just describes it as a possible alternative to the original optional headlight flasher switch and relay. Its a relay from a VW beetle I believe and I bought mine from my local VW dealer.

I think it is great and if like on my car, you have a smaller diameter steering wheel fitted, then you can use the original existing holes in the dashboard to fit the flasher switch into. So no drilling of new holes in the dash.

The relay defaults to the dipped lights setting each time the light are turned off which the original dip switch never did.

The only thing I have noticed is, that although I followed the wiring diagram to the letter, when the lights are switched off and I use the switch to flash the headlights, only the dipped beam flashes.

This suggests that either my cars original wiring is slightly incorrect, or the relay is wired internally slightly differently than I expected.
I am going to check this out over the next few days but even if this is the final set up, it is still a really great improvement.

As soon as I get my digital camera back from my son ( who borrowed it a few weeks ago!) I will post some pics of the set up on the thread I started a couple of weeks ago. I think it was posted under " New Flash to Pass and Dipswitch relay"

Cheers

Colyn

Colyn Firth

Don't think the moving of relays to the front of the car would make much difference. The difference in resistance in a slightly bigger gauge wire over a distance of 2 metres will be almost bu99er all! Far better (IMO) to simply operate and mount the relays in a far more clement environment under the dash.

When I have tested the arguements for fitting relays to headlights I have found the voltage drop is predominately across switches, this is especially so with the midget flasher switch on the steering collumn.

With the MGA I found the headlamp switch on the dashboard was not too good but the connections and dip switch were all very good.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob, getting a bit off-topic here, but the reason for putting the relays at the front is because you can connect them directly to the original headlamp wires on the loom. The headlamp switch and dipper work the two relays instead of the headlamps, and the relays switch a separate supply to the appropriate headlamp filaments. No modification is required to the original wiring loom, just disconnect the headlamp pigtails, connect the relay coils where the pigtails would have connected to the loom. Then run a separate power supply to both relays contacts and reconnect the pigtails to the other side of the appropriate relay contacts. Simpler to do than to describe! Cuts out both the dipper and the lighting switch contacts from the headlamp filament circuit. Reduces wear on both swiches and reduces voltage drop to headlamps.
Lindsay Sampford

Yes mate I know how relays work, I did a technical article about them for Spridgets and went to an awful lot of trouble finding out where the voltage was dropped.

I was responding to your comment that moving them to the front would result in loosing the volt drop of slightly smaller cable. That volt drop is nothing and is not worth thinking about.

However you are right that it may be easier to mount he relays at the front, But it is not hard and is just as effective to mount them beneath the dash, thus protecting the relay. Whilst not my cup of tea concours enthusiasts would find that solution far more attractive.

:)
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

here you go!


worst part is that my bifocals are mis-calibrated. Everything in this position is exactly the wrong distance away and I can't see well no matter what I do.


My daughter was standing by to fetch the tools, etc...bless her.


JIM in NH


AJ Mail

Thats a great picture Jim, you look really comfortable in there. How did you get out?

It seems that the way to get comfortable when working under the dash is as follows:

1. Lie with your back on the seat cushion with your head and shoulders under the dash and with your legs resting on the rear tonneau area of the car.
(remove seat cushion if, like me, your built-in airbag jams under the steering wheel)

2. Fix up a couple of upturned beer crates just outside the car, the same height as the sills, to make sliding into the car more comfortable.

3. Most importantly of all, have an assistant within easy reach who can pass you any tools and parts etc that you cant reach.

Who can make suggestions if you run out of swear words and pass you a constant supply of beer bottles that have fallen out of the upturned beer crates.

And finally who will cover you up with a blanket when they realise that you are comatose after consuming 2 crates of beer!

To be honest, I am starting to actually look forwards to my next under dashboard project!

Cheers

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Almost forgot Jim, I can help make some suggestions for MGA working Specs (glasses) if you need any.
I have been working as an Optician for over 40 years and there are a few types of lens available that will make working on your car a bit easier.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Thanks Colyn...I think it might be time for an update on the ol' prescription, even though this one is less than 1 year old, IIRC.

I take the seat bottom out and put a folded up moving blanket on the floor to make the seat base front tube a bit more comfortable on the small of my back.

JIM
AJ Mail

This thread was discussed between 17/01/2012 and 19/01/2012

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