Installation of the GT1R MoTeC C1212 Dash Kit is recommended to be handled by a qualified mechanic with experience in both interior and electrical systems.
The installation of this kit is very similar on all years of the R35 GT-R, but there are slight differences in trimming required between 2009-2016 and 2017+ year models. The installation guide below is a step by step process for the 2017+ year models, and there is a supplemental section for the 2009-2016 which will clearly show the different trimming needed. Do not proceed to this section until prompted.
Before any work is performed, note the mileage on the odometer and then disconnect the battery. Your mileage can be programmed into the new display if using a MoTeC ECU. For more details about programming features of the kit plese see the help file HERE. Installing of the new display will require complete removal of the steering wheel and factory gauge cluster. The first step in getting the factory cluster out will be removing the steering wheel. Begin with removing airbag bolt covers.
Inside the steering wheel assembly there are two springs which you will need to relieve pressure from before pulling the airbag assembly from the wheel. You can see one circled in the picture below, and the other is directly across. Once pressure is relieved from both of these you will need to depress a plastic tab on the bottom side of the air bag through the steering wheel cover.
***On the pre-2017 year models there are no springs, there will just be torx head bolts to remove and the airbag will come out.***
With the airbag loose, use a pick to pop the black tab up from both the yellow and orange connectors pictures above. With the brown ground wire removed the airbag should be free to come off now. After the airbag has been removed the steering wheel is ready to come off. It is advised to loosen the steering wheel nut, but not fully remove until the wheel is loose on the column shaft. Disconnect both connectors on the steering wheel.
Some light pulling force will be needed to loosen the wheel on the shaft, but it will be obvious once it’s free. Once the wheel is ready to come off, fully remove the nut, and then the wheel. Be careful to not damage the clock spring assembly during removal and try to isolate any rotation of the clock spring during the entire installation procedure. Remove both plastic column covers from the steering shaft.
Next, remove the following trim pieces and then the OBD2 plug:
You will need to unbolt the hood release, door seal, and trim pieces shown below:
Next you will drop down the large trim piece in front of where you knees would be when seated. There are a few connectors here that will need to be unplugged in order to completely removed.
There will be an metal brace that runs across the dash pad once the previously removed trim piece is out of the way. There are four bolts holding this in place, remove them, and the plate.
There is one screw left to remove on the column trim cover and then the two main covers can be completely removed from the column.
The OEM cluster assembly is held to the steering column by four bolts located on the steering column that can be seen from directly below the dash. Remove these four bolts, and lower both column adjustment levers. Pull the column down and as far forward as possible to give yourself room to work.
There are two connectors on the back of the factory cluster that need to be removed, and then the cluster should be free to come out.
With the cluster out of the car, flip it over and you will see five phillips screws on the backside, holding a trim piece to the cluster. Remove these five screws.
The white connector seen above will need to be pulled from of the clips holding it in. There are now four phillips screws that will need to be removed to allow the cluster to be removed. These can be seen below:
This will complete the disassembly process and we can now move to installing the new display. Before mounting and trimming the C1212 in the factory surround, assemble the provided mounting bracket as pictured:
With the C1212 assembled it is recommended to test fit the assembly on the steering column. The C1212 is essentially the exact same width of the opening in the dash pad, and will take some work to fit correctly. It’s advised to tape off the dash pad in the areas the C1212 will contact, and also use a basic lubricant on the side of the C1212 to allow it so slide on the taped off areas easily. What we are trying to achieve is forming the dash pad to the C1212. For the 2017+ year models there is no trimming required on the dash itself, only on the cluster surround that is currently not on the car. For the 2009-2016 cars there is some trimming done on both the main cluster housing, and the removable u-shaped dash pad trim piece. It is advised to take this off the dash to modify once the C1212 is test fitted to the column below.
In a previous step we had removed four M6 bolts from the column to allow the cluster to be removed. In this same area you will see two nuts and two springs as well. Remove these two bolts, and release the springs from the bottom tabs to allow the column to drop down entirely.
Now the C1212 and bracket will bolt to the stock column, in the spot the four M6 bolts were removed in a prior cluster removal step using the provided hardware. With the C1212 mounted to the column SLOWLY work it up and down on the dash pad until it’s at the desired height. For 2009-2016 year models, please move to the separate section at the end of this, for 2017+ please continue here.
It is recommended to leave this in place for several hours, and in direct sunlight if possible. This will allow the dash pad to form nicely to the C1212. Once you feel comfortable with the fitment the C1212 will need to come back off to be assembled with the factory cluster surround.
It is highly recommend to protect the factory components you will be working on/around as there will trimming taking place. The factory cluster surround will be the main area of focus and should be protected accordingly:
To begin, you will need to trim the lower metal bracket on the factory surround to clear the C1212 body as seen below:
Pictured below is how the display should mount in the factory cluster surround once completed. This will take a bit of time to do correctly as you will need to mark the area that will be modified and slowly remove the needed amount of plastic. We recommend pulling the staples out of the cluster material, and slowly working the glue from between the material and plastic that will be trimmed. You should not need to cut the top material in any way, just the plastic. Once the plastic is trimmed enough for the C1212 to easily bolt in place, you have removed enough. You will then reaffix the top material to the plastic using an interior glue/adhesive, and then screw in the hardware for the top of the C1212 mounting provisions for the last time.
We are now ready to reinstall the cluster/display assembly back in the car. It is easiest to install the C12x adapter harness before putting the assembly back in and make all your connections so the only thing left is plugging the C1212 connector in with the display going back in. The two nuts removed off the column along with the springs that allowed the column to drop will need to be reinstalled at this time. Once those are in you can mount the cluster assembly back on the column. Plug in the connector on the back of the C1212, the white connector previously unplugged for cluster removal, and reverse the disassembly steps from this point, paying careful attention to the contact between the C1212 and the dash pad. It is normal for the C1212 to touch the dash pad, but if done correctly, will not damage the dash pad in any way.
With everything reinstalled and all wire harnesses connected you should be able to power the car back up and complete installation. If you are using this display with an M1 ECU, you will need to change "ECU Transmit" in the calibration to "CAN 2".
***2009-2016 Supplemental Instructions***
The dash pad trim piece on these year model cars will require some slight modification. It is advised to lightly pull the trim fabric/foam off the main plastics and only trim the plastics. Once adequate material has been removed from the piece the fabric should be bonded back to the trimmed plastic. The areas shown below are the main contact areas, and you can verify this by test fitting with the C1212 still on the column:
Once you feel comfortable with the fitment the C1212 will need to come back off to be assembled with the factory cluster surround. It is highly recommend to protect the factory components you will be working on/around as there will trimming taking place. The factory cluster surround will be the main area of focus and should be protected accordingly. To begin, you will need to trim the lower metal bracket on the factory surround to clear the C1212 body as seen below:
Pictured below is how the display should mount in the factory cluster surround once completed. This will take a bit of time to do correctly as you will need to mark the area that will be modified.
Once the plastic is trimmed enough for the C1212 to easily bolt in place, you have removed enough. You will then screw in the hardware for the top of the C1212 mounting provisions for the last time.
We are now ready to reinstall the cluster/display assembly back in the car. It is easiest to install the C12x adapter harness before putting the assembly back in and make all your connections so the only thing left is plugging the C1212 connector with the display going back in. The two nuts removed off the column along with the springs that allowed the column to drop will need to be reinstalled at this time. Once those are in you can reattach the springs to the bottom tabs, and mount the cluster assembly back on the column. Plug in the connector on the back of the C1212, the white connector previously unplugged for cluster removal, and reverse the disassembly steps from this point, paying careful attention to the contact between the C1212 and the dash pad. It is normal for the C1212 to touch the dash pad, but if done correctly, will not damage the dash pad in any way.
With everything reinstalled and all wire harnesses connected you should be able to power the car back up and complete installation. If you are using this display with an M1 ECU, you will need to change the "ECU Transmit" in the calibration to "CAN 2".