The answers to the previous two threads that asked this question were jumbled at best. So I decided out of my own curiosity and to see if I actually want to bother with the meticulous work involved, I'll ask around.

So here's really the questions I am looking to have answered, but any other information is greatly appreciated, hopefully we could put down enough information to make this a reference to search if someone asks the question later?

Anyways here's the Questions:

-Why do the two Dashes not interchange? How are the mounting points and hardware different?

- Roughly How much of the Dash would you have to rewire to drop a 82 Dash into a GSL-SE?

-Has anyone done anything similar to this that could post pics or advice?

 

i've heard all the horror stories, but i just dropped an 84 -se dash into an 82 gsl, without any problems. and my friend and i just did the opposite without issue either. we just unbolted the dash frame and swapped the whole assembly as one unit.

 

I want to swap an 85 dash into an 83.
The metal frame just went in with both swaps?
And you were able to switch all the heater stuff with it both times?

 

yea, the metal frames just bolted up no problem. there was one tab i had to remove from the 82. i swapped the "thinned down" wiring harness with the dash, and kept the electric heater controls from the -se. the heater tubes are different between the 84 and the 82, but with the full swap, it didn't matter.

as for everything going into the -se with the old dash, it bolted up fine, but its a racecar, so nothing is really hooked up at all. hope this helped a little

 

Hmm, could you post pictures? I'd be really interested in seeing how you did it.

 

im not sure if i have pictures of that stage, but i'll check for ya!

 

I put a 85 in a 81 body. There are a few mountingpoint that does not fit but the mechanics are no problem.

I also changed the complete electric system in the car as hardly none of the conections fit between the two.

I have a hard time seeing that you can connect an old dash with a newer car or the other way.

// magnus

 

So you had to change out the entire wiring harness to the whole car?

 

Why not just buy some high end gauges like the DEFI link system etc?

 

I swapped in an 85 into an 80 before. I'll do some digging for some pictures. Kept the stock heater controls though.

 

Thanks Jeez, can you change out the heaters as well and then be able to keep the stock controls?

 

i swapped the mechaninal heater for the electric one. but i also swapped the wiring harness and everything.

oh, and i can't find any pics from when i was doing it

 

This photo is from my 85 RX7:




This photo is from a mates 79 RX7:




They look pretty similar to me, but not exact, if ya look close enough, you can see differences.

But i'm guessing if ya had all the bits you could still do some sort of swap.

Sorry, I don't have anymore pics.

Cam...