Installing a blumenvasen in a 1971

[KarenTheBug]

Finally bought that blumenvasen I've had my eye on for a long time now ... it's been out of stock for ages, then just showed back up on MAMotorworks ... Merry Early Christmas to me!

So, here's my question - didn't come with installation instructions, so what is your recommendation for the best way to install this in a 1971? These were originally popular in the 50s and 60s, which had a different dash design. My first thought was to remove the right hand (when looking at the dash) grille behind the steering wheel and mount it on that, probably with a piece of Command adhesive tape to hold it still & keep it from vibrating, and then a piece of thick gauge insulated wire going through the screw holes on the bracket and through the grille, twisted tightly behind. I'm kind of wondering if putting all the weight on a wire without the tape would cause it to cut through the grille like a cheese cutter over time with road vibrations

Any better ideas? There may not be room on the right side grille so the left side is my other idea. I don't see anywhere else on the dash it could go, and since the dashes are different on a '71 and the 50s and 60s bugs, I don't see a way to do it without removing the grille.

[jgm_72]

I bought the same one from mid america a couple of years ago for my wife to put in her bay but I ran into the same problem so it has sat on the shelf for like 3 yrs. Good luck with your mounting wowes, Im determed to find a legit mounting place in her square thou

[KarenTheBug]

Actually it wasn't as hard as I thought. The main problem was it didn't come with screws, and the gap between the mounting bracket and the vase itself is so tiny that no screws I bought at the hardware store had a small enough head to let the vase sit tight in the bracket.

I ended up taking the speaker grille out of my '71, and attached the vase bracket to it by passing three strands of picture hanging wire through the bracket, lying them flat against the vase when it's attached to the bracket, and then braiding the strands after they left the holes in the back of the bracket to strengthen them & keep them from digging into the grille. Then, I wrapped some electrical tape through the grille openings I threaded the wire through to prevent rubbing, and tightened the wire in the back side & put the grille back in the dash.

Looks good, doesn't vibrate / shake, and is easy to "undo" without any damage, unlike actually mounting it to the dash itself as they used to do in the '50s and '60s.

[jgm_72]

looks good in there!

[Steve Arndt]

Time for Christmas flowers my friend. Sunflowers are summer, and it is now winter.

[KarenTheBug]

I thought about putting a poinsettia in there for now

[doc]

I like it! I like the idea of changing flowers seasonally, too. Nice touch. Seldom done.

doc