Custom Made Insturment Panel?

[cghstrojan08]

Has anyone ever made one of those insturment panels from kinda like racing gauges? I was thinking like a diamond plating back.

[jbanks]

Yeah, I'm planning on doing my own custom Instrument Panel. But I want to find something different from diamond plate. Or maybe just find a different finish to put on some steel. I just want to make sure it's something custom that will look nice. I don't think it would be too hard.

[19674x4]

i plan on making my own one to. i was thinking either billet or just standard 18 guage sheetmetal painted with some accents. Speedo, Tach, oil temp and pres., eng. temp, fuel, battey and alt, and a clock

[alvinator]

or you can get a panel out of a F600 and get gauges to fit the holes. If you chrome it or powdercoat it, it will look really nice and different.

[cghstrojan08]

How are you going to make the panel for the gauges? Our insturment panel is funny. Also, will any type gauges hook-up for the different components? I would install speedo, fuel, rpm, alt, oil pressure, water temp, and a clock. How would you hook the stuff up?

[DuckRyder]

And in the "Money No Object" corner we have:

Haneline

Dakota Digital

[kid]

I did one years ago and never again. I made the frame look like it was stock and that was the hassle.

All Mechanical Stewart Warner instruments Tach (8000 rpm Redline was 7000) Speedometer, oil pressure, water temp, volt meter, ammeter. SW electronic gauges for Tranny temp and rear end temp and for fluid pressure on the rear end and Tranny cooling system. The reason was the Rear end and Tranny was pumped through a cooler in front of the radiator if the Desert rose above 110.

[Fake Name]

Here's mine:

[ezernut9mm]

Here's mine:

sweet!

[kid]

Nice

[Fake Name]

just to be clear, I didn't fabricate that- it's from Boese Engineering. I did sand and paint the surround, though. The gauges are wired using the Painless generic gauge panel kit, and all the wires are routed to a few molex connectors so I can easily remove the panel if I need to.

[kid]

I made my racers panel from scratch the whole thing that is why I said no way. I thought about cutting the center out and putting a panel in but my way shaved 3 ounces.

[mljjones67]

Here's mine:

[cghstrojan08]

So, could you cut the center out of an old gauge panel and put a piece of metal in? Where would you cut it out and how would you secure the metal on there?

[kid]

That is the easiest way. You cut the inside out all of it and leave a lip all the way around. (More of my Military training) The cleanest way is no screws or rivets. I uses a silicon sealer in my electrical business that would lock it down.

Make the inside panel before you butcher the outside ring. After you have a snug fit make the gauge holes and then gut the old outer ring.

I was going to do my racer truck that way but like I said above I saved 3 ounces by doing it the hardest way. Forming the aluminum over a die that was machined to be the inner front area. Hammer and heat, Hammer and Heat.