removing center console

[roller]

i've started to remove the center console in my
'69 gtv, and i've got a question about the guages.
there are a lot of plugs into the back of both
center console guages, not all of them look removable. i thought i'd do the smart thing and wait to get wisdom from the bb.

how should i get the guages out? i could do it if the plastic sleeve would fit through the wood.
i don't want to break anything.

john

[papajam]

The gauges don't have to be removed to get the console out. There are two (I think) multipin wiring connectors that you disconnect so that the wiring for the gauges and switches comes out with the console. The heater lever assembly needs to be unscrewed from the console (2 screws on the heater control face plate). Leave the cables attached. Also, disconnect one yellow and one yellow/black stripe wire from the lower left side of the heater box just above the gas pedal.

[roller]

*excellent*, papajam, thanks.
that's the perfect answer. i recall seeing those
blocks now.

here's one for you; chalk it up to dunderhead newbie actions:
my horn doesn't work, so i found a wire in the engine compartment
that wasn't connected to anything. i held it to the horn where there
was a missing wire and tried the horn...nothing.

got started home from visiting parent, and noticed that the temp guage
wasn't working. looks like i blew it out. i looked at the fuses, and they seem
fine. did i fry it? it was working before, so i don't know how the loose wire
would have affected it.

now that i think about it, i've never seen guages (for '69 gtv's) for sale...
are they extremely rare or hard to source?

thanks, john

[papajam]

The wire for the temp gauge is on the rightside of the engine and connects to the temp sender just aft of the thermostat housing. If this isn't the loose wire you mentioned, turn on the ignition and ground the wire. The temp gauge should go all the way up which means that there's either a poor connection at the sender or the senders kaput.
The horn wiring is on the leftside of the engine bay. When the horn button is pushed, do you here a relay clicking? You might find this wiring diagram helpful in tracking things down.