So here's where I left off. Grandpa Hawkes had just finished the dash. Below you can see the rough product matched up against the factory dash that was in the car.
Below is the steering wheel that Lindsay got me for christmas. We tried to pick a stain that matched the steering wheel. I think we got it pretty close. You'll notice there is an extra dash piece. That was our test dummy. It's a piece that Grandpa didn't feel comfortable with so he made another.
With a few coats of Red Oak stain and 4 coats of clear polyurethane here's what you get:
I think it turned out fantastic. Can't wait to get it in the car.
Here's a close shot.
I started putting gauges and switches in. So far so good. Everything is fitting well.
I spent a few hours cleaning the gauges and switches. Everything is original to the car.
Then I remembered that I hadn't put the vent and defrost duct work in. This went in a lot easier with the dash out. So I cleaned it up well and threw it in. Well, threw it in is a loose term. It actually was a pain in the butt. It's crazy how fast the area behind the dash fills up with ducting and wiring and cables and stuff. It's not a big area to begin with.
Then came the fun part. You can't just screw the dash in place. Before it gets set, before the gauges can be in place, all the wiring has to be done. The switches, bulbs, gauges, and knobs all have wires and electricity that power them. Below is the hazard switch. I had to take a picture of this so I knew which green wire went where.
But in the end, all seems to be working. Below is a shot with the headlights on. The license plate lamps work, the rear running lights work.
The instrument panel lights even work.
Headlights and running lights.
Reverse lights (they're bright!)
Hazards. It was hard taking this picture and trying to time the shutter to catch the lights on. I took about 10 pictures before I got one that worked.
Here's the completed dash. I'll have to take a good one during the day.
Close up.
Here's the car as it sits in the garage. It's interesting to note that it passed safety inspection today and if you look really close in the trunk you can see the new license plates! Yes, it is licensed and legal to drive! Here we go! Surprisingly the registration process was painless and easy. I simply walked into the DMV with a 24 year old Arizona title that somebody other than me had signed, showed them the bill of sale stating that Dad had gifted me the car and out I walked with plates and a new registration.
Another shot in the garage.
So, after all is said and done, here is a quick timeline and some facts.
Dad had a GT6 when he was in college and when he was dating Mom in the 70's. There's a picture of it in one of the previous posts.
Dad and I saw this car on the side of the road on our way home from Aunt Beverly's house in a little town called Wikieup, Arizona in 1994. Dad's quick negotiating skills convinced the guy that he needed to trade this car for the old Plymouth Reliant.
In May of 1994 that trade occurred and the car was brought to Hinckley.
It sat mostly in the shed until 1996 when it was moved to Heber City to again, mostly sit in the shed.
In January of 2010 the car was taken to Lakewood, Washington where Bryan and I promptly stripped it down and began the restoration.
In July of 2012 we brought the car with us on our move back to Utah.
And now, in August 2013 I believe I can deem the project complete. Of course I'm always going to be doing stuff to this car, but I think I can consider it restored!
Another interesting fact. The Arizona title that was given to Dad stated the car had 65,114 miles on it when a Ms. Jeanne Bryant purchased the car in 1991. As you can see in the photos above, the car now has 65,634 miles on it! Quick math will tell you that the car has gone 520 miles in 23 years!
It's been an amazing project and I can't wait to get out and drive!
Thanks for all your support.
