UPDATES IN POST #21


So... after 11 years without a working speedo, I decided on a gauge upgrade. And while I'm at it, I figured I'd refresh the center stack, new gauges, new radio, etc....

Went with the AutoMeter Designer Black series gauges.
Here's the Speedo/Tach



For the center stack, the first order of business was a new radio. I didn't want to just hack out the radio and put a plate or something like that in, so I decided to redo the whole thing. The radio is a Kenwood KDC-X591 (with Aux and USB inputs).

I was debating which gauges to go with for the stack. No need for a clock with the new radio. That leaves 5 openings with no clock to deal with. Water Temp, Oil Pressure, Fuel Level.... nothing else is really needed. Maybe Ammeter or Voltmeter, but certainly not both. There's no real 5th gauge that's useful.

So I decided to go with the 3 main gauges and put in a spot for my Magellan GPS unit.

First step: cut out the old gauge panel. Piece of cake with a cutoff wheel and WD40 as a lubricant/coolant....LOTS of WD40....


The next process involved a series of paper templates (made from manilla folders), then a front panel made from plexiglass (needed something rigid), then finally a sheet metal back panel and a wooden front panel model.

Here's the bezel with the sheet metal back panel


Here's the bezel with the wooden face plate with the basic layout


The wooden panel with the cutouts. This, along with the sheet metal back panel will serve as the model for making the mold into which the fiberglass will be laid. I need to make a splash of this and the sheet metal panel which will serve as the mold.


Here's the wooden panel assembled with the gauges and GPS unit. There will be a back panel for the GPS unit. (Yes, I know the fuel gauge is crooked.)

I'm going to put a panel-mount USB port and a panel-mount aux input next to the GPS.



More to come...

 

nice job man, I do favor your gauge choice a little......i take it you're gonna paint the "wood" black? n make sure and post some finished pics! Oh yeah, I ended up replacing all the lights with LED replacments....they're pretty bright and definatley a green color!

Have you hooked up the speedo yet? any problems with it?

forgive the mess in there and around the steering column.....i've gotten a little sidetracked with bodywork.

 

Wow im impressed with both of your ideas.Gm could of used a little help in that dept when it came time to do guages.Doesnt it feel great to design your own look and install it.Everyone has their own style (here is mine)[IMG][/IMG]cener stack is fuel guage,n20 pressure,voltmeter,af-ratio,

 

Nope. The wood will never make it into the car. It's just a model/plug. I'll be making a mold from the model and then laying up a fiberglass part in the mold. So the final product will be fiberglass.

 

Very cool, can't wait to see the finished product.

 

I like. Could you please elaborate on exactly what it took to mount up the speedO and tach? They look really nice.

 

While I would consider either a Volt or ammeter necessary - I gotta say what a cool idea. cant wait to see more

 

WOW! Nice job so far, make a good mold and you cold sell that insert!

 

real nice work, looking forward to more pics and finish...

 

REAL nice

 

The speedo is hooked up, but I haven't driven the car since it went in. No problems so far though. I have a Ford Racing T5 in my car, so I bought the Autometer speedo sending unit that fits the Ford trans.

This thread has info on the speedo & tach install.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1860100
Basically, the speedo & tach are rear-mount and the opening is over 5". So I made an adapter plate that fastens to the rear of the housing, with the same screws that hold the speedo in place. Each adapter plate has a 4 5/8" hole in the center for mouning the 5" gauge. Because the speedo & tach have the tirn signal lamps, brake, and high beam lamps, holes are added above and below the large opening for smaller lights. Some have used LED's. I used green lamps for the turn signals, a red lamp for the brake, and a blue LED for the high beam indicator. All went in nicely.

 

I might suggest you look into a removable visor or light shield for the screen and head unit for driving with the tops off in the sun. On most days, even when the sun is not directly shining on the dash, the face of the head unit, a Kenwood Excelon also, is near impossible to read unless you cup your hand over the face to block the light.

 

Super cool! Makes me start thinking what could be done with a double din head unit with nav.

Or with car-puter inputs/displays, you then could theoretically have all "digital" gauges.

 

Just ordered all of the material for glassing. Hopefully it'll arrive before the weekend.

A double-din would be questionable. I was going to put the radio in the middle with the gauges on the bottom. But after measuring the clearance in the car, I needed another 1/2" or so clearance to the HVAC parts back there. I suppose those could be reworked, but it wasn't worth it to me.

 

Put a back on the GPS opening with a little bondo. Covered the GPS in saran wrap, then masking tape, then waxed it and slathered on the bondo


Here it is from the front


And with the GPS in place


I've filled & smoothed the rough spots since then.

 

Looks great. What kind of wood was that?

 

Yellow Poplar. Had it laying around from a woodworking project. Moderately hardwood, very little grain. Machines & sands very well. Doesn't splinter.

 

Thanks.. That's kinda what I thought. Birds Eye Maple would probably look awesome as well. BTW, are you going to use as a finish?

 

Very nice! I like those gauges a lot!

 

See above. This is just the model. If my fiberglass supplies show up today I'll be making a fiberglass mold from this model. Then I'll make a fiberglass part from the mold. So what goes into the car will be glass.