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Classic/Antique Car Repair/1960 Chevy Impala dash

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 12/9/2009


Question
This is probably a dumb question, but I just purchased a 1960 Chevy Impala 4-door sedan and the dash is not illuminated.  I can't see the instrument panel when I drive at night.  It's been a while since I've seen one of these cars(dad used to own a '60 decades ago#, but am I wrong in assuming that the dash should light up somehow?  If so, where and what do I check?  I checked a fuse panel#5 or 6 fuses) behind the pedal and they looked fine.  I don't want to mess up this beautiful dash by ignorantly pulling it apart, so any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.  By the way, thank you for sharing your expertise on this site.  Cheers.

Answer
Mark,

The next thing I'd check would be the headlight switch. Make sure that all the connectors are present and nice and tight. You'll need a wiring diagram for this, which can be found with a bit of searching on the Web. Removing the switch is a bit tricky--the trim nut needs to be unscrewed. There is a special tool to loosen this, and it is commonly available, too.

You can try these folks for the tool and help. The switch for a '60 Chevy is similar to a '55-'57. Things didn't change till about '67.

http://www.luttyschevy.com/pages/home.html

Good luck!

--Paul

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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