73StreetRace

Many people on this forum have installed AutoMeter, VDO or other brand gauges in their Corvettes.
There is a lot of ways to do it. Most of the time, the center console gauge cluster is modified and fitted with
2"1/16 instruments. But some people want to keep the stock look. There is a way to do it, and here is how I did it.
You will need some skills, because you will have to remove the instruments mechanisms from their housings, voiding manufacturer warranty.
But it's not as hard as you could think, you just need some patience and the appropriate tools.

Personally, I bought the following gauges :

AutoMeter Fuel Level ( Electric ) Full sweep 2"1/16, Sport-Comp #3310
AutoMeter Water Temp ( Mechanical ) Full Sweep 2"1/16, Sport-Comp #3332
AutoMeter Oil Press ( Mechanical ) Full Sweep 2"1/16, Sport-Comp #3321
VDO Voltmeter ( Electric ) Full Sweep 52mm, Led lighted

I chose these instruments because I think the look ( black face, white letters and orange needle ) is the most similar to the stock instruments.
Sport-Comp II are not bad, too. Your choice...

First Step :
Uncrimp the metal ring which is holding the circular glass on each instrument.
This can be done with one or two very small screwdrivers that you will slip between the ring and the housing.
Do it slowly and use the screwdriver(s) as a small lever and turn the instrument body regularly.
This could be done by grinding the metal but you don't want metal and plastic dust to get into the delicate mechanism, don't you ?
Then remove the glass and the black plastic ring behind it. Now remove the screws, nuts at the back of the instrument.
Remember that once the housing is removed, the instrument is fragile, especially the face, needle and gears / components.
So keep it in a safe and clean place.

Second Step :
Remove the center console panel. On the back, remove the 4 screws holding the metal housing with the 5 stock gauges.
Then, I think it's better to remove all 5 stock instruments, even if you want to keep some of them
after the transformation. It will prevent breaking anything during the machining process.
Also, taking a few pictures will help to remember where and how the instruments / connections were.
I only kept the stock battery ammeter.

Third Step :
Cut or grind the metal, ( easy with a Dremel tool ) so the new gauges can be installed. It doesn't have to be very precise, as we will use
aluminum metal plates to cover the holes. Conversely, these metal plates must be precisely machined ( +/- 0,5mm ) if you want
the new gauges to be correctly centered / oriented in the console. Remember that all gauges should be slightly oriented towards the driver.
Check it before you glue or rivet anything.

Fourth Step :
Clean everything thoroughly and use Araldite Epoxy Resin for metal.
I also drilled one or two holes on each aluminum plate and used one or two pop rivets to keep everything in place.
If you intend to use a mechanical water temp gauge like I did, the sender and the gauge can't be separated, so the metal disc
has to be cut in two halves ( a small vertical split barely visible on the picture showing the back side ).
This kind of gauge is cheaper, but the electric full sweep unit is much easier to install ( like the full sweep fuel level gauge #3310 ).
Again, your choice, and your budget too...

Fifth Step :
The instruments diameter is smaller than the stock instruments one. So, a shim is needed, or you will see the blue background
and the light bulbs around the instrument face. It's an easy task, just use a thin aluminum sheet ( from 0,6 to 1 mm )
and cut two half-shims for each instrument. Paint them with a matte black spray and use Araldite Crystal
( use only a very small quantity or it'll go over the edge ) to glue them on the back of the face of each gauge. ( See pictures )
A 43mm disc can be used as a mask to avoid painting where the shim will be glued.

You will not need the individual instrument lighting any more, except with the VDO or some led lighted instruments, like the AutoMeter Sport-Comp II units.
But don't forget that a ground wire is still needed for the light bulbs.

A nice thing with the AutoMeter 2"1/16 gauges is that they almost have the same height as the stock gauges.
The VDO voltmeter was a bit deeper, so I kept its housing and only cut a hole of the same diameter where the old clock was.

Sixth Step :
Now, the wiring. It's probably the easiest and quickest task. But I hate to do it in the car.
So, I used a plastic connector with 4 connections. ( Available with 6 or more connectors too, if you have more gauges ).
The best way is to use only one wire for the power supply (+12V), one for ground ( 0V ) and generally one wire for each individual sender
( sometimes two or three wires are necessary, like fuel pressure electric senders or AFR monitors ).
This allows to wire almost everything BEFORE the center console gets back. It will also perhaps prevent some scratches...

I hope the pictures will make the whole thing understandable...
The result is sober and clean, front and rear at the same time.
More pictures in the next posts...

67tripwr

I am impressed!

I am no fan of sloppy installs, and this sure gets my seal of approval!

Pay attention to detail! Job well done!

Can you throw up a pic of them illuminated???

73StreetRace

Thanks !

I will, in the next few days...
I just hope my camera will work without the flash... Corvette instruments lighting is not exactly like a sunny day...

housegarage

Goods great.

Any mods to the tach and speedo?

zigvs

I'm saving this thread.Very well done

73StreetRace

Looks like this at the moment :

73StreetRace

Drawings updated !

73StreetRace

Here are the last pictures, including some by night with lighted instruments.
Enjoy !

TPI BOY

where did you get your pedals

73StreetRace

Many people ask me about these pedals...
You can buy the following kit, made by Momo :

http://www.power-tuning.fr/fr/interi...p16906915.html


The gas pedal fits perfectly, no modification needed.
But the shape and size of the other pedals ( brake and clutch ) are not exactly the same as the stock pedals. So, I just kept the rubber pads, and made my own with 4mm thick aluminium.
Some machining is required, but if you have the tools, it's not really hard.

I purchased the pedals on an internet website a few years ago, but they should still be available, with many other styles. Check at :

http://www.momo.it/

Here's the kit for automatic transmission. Many details on the magnified picture :

http://www.momousa.com/products/gran...automatic.html

The metal plate ( fourth pedal ) is made by OMP Racing Equipment. You should find it on their website too :

http://www.ompracing.it/

The "rubber" switch at the top of the plate is for headlights ( high beam / low beam ), because the stock switch on the left of the clutch pedal isn't accessible any more.

Hope this helps !

Project80

Nice job with the gauges. I like the way you made up the harness with the 4 connector plug, you could make a good street rodder!

68 NJConv 454

Very nice job with everything.
Any pics of this beast from the outside?
Looks like you've built yourself a fun track car.

73StreetRace

Pictures available by clicking on "My Corvette Photos" under my avatar, and in "My Album" in my Profile.

Dantana

Looking good '73, as always. I see someone other than me asked about the pedals too.

Curious if you went for green and red colored lights rather than one color for a reason?

73StreetRace

Actually, the speedometer is the only stock instrument left...
And so, it still has the stock light bulbs, with a light blue color.
It was already a real problem to choose a matching color with the AutoMeter tachometer, and I tried light bulbs and leds.
The blue Led had a deep blue color : too much blue.
I even bought and tried a Cyan Led ( half way between blue and green ) and it wasn't much better. I think the best would be to use a classic light bulb and paint it with a light blue high temperature varnish.
Maybe I will try that. But I still have to find a blue varnish that will not burn after some time... Problem with light bulbs is they get very hot !
About the red colored light, you're probably speaking about the voltmeter. Again, I didn't have much choice. I wanted a full sweep voltmeter, but AutoMeter only sells Sport-Comp voltmeters of short sweep type.
This is why I chose a VDO voltmeter. The numbers are lighted by white leds behind the instrument face. I only dimmed them a little with a serial resistor because they were too bright.
The circular red lighting you see on the pictures is actually a consequence of the red needle lighting. It's hard to remove this glowing effect, except by removing the needle led power supply.
But if I do that, the needle is almost invisible by night.
As always, everything is a compromise...

TheFinn

Patrick, may I ask what brand that steering wheel is? Was it a bolt-on install?

73StreetRace

I bought it at a local competition shop in France, it was, woooow, many years ago...
If I remember well the shop's name was "Stand 21" and the wheel was stamped with their own brand.
Its diameter is only 31 centimeters, so it leaves a lot of room for the legs ( did I say stomach ) and the handling is nice ( with power steering ), more direct and still precise.
About your question, no, it was not a bolt-on install, and I would even say it was a little complicated, as I wanted to keep the stock horn switch with the logo.
So, I lathed an aluminium adapter, and then sandblasted & painted it silk black. Maybe I should still have the drawings somewhere in my archives.
The most important thing is to find a wheel with a center hole whose diameter is almost the same as the stock steering wheel.
Then if you know how to use a lathe or know someone who does, it's a 1 or 2 hours job to make the adapter.
The horn swith only needs one wire and the ground to work. You only have to reproduce the stock mechanism with the same dimensions to make it work again.
OMP Racing , Momo and many other brands make steering wheels which look like this one, but they only sell a few ones with a so small diameter ( more often 33 or 35 cm ).

TheFinn

Thanks for the info, Patrick. I really like the look of that wheel so I'll be keeping my eyes open for something like that.

mydejavooo

Very well done!

73StreetRace

I found the drawings of the wheel adapter and horn switch extension.
I didn't remember I did so much work on this car
All dimensions are in mm ( 25,4 mm = 1" ) :

Here are the dimensions of the stock steering wheel :



Detailed :



Now, here is the drawing of the aluminum adapter I made for the new steering wheel :
( Note : Alésage = Bore, Extérieur = Outside )



And the horn switch extension :



As you can see, it's not so easy...