MustangForums.com - 2005 Dash into 1992 mustang

Before I begin let me explain, I am definitely not a skilled technician when it comes to rebuilds and restoration. I did grow up in a house where my step-father restored old fords, and among seeing the projects he hobbied with and coupled with owning a lot of junkers over the years I have spent some time being able to distinguish the basics, but I am definitely not a skilled mechanic that can tell you how to get 1.21 gigo-watts out of the flux capacitor. Additionally this project is an addition to an existing project, but then again aren't they all in some matter of retrospect. I started the original project in December of 2008 but had to put it away several times for extended periods of time because of deployments overseas. It seems every time I begin working on the Stang again I find myself back in the sandbox or in another country.

My Stang originally started out as a 1990 4 Cyl LX convertible. A purchased it off of craigslist for $50.00. It was running fine, however I wanted a 5.0. That was my dream car back in highschool. So I bought a 1988 5.0 donor, and did the 4 cyl, rear end, transmission swap. I also added an X-Pipe and changed from 4 lugs to 5 lug. Concurrently I began working on the aesthetics of the interior and exterior with new carpet and other upgrades and refinishing items. Before I could put the finishing touches on the engine and complete the wiring I had to deploy. During which time the dash was completely out. During the entire deployment all I could think of was how much I disliked the 1990 dash and steering wheel. I especially didn't like the fact that the steering wheel could not be tilted down. Thus I decided to see if it was possible to put a 2005 dash in. I wasn't too fond of the older versions from 1994-2004, but I really liked the dash of the 2005, it just reminded me of the 65+ Stangs. Thus I added this project to the list.

After pulling a dash, frame, wiring harness, instrument panel, steering wheel column and steering wheel from a salvage yard I began to measure, and research. From what I have found thus far this is an advanced project in and out. Thankfully I have some friends down at the hobby shop here that I can go to for assistance as needed. I almost scrapped the project at first but after looking at the 1990 steering wheel I was reinvigorated.

Here are some of the big topic concerns right off the bat. First the 2005 dash space is nearly three times the amount of cubic space that a fox body has. Trade off for me would be to do a lot of cutting out items or modifying them; for example A/C hosing and radio. Second, the dash is longer in length than the foxbody and the a bracket has to be fabricated to fit to the inner walls of the vehicle. Third, once the dash frame is adjusted and secured inside the vehicle the dash skin has to be cut and new holes need to fabricated for windshield vents as well. Fourth, 2005 instrument cluster is digital, thus custom speedometer, tach, oil, fuel, temperature, etc. . . have to be found and purchased. Fifth because the wiring is well over 15 years difference nothing matches up, but by getting the wiring harness from the 2005 I am going to do some splicing of connectors. Sixth, the steering column will not match up with the rack and pinion but you can cannibalize the end of the 1990 steering column and have it machined to the 2005 steering column. Seventh, Door handles will be uncomfortably close to the dash. I have not been a fan of where the door handle was located to begin with so I am moving them closer to the arm rest and suedo-designing a new layout for the door panels. Final point for now, the gear shifter and center console need to be modified. I plan on placing an extender on the gear shift that will move the gear shifter back several inches. The center console is going to be re-designed more to follow on that as the dash gets nearer to completion. These are the big items that I can think of without hitting my notes, but guarantee as I progress with the project I will post more.

Just as I was able to get most of my research done I ended up have to deploy back to back. Now that I am home again I have reorganized the garage to be able to work, reviewed my notes and am prepping to head to the shop with my stang and begin working on getting the frame in. So there will be more to follow with more precise details from final measurements.

Adding pictures to this isn't as user friendly as I thought it would be. Is the only way to insert a pic from my desktop by "insert address to file"? I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works.

Semper Fi,
John

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