Neil's Aventador build (Page 39/74) Neils88 APR 15, 09:37 PM quote Originally posted by Monkeyman: Just out of curiousity, would it be cheaper to just buy a "real" Aventador? Are you having enough fun building this to make it worthwhile? It would be a damn sight easier just to buy one, lol ...but at about $500K for a used one...I'm pretty safe to come out ahead, lol. This project is all about the fun of the build. Doesn't matter how long it takes...I just love building it! Neils88 APR 16, 01:38 PM I cut the driver's side dash panel to size, but don't plan on installing it for a bit since it limits easy access to brakes and clutch. I also started work on the last open part of the firewall...this is where the wiring harness and brake vacuum line run through. Unfortunately I made a small measurement error when installing the housing for the HVAC. It is off by about 1/2" from where I intended it to be. Now the harness doesn't fit in the opening. Grrrr. It's an easy enough fix, but of course it tough to get in there to work. I finally opted to remove the brake booster so I can get in there easily. Wow those bolts were tougher to remove than I expected. I know it'll be a nightmare once the dash panel is in place, so I've decided to make an "oh crap" panel in the top dash panel. That way, when the time comes that I have to remove the brake booster again (and I finally give up trying to turn the bolts from the front) I'll be able to remove the dash and have a way to access them. It'll be lots of work either way, but hopefully not something I'll be doing often. Now that I have access, I'll make a small plate to close up the opening, with holes for the connector and the vacuum tube. Neils88 APR 21, 07:15 PM I made a small template and cut a patch to fill the hole. I added a hole for the wiring harness connector, another for the brake booster vacuum tube and the required screw holes. Everything fits well. (The pics are backwards, I actually test fit everything then threw a little paint on it...but made more sense to show them this way...) Neils88 APR 23, 07:17 PM I finished installing the forward wiring harness/connector and brake booster vacuum tube. Then reinstalled the brake booster. I confirmed the cutout in the dash panel allows access to everything in case I need to get to anything major. The hole will be closed up with a removable panel eventually. The driver's side dash panel is now fully welded in place. Lastly, I went over all the welded seems with a bead of sealant just to make sure I don't have any pin-hole leaks which happen easily when you try to weld sheet metal. RCR APR 23, 08:34 PM Great stuff, Neil. Question/observation: You mentioned that you would have to dismantle the dash to have access through the panel, but ultimately you needed that capability. Wouldn't you also have to remove the windshield to access the panel? Bob GlennGdman APR 23, 09:13 PM the dash looks good!! Hopefully, you never need to get in there. You MAY want to consider replacing the clutch master cylinder, the line and the slave cylinder now as replacing and of those will cause you to tear out the dash. On my old 87 GT Fiero, the line broke so I replaced that and then less then 2 weeks later the slave cylinder decided to die... Neils88 APR 23, 09:57 PM quote Originally posted by RCR: Great stuff, Neil. Question/observation: You mentioned that you would have to dismantle the dash to have access through the panel, but ultimately you needed that capability. Wouldn't you also have to remove the windshield to access the panel? Bob Thanks Bob. I put the cutout there as a last resort if I need to do major repair work (such as remove the brake booster or clutch master cylinder and give up trying to do it from the front or from below). I actually reinstalled the booster before putting the dash panel in place, but test fit the upper panel while reinstalling the booster to make sure I could move the wrench & ratchet without interference. Interference from the windshield was actually a concern. However, with the windshield in place, there is still more than enough room to get your hand and tools through the access panel, so the windshield shouldn't ever need to be removed. I actually have a screwdriver designed for low profile applications...that'll be used for the screws that will hold the access panel in place. quote Originally posted by GlennGdman: the dash looks good!! Hopefully, you never need to get in there. You MAY want to consider replacing the clutch master cylinder, the line and the slave cylinder now as replacing and of those will cause you to tear out the dash. On my old 87 GT Fiero, the line broke so I replaced that and then less then 2 weeks later the slave cylinder decided to die... I will definitely be changing the clutch master cylinder before I close everything up...but that's mostly because mine is pretty rough looking anyway Brakes and clutch will be rebuilt from front to back in the near future. Neils88 APR 24, 05:35 PM Today ended up being clean-up day. ....unfortunately clean-up day will likely take most of rest of the week... I finally reached a point (again) where I have absolutely no room to do anything. I'm hoping to be able to get to the landfill next weekend and get rid of all the stuff that has been accumulating for the last two years. Neils88 APR 26, 08:25 PM Still taking the week off to clean the garage. As such...not doing any work on the car. Of course, I had to move some panels (the fiberglass dash pieces) since they were cluttering up the floor. Nowhere to put them...so I decided to put them into the car. The dash panels were actually too wide for the car, so I decided to cut them in half, that way I could put them inside the car and get a better feel for how they'd fit. After a rough little trimming you can see that they are starting to fit, with a few issues... First off, there is a 6" gap between the panels. The lower piece will likely be moved a little further forward so this should drop to 4-5". I'll fill the gap to blend the two panels together, following the normal "step" that is in the oem dash. (they are not aligned at the moment, and still have some interference items) Secondly, the panels I have, have the gauge pod sitting way out to the side (this has been noted before). I'll adjust that so it sits properly in the right spot. All in all, I'm happy with the first true fit. Lots of work to come, but I can envision it easily now. Neils88 APR 27, 07:38 PM Carried on the garage cleaning today. Guess what I found under all the boxes, parts and dirt...a car!