Windshield & Wiring

At this point, I am still getting to know my new toy.  I know that I want to strip off everything from the body, but it's hard to decide where to actually start.

I settle on the removing dashboard, which is so rusty and rotten that it literally falls apart in my hand.  Still it has to be removed as if it were whole, and this means removing the windshield.  Now you don't actually have to remove the windshield to do this, but it certainly makes it easier, and in this case, since I am just stripping things off the body, it makes sense to pull out the glass.  First off is the aluminum strip that is set into the rubber gasket that actually holds the windshield in place.  This is actually a decorative piece, and in fact many rebuilds leave this off, for what is loosely called the 'Cal' look.

As soon as that is out, it's time to pull the windshield.  It's not as easy as just pushing it out, but that's to be expected since it is wedged in there tightly for a reason.  It really is a two man job, and fortunately my friend Dan, who was joining us for supper that night, pulled up on his bike. So, while some folks sing for their supper, Dan got his hands rusty-greasy-grimy as we yanked that bad boy right out of it's rusty socket.  It's one of those things that I wish I'd noticed, since it might have made it easier to bargain, but the cracked windshield is just the first of many expensive lessons I expect to learn before this adventure is all over.

Next, I turned my attention back to the dash.  Before I could start stripping the rusty crusty shell from the body, though, I had to remove all the gauges, switches, heater controls and wire for all of that. The easiest things to remove are the big ones: the speedometer and the tachometer, so out they come.

The wiring is so tangled and stiff that a lot of wires simply pulled out of their connectors.  No matter, it's all shot so it all comes out.  I am saving all the wiring for now, but I will certainly invest in a brand-new wiring harness, front to rear.  It's really no fun trying to track down a faulty wire; better to start fresh and face the nightmare of trying to plug it all in correctly.

Fortunately, all that's off in the future somewhere.  For now, I am having fun pulling out all the old and thinking about the new.