[1967Tempest]

Well, since spring is coming close I want to finish one of the last things on my list. Last year I missed most of the driving season, because of the front suspension and disc brake conversions installs.

Now I am doing a custom gauge set-up and I was curious if any one has tackled this on a 67 Tempest, Le Mans or GTO. Any pictures would be great. I currently have the 3 3/8 tach and speedo. I have all 2 1/16 gauges to install. All of them are the Auto Meter Traditional chrome.

Thanks for the help.

Dave

[Tripower455]

Mine is a '66 but they are pretty close..... I would do it again in a heartbeat.....

[1967Tempest]

That looks killer!!. Very similar to what I was going for. Did you make that plate your self?? Is that real wood. I am curious as to the template that you used. Is that something I can get off of the shelf.

As you can see, I need to redo mine. none of the original gauges worked when I got the car. Well..... come to think of it the only thing that did work was the key to start her up.

Thanks
Dave

[Rugratman]

Damn, Tripower...Nice.
What do they all do.>? Seem's you have a few extra's.

[Tripower455]

I used real walnut veneer, which the originals also used and a thin aluminum backing plate.

I used the old walnut/aluminum faceplate to trace a template of the outline onto a piece of cardboard. I used all of the original switch, radio, light etc holes.

I modded my old bezel (it was in bad shape.... lots of cracks etc.) with a dremel tool, reciprocating saw and a bunch of other stuff.....

The veneer I used had a self sticking adhesive back, so, once I had the aluminum cut and trimmed to size, with all the holes in the right place, I stuck an oversized piece of veneer on the aluminum. I then cut the holes in the veneer, using an Xacto knife, and Dremel......

After it was all trimmed and fit to my satisfaction, I put a bunch of coats of clear polyurethane. It's been criticized as being too light, but I am happy with it.. My car is not even close to a concourse resto, so I don't care. When I originally did the dash, I hadn't decided whether I was gonna put AC in the car, so I also made an insert for the heater controls from the piece that was cut out of the main dash, so the grain matched perfectly. When I decided to go with the Vintage Air AC, I modded the VA controls to fit in the original cutout and cut another piece of veneer to cover it.














It wasn't too bad. The hardest part was getting the instruments centered and believe it or not, accurately cutting the thin aluminum. Aluminum work hardens as you cut it, and I ruined a few pieces before I got a satisfactory part. I cheated on the original heater control panel... I used the original backing plate, which negated the need to intricately cut the aluminum.. I did have to do it for the VA piece, but it was a simpler setup than the stocker....

[Tripower455]

Rugratman.....

Left side:

Volts
Fuel Level

Middle:
Speedo/Tach

Right side:

Oil Pressure/Water Temp
Fuel Pressure/Vacuum

[1967Tempest]

We are one degree of separation on the gauges!!!

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by 1967Tempest

We are one degree of separation on the gauges!!!

LOL.... FWIW, my oil pressure guage stopped working last week after 3.5 years and 10k miles..

If I didn't have an electric fuel pump, I would've put the clock in. Personal experience has proven that the gauge gives you confirmation after hearing weird sounds coming from the pump, and a few seconds to pull out of traffic before the pump fails and leaves you stuck!

[1967Tempest]

True....... I have the mechanical fuel pump so no need for the guage really. I did think about it for a few. I might get more gauges before I start the custom part. I did just buy the backing plate to use for a template. I needed one any way. My dash has been taken apart too many times and is weak in a few spots. I also have a shift light going in. Not that the car has that much HP or Torque, but I like the way it looks when it comes on.......

Its great to see someone else doing a custom install. I have had this on my mind for 4 years. This is my latest mod. Still not quite finished and I know that I might get flak for it but hey when it all boils down........

ITS MY CAR!!!

Thanks for the tips. That type of help is truly priceless.

Thanks

[72pontiac]

was so glad to see this post. as just yesterday i was going to ask on here if it was a sin to ruin a dash by doing this alteration.i want to on my 65.the pics look great.heres mine.dont know if i like the aluminum or i might carbon fiber it.which is the dark area on my pics.

[HarleyT]

Here's mine

[Too Many Projects]

Originally Posted by 72pontiac

was so glad to see this post. as just yesterday i was going to ask on here if it was a sin to ruin a dash by doing this alteration.i want to on my 65.the pics look great.heres mine.dont know if i like the aluminum or i might carbon fiber it.which is the dark area on my pics.

Do you like this 65 dash ?? Hand made by a guy on another board. He will build one for you but it ain't cheap....

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by 1967Tempest

True....... I have the mechanical fuel pump so no need for the guage really. I did think about it for a few. I might get more gauges before I start the custom part. I did just buy the backing plate to use for a template. I needed one any way. My dash has been taken apart too many times and is weak in a few spots. I also have a shift light going in. Not that the car has that much HP or Torque, but I like the way it looks when it comes on.......

I have been considering a built in shift light as well!

Its great to see someone else doing a custom install. I have had this on my mind for 4 years. This is my latest mod. Still not quite finished and I know that I might get flak for it but hey when it all boils down........

ITS MY CAR!!!

I love my dash this way, and I am glad I did it. It makes the car that much more special to me, and nothing on the body itself was altered to the point that I can't put it back to stock if I want to..... I haven't had the urge to put it back, and I've been driving it this way for over 3 years....

FWIW, I get a ton of compliments on my dash, and the bottom line, as you said, it's your car.... Once in a while, I'll get a snide comment about the "correctness", but most folks like the dash. Then I point out the full roller 462 under the hood, the Tremec TKO600, Moser 12 bolt etc., and the "correct" point is moot..... It's correct for ME!

Thanks for the tips. That type of help is truly priceless.

Thanks

No problem! If I can be of any help, let me know!

[xgoater]

Tripower455 - Did you just use a sheet of aluminum stock for your backing plate? What thickness was it - .030? Any trade secrets on cutting out the pattern and holes?

1967Tempest - where did you get your backing plate?

I'm looking at maybe putting a woodgrain insert in my Dad's '65 Lemans 'vert. It will be stock, but the principles are the same being discussed here. Thanks guys!

[1967Tempest]

Well, I ordered the wood grain insert from Ames. It was cheap 25$. I used the insert as a template. I cut a template out of cardboard. I made the holes in the card board. Then I laid it on top of the original dash. Used a red colored pencil and traced where I need to cut out. To remove the plastic "lips" in front. I used a dremel tool with a high speed cutting tool. I haven't cut the back out yet.

I wasn't going to use a backing plate. Although if it is weak in some areas, I will use my card board cutout. Lay it over a 26 gauge piece of steel. Cut it out and attach it to the back as a backing plate.

Tripower.. Not trying to copy your gauge design, but I tried 3 different templates, and I wanted to keep the 3 switches in there original spot. Your set-up just worked the best.
So I will give props to you if any one asks.

Dave

[lemans411]

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=586247

heres mine 5" tach and speedo and 2 5/8 gauges

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by xgoater

Tripower455 - Did you just use a sheet of aluminum stock for your backing plate? What thickness was it - .030? Any trade secrets on cutting out the pattern and holes?

1967Tempest - where did you get your backing plate?

I'm looking at maybe putting a woodgrain insert in my Dad's '65 Lemans 'vert. It will be stock, but the principles are the same being discussed here. Thanks guys!

I honestly don't know what gauge the aluminum was. It was real thin, like the original. I got it at Ace hardware.

I used bimetal hole saws for the round holes, and a combination of Dremel cut off wheels, a pneumatic reciprocating saw and die grinder for the rest.

Definitely use the backing plate! The gauges are pretty heavy once you get them all in, and the veneer by itself won't support the weight, especially once you've remove all the plastic from the dahs bezel to make them fit right! I almost made another backing plate for the rear of the bezel....... I was gonna epoxy it to the back. It was not necessary though......

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by 1967Tempest

Well, I ordered the wood grain insert from Ames. It was cheap 25$. I used the insert as a template. I cut a template out of cardboard. I made the holes in the card board. Then I laid it on top of the original dash. Used a red colored pencil and traced where I need to cut out. To remove the plastic "lips" in front. I used a dremel tool with a high speed cutting tool. I haven't cut the back out yet.

I wasn't going to use a backing plate. Although if it is weak in some areas, I will use my card board cutout. Lay it over a 26 gauge piece of steel. Cut it out and attach it to the back as a backing plate.

Tripower.. Not trying to copy your gauge design, but I tried 3 different templates, and I wanted to keep the 3 switches in there original spot. Your set-up just worked the best.
So I will give props to you if any one asks.

Dave

Looks GREAT! You are definitely gonna need a backing plate. The gauges are really heavy when they're installed, and after cutting out the bezel, there's not a lot of support for them....Steel will probably be easier to work with than the aluminum.

I might redo my complete dash, first, to get the AC vents in the right place, and also to install a shift light......

[1967Tempest]

Had to follow up with before and after!!