Dash swap
 

I know this is a little outside the box, but I was thinking....

....if you look at the dash of newer cars, the only things that vary are vent locations, centre console switches and the dials (rev/speedo etc)

Now, I have proven that rewiring switches is possible. Redirecting vents would be fairly straightforward as they are usually in a similar place.

The only issue is, if you take the dials from, let's say a new Ford Focus. Can they be rewired to provide the correct information?

And in expansion to that, can they display more than currently available in the ZS...ie miles in tank, mpg etc.

Obviously I'm aware you would need sensors etc but does all this info require the ECU? Is it 'possible but pointless due to expense' or is it 'possible and should be tried'?

Just something to throw in the mix!

sounds extremely complicated!

speaking to goldie yesterday,the ecus arent that great mate,dont hold much info

nah not really tbh, not a simple wire up

I think a man of your skill and dedication would find a solution. Do it .....

I reckon youd be better spending your time and money perking up the track car or doing more track days

Cheaper and less hassle to get an LCD dash like a stack.
Wiring is not a prob but calibration etc would be a pain.

P.

Sounds possible though :)

When converting to VVC, don't you change the ecu? Could you not reprogram a focus ecu with its extra sensors and info to have the mg data plus the extras?

Totally and utterly pointless mod to do.

Lets put it this way, most if not all new cars today work on a CANBUS system, in which all the ECU's in the car talk to each other, it isnt as simple as reprogramming the ECU to make it work, apart from the other sensors etc, you will need access to the electronic diagnostic equipment in which to see what problems and why the all various ECU's arent working.

More hassle than the MGZS is worth mate, even for bespoke dash/instrument build.

It would be a lot cheaper and easier to use a Scangauge 2 blended into the existing dash.

ok...how about just the same functions as the ZS. ie. putting in Focus dials and making the warning lights and dials work? Still an ultimately difficult task?

Pete, was thinking about Scanguage which has mpg etc....can the info this displays not be farmed out to the display built in to the dash?

You still wont get it to work, the ECU's in the ZS dont have anywhere near the sensor inputs/outputs to do this, the Focus speedo head etc needs the various ECU's to work, just like the Rover 75/MG ZT, the speedo information was held in the light control module, so if the instrument pack went faulty the dealer had to recover the stored info from the light module before re-programming the instrument pack, it isnt just a simple plug'n'play system like a PC, lots of different perimeters are required.

The Mk5 Astra for example, if a breaker is selling bits from it he includes the ECU/Instrument Pack/Keys/looms etc.

tbh I don't know the answer to that question.

So essentially if you did a full dash conversion, you'd need to keep the dials the same!

May look at scanguage fitment into the instrument area too then!

It would be easier to keep the dials I think, it may be possible to swap dials if you have a wiring diagram from the donor car, but you are then into calibrating them to the zs, and also trying to work out how much of the info could be displayed.

Someone on .org was building a scanguge type device but I don't know what happened in the end.

There is no reason why someone clever couldn't use the OBD2 data to knock togeather some sort of reader that can provide the info you want.

Again it should be possible to create a hybrid dash using the speedo drive and mileometer from the ZS in a "modern dash".

I second that. Its almost impossibile to swap fascias/dials from one Ford to another these days, let alone to an older and different make. :no:

get one like mine and blend it into the cluster housing

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n..._3470346_n.jpg

it's a fully changeable TFT screen, so technically you could make it display anything!

Considered that Ross but only if you could have it display as dials like lambos etc

like I said you can make it display anything, so analogue style dials wouldn't be hard I don't think

As kev said its the likes of the canbus that makes it difficult, fpcus dashboard is a nightmare of a thing anyway, need the doors off to get 2 of the dash bolts out haha, tbh i like the zs dash, be easier to take the zs dials and bubbins out and make them fit the cluster? Still be anightmare and probably a disaster

Any pictures of this Ross?

not got a picture of the DTA with it but this is apparently a screen shot from a program you download into it

http://www.avbrand.com/projects/carp...ash/gauges.jpg

Apparently it works with those USB readers for the OBD port, so you could in theory run your car computer through it too

this is what i was thinking you could do with yours

http://www.jfmstudios.com/pics/Dash/037.JPG

That's my ultimate dream! But those things are expensive and surely hard to set up?

if you run it through the car-computer it will be must easier as you'll just need a suitable TFT screen to plug it into, run ones of those OBD readers into it then display the data on the screen. You almost have all the bits there already!

Doing it the way I have will be much harder as you would need to buy all the right sensors then calibrate them. I set up Paul Luti's Race technology dashboard and it took a full day just to calibrate it! You have to take voltage readings from the sensors then tell them what temperature / pressure / speed that actually relates to in the real world. It's a total nightmare to start with.

So the software you mentioned just goes on a of to be displayed?

I want this!!

I prefer the original instruments tbh, sorry:)

from what I can tell it decodes the signals from the OBD port and shows them on a graphic like the ones above. Doesn't sound that complicated at all

Torque will display anything from the ecu. You could build a tablet into the dash, maybe with some after market dials for the bits it won't do.

It doesn't update fast enough to use. the dials would just jump every half a second

also the bluetooth adapter drains the battery (I accidentally left mine in for a week)

a hard-wired OBD usb would be better then, I've got one in the garage!

If you had a tablet that worked with it

it's all down to the software I think. I used the cabe once to download a remap into my dads Mini and never used it again

Get one of these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laptop-dia...item416dcb6e31

and attach it to a 7 or 10" tablet and use it to display what ever live data you want.

that looks very like the one I have!

Il stick to my normal non headache dash'P