1979 Dodge B200 van Looking at my instrument panel there is a bank of light windows on the right side, There are holes behind the lenses but no lights. Wondering if this is original dashboard.
Can anyone post a photo of a known original instrument panel in a 1979 B200 for reference ?
1979 Dodge B200 wrangler factory authorized van conversion. 360 cid 727 auto trans NP203 full time 4 wd
I have a 1980 Dodge van-based RV that has that dash configuration, but you'll have to wait until daylight to get a pic. Are you saying that you can see through holes in your cluster? I'd have a better understanding if you had a pic of the cluster instead of where it goes....
Edit: you mean what looks like a bank of idiot lights?
Last edited by Miyagi; February 05th 2018 11:04 pm.
Yes, looks like a bank of idiot lights. I attached two photos in the original post (does it not show?). The one on the left is the actual instrument panel, it has a bunch of plastic lenses. I have not looked close enough yet to see if the lenses say anything. The one on the right is the dashboard where instrument panel screws in. It shows a series of holes with nothing in them, no lights, wires or anything.
I never paid any attention to them so never thought about them never lighting up. And I have been driving this van for 28 years !........ LOL! what can I say, I beleive if it aint broke dont fix it.
Last edited by oldpar; February 05th 2018 11:20 pm. Reason: additional info
1979 Dodge B200 wrangler factory authorized van conversion. 360 cid 727 auto trans NP203 full time 4 wd
I put a light behind the panel to see what it says. There are no sensors to measure these things, It doesn't bother anything to just leave it. I just think it is strange that it would be there at all.
1979 Dodge B200 wrangler factory authorized van conversion. 360 cid 727 auto trans NP203 full time 4 wd
Those are for options that your van was not ordered with. However, you should have a functioning seat belt warning light. You see those four holes in the dash next to the stereo? Those are for the lightbulbs that would light up behind those displays. The warning lights were add-on circuits depending on how the van was configured when built.
My RV didn't have the circuitry for the sealtbelt warning lamp, so I'm not 100% that's a base option at all. I think that comes with shoulder belt setups, and both mine are lap belt only
Yeah, in 79 I think even the seatbelt light was optional depending on the package. However, in 79 the van would have been originally built with shoulder belts. It was required by Federal law. Over the years someone might have swapped in aftermarket seats that have only lap belts.