Vibrating Instrument binnacle cure

Airportable wrote: Oh & the nacelles (nice use of the correct terminology), just worry the buggers until they come apart. You have gravity on your side when they are coming off, wait until you’re putting them back around the key aperture.
M

As long as you've remembered to take the screws out, that is...

Ahh, so the bottom comes off first does it?
The two screws nearest the wheel are about 22mm long so certainly don’t engage with the top half.
I have yet to take out the one nearest the front of the car.

Yes, how often to you see a bit of advice where the twit offering the recommendation omits the most obvious part.
Thank you David, I am that twit.
One handy modification is to replace the pozidrive screws with Allen key socket heads. These are so much easier to guide into place than a wobbly screw dancing on the end of a screwdriver.
M

There is a binnacle listed for sale on the facebook MGF and TF UK owners club, sales group if that helps.

Can anyone please help with the following.
I have the binnacle off and against my better judgement removed the remains of the centre clip from the dashboard leaving the self tapping screw in place for now.

So, as I understand it if the screw is pushed forward through the hole it lands in the heater duct.
First question: is that correct?
Second question (assumes it does arrive in the heater duct) what has to be removed to give access to the part of the heater duct that is holding or retaining the screw?
Finally, is it best to push that screw in with some force to give it chance to clear an obstacle, or just let it drop?

Any help grealy received.

Just push the screw back through the dash & it’ll drop into the ducting. It is then a matter of retrieving it; remove the central vent & with a magnet attached to a bit of flexible “something”, go magnet fishing by sliding your magnetic fishing rod down the duct.
I don’t recall any problems & little more than a five minute job.
M

Thank you for helping with that. Any tips on how to get the central vent out?
I do have a magnet on the end of a telescopic extension but I guess you mean something a little more flexible.

To remove the central vent; a broad paint scraper tucked inter the bottom edge of the moulding & using the surrounding dash as a fulcrum, ease the unit out. Originally the seal was foam rubber but in all probability that will have disintegrated, so little or no resistance should be expected.
I have a flexible grabber (expect a comment from Cobber), into which I insert a small magnet, this forms around the curves with no problem. It’s a couple of foot long (wait for it) with a claw on the end, available off eBay & an invaluable addition to a tool kit. Especially if like me you use & drop a lot of stainless nuts & screws in places which are difficult to access
M

Thank you for the responses, most helpful.
I have also googled/youtubed that topic. The example used something like a bicycle tyre lever. I had a tool like that which came with dash cam supply cable fitting kit.
That together with some ice lollipop sticks did the job.

Totally agree about the disintegration of the foam. The remains of that will have to be cleaned out, and something put in its place.

So far one screw removed and recovered.
Just have to work out a way of putting the binnacle back such that it doesn’t move/rattle. 

Airportable wrote: To remove the central vent; a broad paint scraper tucked inter the bottom edge of the moulding & using the surrounding dash as a fulcrum, ease the unit out. Originally the seal was foam rubber but in all probability that will have disintegrated, so little or no resistance should be expected.
I have a flexible grabber (expect a comment from Cobber), into which I insert a small magnet, this forms around the curves with no problem. It’s a couple of foot long (wait for it) with a claw on the end, available off eBay & an invaluable addition to a tool kit. Especially if like me you use & drop a lot of stainless nuts & screws in places which are difficult to access 
M

A couple of foot long…..now you’re bragging!
Reminds me of the old gag……”It’s a foot long, but I don’t use it as a rule!”

Which ever way you decide to fix & subdue the instrument cover, do make sure it is easily removed. How you’re expected to remove the connectors from the display to facilitate its extraction is beyond me, I suspect that the amount of damage to the covers on so many of our vehicles is a direct result of mechanics hands rooting around in too smaller space. Trying to resolve a poor connection or a failed lamp could easily reduce the cover to a shattered version of its former self.
M

Well, ever so near but...!
I managed to remove two out of the three failed clips that were still in the dashboard. The third was a child of dubious parentage. I had to grind the tip of the screw off and weaken the clip. Recovering them through the vent was doddle. Re fitting the vent was easy too after renewing some foam around the ductwork.
With the three clips out I bonded in three rivnuts using 2 pack JB weld repair plastic glue. So far so good.
I then cut and shaped three aluminium brackets from 30mm equal angle material and reduced the 90 degrees to something close to requirement.
With those brackets in place and nearly tight I bonded the binnacle to the angle brackets. If the perishing binnacle had not slipped a bit over lunch whilst the glue set everything would have been perfect.
So, after lunch I removed the binnacle (unscrewing) the brackets that were now bonded to the binnacle, and risked everything by trying to cut through the glue to re bond the binnacle in place where it should be. 
Unfortunately the perishing thing cracked (told you so I hear you say) but not too seriously so I had to overcome that by just renewing the glue and then re attaching the binnacle using some "P" section elastomer that I had in my spares bucket.
All in all it doesn't look too bad, it has cured the rattle and I would adopt this approach again if I had another spare binnacle.

All being well attached are two images. One shows the screwdriver assemble all stuck together with gaffer tape. Yes it is resting above the arch but that was only for demonstration purposes. It was just possible with the screwdriver between the arch and the top of the instruments. 

And here is the other