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Dash Swap easy or difficult ?

Racing Snake

By Racing Snake
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Racing Snake

Racing Snake

Posted
Posted

POBC has anyone swapped a 2003 conventional style gauge set up to a Stack dash with modern R500 style switches ?

Interested to know how difficult the swap would be and any problems i might come up against

Many thnks in advance for your help *thumbup*

 

Mad Hatter Racing - Feel The Duralight R Torque 😬 Carl @ Penn 7's *thumbup* Caution - May Contain Nuts !
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Angus

Angus

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MH

 

I havent done this, but a couple of observations from looking at my R400 dash wiring, which has the stack dash factory fitted. (However note that I have the old style rocker switches, so there may be further differences)

 

1) The main wiring loom is very different between the stack and non-stack dash. The stack unit has a 19-pin socket, the plug of which is spliced into the main loom.

 

There are two sets of wiring diagrams in the back of the build manual (download here). So be prepared to change the main loom, or at least some radical surgery with a big connector wher the loom exits the tunnel.

 

2) Even with the stack dash loom there are a lot of redundant connectors under the dash. They look like connectors for the analogue guages, why they are left in the loom is not clear. I'm sure it could be done much more neatly and efficiently - one the list of 'one day' jobs !

 

3) You will probably have to remove the scuttle (if you dont already have a removeable scuttle) to give you decent access.

 

4) Good luck if you decide to do it - please report on here or perhaps an article for Low Flying ?

 

Angus

 

 

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Shaun_E

Shaun_E

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Carl,

I can offer some experience of both.

1. My car had a Stack dash added to it some time after it was first built (but before I bought it). The Stack comes with all the wiring so you need to splice it into the existing loom where appropriate. The wires are designed for a 15ft saloon car so ideally need shortening which is a very fiddly task due to the wire being very thin. Some of the sensors are different to the std Caterham ones so you will need to replace these although you normally buy the Stack with the necessary sensors. RPM is picked up from the coil or the ECU, fuel level comes from the existing sensor and you can calibrate it, oil temp and water temp are different sensors, oil pressure I think is also different but I can't remember. MPH/odometer come from either a wheel speed sensor or a propshaft sensor (I have the wheel sensor). You can add a couple of others (air temp and fuel pressure IIRC) if you want.

2. I have changed to the R500 switches recently as part of a complete re-wire of the car. They do not take much current so all should really use relays to operate whatever you have. They are all single way switches either toggle or momentary so do not deal with things like 2 wiper speeds/2 fan speeds (of course if you are aeroscreened/unheated this does not matter).The R500 has a custom circuit board (about £300) that deals with most functions. I had an auto electrician create the necessary circuits - it would have been much, much cheaper to buy the R500 circuitboard! The indicators/hazards were a particular issue. I have separate toggles to switch between wiper speeds/fan speeds which is not ideal. It is not a project for the fainthearted or anyone who hates car electrics (like me).

If you have any questions then ask away.

Shaun

 

Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

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MartinH

MartinH

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Hi Carl,

When I got my kit I was happy that the dashboard was one of the things already installed (along with the loom). I think there is probably a reason for that - i.e. CC have figured out there would plenty of opportunity for ****ups if an inexperienced self-builder had to wire it all up! I had enough fun installing my shift light last weekend.

 

Not sure if you noticed last month at the Penn meet but I have the new dash with the shiny R3/500 buttons - you are more than welcome to have a good snoop under the dash if it helps. (Bring a mirror!) I also have lots of unused connectors under there and I *think* the loom is suitable for Stack but I am not certain of that. During my build Martyn B(Rattie) helped me figure out how to connect up some of the senders and we deduced that they were the Stack type ones.

 

See you Saturday anyway if there is a pre-meet blat.

 

Oh, by the way, Shaun - the switches I have are not all toggle. The windscreen wipers and the headlight switches have multiple 'positions'. i.e. off - intermitteent, slow and fast for the wipers etc.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

 

Duratec R300 SV finally alive!

 

Edited by - MartinH on 22 Jun 2010 22:05:45

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Dyrill

Dyrill

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Carl

 

As Dicks says I did the conversion to the shiny R500 switches last year - as previous posters have said - you need relays for each switch and you lose a bit of functionality on the wipers, but overall I was happy with the results. If i did it again I would have gone for the Caterham circuit board as it would have provided a neater end result under dash. I didn't actually do the electrickery work myself in the end depsite some great advice from Darren (K80RUM) and Gary (Captain Chaos)who had done the work on their cars, but employed a auto sparky chap who did all the work on a Saturday morning.

 

I already had a stack dash fitted - the ST500 so can't help you with that- sorry.

 

pictures of results in my sig

 

 

C7 SUP now with DVA K06 Upgrade

 

Edited by - Dyrill on 23 Jun 2010 09:23:49

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rj

rj

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Posted

You could just purchase the relay module from Caterham and a new harness, then you'll have all the functionality you need.

 

I have changed from non-Stack to Stack and adapted the Stack-connector to the existing loom, which effectively means that my loom is similar to a K-R500 loom. Quite a bit of work, but a lot neater than just adding extra wires. Whilst I was there I removed excess wires etc reducing weight a bit.

 

 

/r

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Slider7

Slider7

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Posted
Whilst I was there I removed excess wires etc reducing weight a bit.

 

*eek* *eek* *eek*

 

 

 

 

 

 

😬 *wavey*

 

__________________

Flanders AR - Flanders.AR@gmail.com

 

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” Antoine de Saint Exupery

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Racing Snake

Racing Snake

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RJ - do you know what part number the loom is to plug into the R500 circuit board ?

My car is a R300 (2003) with a 2.3 Duratec, But i think its all standard R300 dash board and wiring wise

 

Mad Hatter Racing - Feel The Duralight R Torque 😬 Carl @ Penn 7's *thumbup* Caution - May Contain Nuts !

 

Edited by - Mad Hatter on 23 Jun 2010 11:21:30

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Slider7

Slider7

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Posted

*arrowup*

*wink*

 

...

 

You know me, don't you?

 

I know ... but that's pretty extreme ... even for a weight weenie.

 

*tongue* 😬

 

...

 

Btw, heading up north this summer ... unfortanately not through Denmark ... since we're taking the ferry from Kiel to Oslo.

 

Sadly not in the Caterham ... not big enough for the family

 

 

...

 

Sorry for the hi-jack MH.

 

 

 

 

__________________

Flanders AR - Flanders.AR@gmail.com

 

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” Antoine de Saint Exupery

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