I can't get the courage to drill

[sdcat]

Just about finished putting the roll cage on. I have a new appreciation for those of you who built your own cars - I hope to never have to remove the interior panels again!

It took some motivation to drill holes in the skin for the cage, but I just can't seem to get myself to drill a hole in the dash for the fire extinguisher pull handle. I keep trying to think of places to put the handle that won't require putting a hole in anything. Any ideas?

[Elv15]

Justin,

Be very careful when drilling the dash. There are many switches and other items that are much larger behind the dash than they appear on the front. You need to make sure you have enough clearance behind the dash for the device you are mounting.

Tom

[slomove]

Drill, baby, drill....but I guess that was another topic.

Anyway, just make sure as Tom said to not mill up the harness and make that hole. I mean, if the best position for the fire handle is in the dash why not put it there? At least this is where I installed mine. After all it should be very visible for helpers to pull just in case you can not.

Gert

[GWise]

Is there any room to create a bracket that would hang below the dash but would still be visible and easily accessable?

[Elv15]

Careful with a bracket - you want to make sure it will not be a danger to the passengers legs in case of an accident.

[magnusfeuer]

You can remove the scuttle quite easily by undoing the four bolts holding it to the frame on the inside of the seam between scuttle and body. You also need to cut up the silicon that seals the front of the scuttle and the horizontal part that is the top of the pedal box. Once you've done that, you can lift the scuttle clean off and expose the entire backside of the dash.

I'm designing a new minimalistic dash with two buttons, three switches, ignition key, a computer screen and no gauges. I bought a press drill just to get the holes in the dash right.

/Magnus F.

[Doug Liedblad]

What's a press drill?

[magnusfeuer]

It's like a drill press, but with the two words swapped.

/Magnus F.

[sdcat]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I learned that the carbon fiber dash is glued on, rather than riveted! I'm told, though, that it's a pretty strong adhesive. There is a bolt on the back of the dash tube for an electrical box, just to the right of the shifter. I'll try hanging a bracket from here first to see if there is any potential problems with the passengers knees. If this is OK, I'll reinforce it. Otherwise, I will probably bite the bullet and drill a hole in the dash.