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Posted By: oldpar photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 04th 2018 11:07 pm
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 ?

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Posted By: Miyagi Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 3:03 am
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?
Posted By: oldpar Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 3:15 am
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.
Posted By: oldpar Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 6:09 pm
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.

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Posted By: Reed Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 6:28 pm
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.
Posted By: Miyagi Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 7:18 pm
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
Posted By: Reed Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 8:26 pm
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.
Posted By: Meanmachine Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 11:12 pm
Lots of info and illustrations in this parts catalog for your van.
http://www.jholst.net/78-81-dodge-parts-manual/index.php
Posted By: Reed Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 06th 2018 11:33 pm
Oh, man, thanks for that link!
Posted By: oldpar Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 07th 2018 1:45 am
Mine has lap belts bolted into floor.
When I replaced the paneling last fall there were no cutouts or screw holes for a shoulder harness, I don't think shoulder belts were required in 1979.

There is a nearby city that I drive through once in awhile that seems to have an abundance of very young leos so I add about 10 min for a traffic stop or two. My van is raised and they can not see that I am wearing lap belts, so as I go by I see their head turn and then shortly after I am on side of road. When they come up to the van and get on the step so they can see in they look at the seat belts then go back to the cruiser for a few minutes. Then come back and apologize for the inconvenience. I sort of get a laugh out of it.
As for the other indicators there are no lights wires or connectors for any of it including the check egr and low trans fluid warning.

meanmachine: Thanks for the link I will bookmark it.
Posted By: oldpar Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 07th 2018 2:06 am
The comment regarding shoulder harness seat belts made me curious now.
A quick look on internet seems that they were required in cars as early as 1969 and later for trucks. By late 1970s ?

A thought crossed my mind that my van is registered as a motorcoach as in RV or motorhome, maybe the laws were different for those ?
Posted By: Erik43 Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 07th 2018 3:35 pm
I have a 79 Chevy G20, and it only has the lap belt. I looked for the hole for shoulder belt but didnt see any. So maybe they were just starting to come out in trucks n vans?
Posted By: oldpar Re: photos of 1979 B series van instrument panel please - February 08th 2018 2:28 am
As for the seat belts, I have been stopped a number of times in Commiefornia and never got a ticket for it. They seem to check things in their cruiser then come back and apologize. So never really gave it much thought.

Back to the instrument panel:
I put it all back together today with 2 new circuit boards and a new solid state voltage limiter and for the first time in years all my instruments work correctly and are accurate.
I am now thinking about what I might be able to do with all those pretty light lenses. Like maybe fog lights on or a rear obstacle sensor, or maybe just a light show. any ideas ?
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