headlight switch started smoking, now no dash lights???

ok, the head light switchs cant even handle the power there suppose to handle, and u plugged in somthing else, u proble fried a wire or the switch, get a multi meter and check all the wireing and the switch.

im not sure i follow. you hooked up 12 volts for lighting of your FP gauge at the headlight switch. then the wire for the FP gauge backed out of the switch housing. if so, it touching metal would not blow anything. the circuit is dead.

if a wire from the gauge backed out and grounded, then yes, you could have shorted out the circuit.

and that bulb for the FP gauge probably draws like 5 watts, so it probably draws like .4 amps. no biggie.

i would double check the fuses (13 for ISO and 4 for lighting, IIRC). did you eyeball the fuses or check continuity. more than one person has eyeballed them and it turned out to be bad.

if all else fails, check the dimmer - you could have fried it.

good luck.

glad to hear you got it fixed! nice work.
i normally put a one amp fuse on lights for gauges like that (where they could short or fry). that way you dont lose anything else. just an idea. again, nice work.