Custom Dash Clusters

[Billy Toppless]

i had an idea to take it out and replace it with some steel cut to fit and put only the RPM and the Speedo in it and move the Oil and fuel lever over on to a side pod and the batt. and coolage to one of thos pods that mount under the dash

anyone know of websites that make the steel cutouts?

 

[Broncobill78]

This is one of those upgrades that will become just as complicated as you want to make it. I went the custom dash route with the 78' that I raced and while it was a pretty simple thing to do for a 78' I'm thinking an 89' will be a bit more complex. Just to give you some idea of the scope of the project here's a good one done on an 87' which is essentially the same as yours: http://www.abysmal.com/bronco/dash/dashboard.html

The trick is to take your time. There are a LOT of connections that need to be made & they have to be good connections. ***** up something like the leads to the Ammeter and there'll be no end to the problems you have with stuff that runs *thru* the ammeter before energizing downstream relays. It can look very nice when it's done but you have to put a lot of thought and effort into it on the front end in order to wind up with something that you're happy with at the end of the day. You'll have a LOT of opportunities to make little mistakes than nag at you and require untold hours of troubleshooting. Take your time, be as methodical as you possibly can be and you'll eventually have something you're happy with & proud of.

 

[Redneck86]

How did you do that in your 78? I bet itd be fairly simple with a metal dash to work off of, since im lookin at gettin a 78/79 bronco or F150 id like to have an idea. I always liked those full Auto Meter set ups, though to be honest id prolly only go with a column mouted tach...but i might do it if its nothin to hard.

 

[Broncobill78]

Yup,it was just as simple as you'd imagine it to be. I used a sheet of aluminum for the dash (well, truth be told it was a stop-sign from a few streets over but it was still a sheet of aluminum), cut out the holes for the speedo, tach, ammeter & fuel guages. Oil pressure & coolant temp were set directly into the dashboard to the right of the guage panel. It was a pretty simple arrangement. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the gage company but their catalog had 6 or 7 pages in the back that was nothing but templates for all of their gages so all you had to do was cut them out & trace/scribe them onto your panel. I thought about the column thing but if I'd done that I would have been stuck with this big chunk of aluminum with all of 3 gages in it. I already had all my switches mounted in a panel that sat where the radio had been. The tach helped balance it out. I could have mounted the other gages in there instead but they were already mounted in the dash to the right of the instruments so that would have left me with unfilled holes & since I *did* still drive it on the street I didn't want it looking TOO hoakey. Overall I was pretty happy with the way it came out. The only problem I ran into was explaining it to my Old Man when he found the stop-sign with a dashboard shaped hole in the middle of it.

 

[Redneck86]

Haha yea i bet that was easy to explain " just found it"seems to be one ive used not to long ago /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . Now how did you attach it to the dash, welded, pop rivets...well laid out JB??

 

[Billy Toppless]

This is one of those upgrades that will become just as complicated as you want to make it. I went the custom dash route with the 78' that I raced and while it was a pretty simple thing to do for a 78' I'm thinking an 89' will be a bit more complex. Just to give you some idea of the scope of the project here's a good one done on an 87' which is essentially the same as yours: http://www.abysmal.com/bronco/dash/dashboard.html
The trick is to take your time. There are a LOT of connections that need to be made & they have to be good connections. ***** up something like the leads to the Ammeter and there'll be no end to the problems you have with stuff that runs *thru* the ammeter before energizing downstream relays. It can look very nice when it's done but you have to put a lot of thought and effort into it on the front end in order to wind up with something that you're happy with at the end of the day. You'll have a LOT of opportunities to make little mistakes than nag at you and require untold hours of troubleshooting. Take your time, be as methodical as you possibly can be and you'll eventually have something you're happy with & proud of.

haha wow

thats a little more then im looking on doing lol

but the concept is nice

im only gonna have the tachometer and the speedo and vacuum in the dash

and the oil pressure and fuel level on the side mount pod the the bat, water and transmission temp under the astray with a mount

 

[Broncobill78]

im only gonna have the tachometer and the speedo and vacuum in the dashand the oil pressure and fuel level on the side mount pod the the bat, water and transmission temp under the astray with a mount

Yup, that's how most projects like this start out. Then you get it installed and start looking at all that extra aluminum and thinking about all the *other* stuff that could go there. Auxillary gages, switches for the stuff you add later on LED's for oil pressure, coolant & tranny temp, a shift light. The list has a way of growing. How many guys do *you* know who bought their trucks and told everyone they were keeping them stock but maybe just adding a radio & pushbar. Two years later & they're running 38's with air-lockers, a lightbar, winch and a 1200watt stereo. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Billy Toppless]

Yup, that's how most projects like this start out. Then you get it installed and start looking at all that extra aluminum and thinking about all the *other* stuff that could go there. Auxillary gages, switches for the stuff you add later on LED's for oil pressure, coolant & tranny temp, a shift light. The list has a way of growing. How many guys do *you* know who bought their trucks and told everyone they were keeping them stock but maybe just adding a radio & pushbar. Two years later & they're running 38's with air-lockers, a lightbar, winch and a 1200watt stereo. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

haha yea that was me..

keepin to stock then next thing u no the top is painted custom along with the inside plus the roof rack and the K&N lol

but the switch panel is a good idea

cuz im added more light with a bar....

 

[Justshootme84]

BB78, what gauge or thickness of metal do you think works best for the gauge mount? Are the street signs close to 16 ga? I don't recommend using a road sign either, especially from your own neighborhood. But I know we're just talking about the signs for comparison purposes, JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

BB78, what gauge or thickness of metal do you think works best for the gauge mount? Are the street signs close to 16 ga? I don't recommend using a road sign either, especially from your own neighborhood. But I know we're just talking about the signs for comparison purposes, JSM84

Well yes. Of course. I agree wholeheartedly. Nobody should ever raid their *own* neighborhood for raw materials. That sort of thing completly ignores your civic responsibility as a tax-paying citizen. The fact that your State & Federal taxes have propably paid for *countless* signs just like it should *never* enter into the equation. Lets all be good citizens.

Now as far a gage thickness goes, simply for the purposes of comparison of course, good question. To be perfectly honest I never bothered to mike the thing. It was thicker than 1/4", I'd guess it was 3/8" or probably something close to that in Metric. The *remainder* of the sign got used in other projects and it took several minutes under the flame before it annealed enuf to bend w/o cracking. Truth be told it was some good quality aluminum. Well, I'm just speculating of course.

 

[Justshootme84]

Hmm... Billy T, I was looking around on ebay earlier, try searching for "gauge pods". I did find some aluminum and stainless gauge BEZELS for an 80-96 Bronco/F-150 stock instrument cluster, but not any panels to insert aftermarket gauges into. I think the metal you use to mount the gauges should be thick enough that you cannot bend it easily with your bare hands, but doesn't need to be thicker than 1/8". I usually rummage through the scrap pile for parts like this, but you should be able to find new metal at most harware stores for little cash. Any of the gauge makers like autoMeter have templates you can use to mark and cut the holes out of the metal. If you just need a flat surface, i would go with a bit thicker metal. if you have to contour it, go for the thinner stuff like 18 ga. sheetmetal of aluminum. You can bend the metal using a vise and hammer or pliers, or fab your own metal brake using lumber or 2x4's. JSM84

Edit: I made two covers to fit where the factory A/C junk used to be on the firewall in my 84 Bronco. I used 18 ga tin, which was easy to cut and drill holes in. Then used screws to secure them. Look in the upper-lefthand corner in this pic. the panels are a darker shade of blue. Maybe you can see how thin that metal is compared to a street sign thickness:

 

[Broncobill78]

If you have/choose to bend the panel then do yourself a BIG favor & anneal it first. Just throwing into a brake and putting a bend into it can cause cracks & stress fractures to form. Granted it doesn't usually happen with shallow bends but it tends to be a function of how thick the material is. Even if it doesn't actually crack the ripples & waves formed on the surface of the aluminum are unsightly to people who care about stuff like that. You can save youeself a lot of hassles by taking a few minutes w/a torch before bending or beating on it. The difference between the base sheet that you start w/and an annealed piece is significant. It really wasn't an issue w/the 78/79 dash but the 87-89's have a much more pronounced curve to the upper half, or at least the clear plastic piece does. I suppose someone w/a die-grinder, air-saw & a disregard for aesthetics could fit a flat panel in there w/o TOO much difficulty. It seems like the later the model year the more the design engineers liked using stuff w/compound curves. Engineers just LOVE to change things.

JSM: hey, that $hit don't look too bad. First time I tried something similar I made a mess out of it by trying to use fiberglass. What a freaking lesson *that* was. It looks like you could even pull off something like that with the really thin rolls of aluminum sold for roof/window/chimney flashing. Well, something that thin would *work* but I'm guessing it could have waves or ripples that would make it look amateurish and and a lot of guys hate that. Regardless, it looks good. Are those bolted or self-tappers (I'm guessing I know the answer but curiousity forces me to ask) I can't even zoom in enuf to rule out pop-rivets (but I have no comment about *those* and amateurish work since I've done it too many times myself but I HAVE learned better over the years. They have their place but I doubt I'll ever use them to install an entire floorboard again /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> )

 

[Billy Toppless]

Hmm... Billy T, I was looking around on ebay earlier, try searching for "gauge pods". I did find some aluminum and stainless gauge BEZELS for an 80-96 Bronco/F-150 stock instrument cluster, but not any panels to insert aftermarket gauges into. I think the metal you use to mount the gauges should be thick enough that you cannot bend it easily with your bare hands, but doesn't need to be thicker than 1/8". I usually rummage through the scrap pile for parts like this, but you should be able to find new metal at most harware stores for little cash. Any of the gauge makers like autoMeter have templates you can use to mark and cut the holes out of the metal. If you just need a flat surface, i would go with a bit thicker metal. if you have to contour it, go for the thinner stuff like 18 ga. sheetmetal of aluminum. You can bend the metal using a vise and hammer or pliers, or fab your own metal brake using lumber or 2x4's. JSM84
Edit: I made two covers to fit where the factory A/C junk used to be on the firewall in my 84 Bronco. I used 18 ga tin, which was easy to cut and drill holes in. Then used screws to secure them. Look in the upper-lefthand corner in this pic. the panels are a darker shade of blue. Maybe you can see how thin that metal is compared to a street sign thickness:

ok yea, idk if there is a bend in the cluster panel its slef ill have to take it apart and look

thanks

wow that is really nice

 

[Justshootme84]

Yes, I used self-tapping sheetmetal screws for those two panels. I also put some peel-n-stick weatherstripping inbetween the panels and firewall to get a better seal for inside the cab. The factory A/C box also used the weatherstripping around the edges. I didn't use pop rivets, even though I have a brand new air-powered rivet gun. I figured I might need to remove one or the other of those panels in the future to run a snorkel through to the inside of the cab where the glove box used to be. As for the dash cluster, the 80-86 is contoured on the front surface, but I think the 87-91 is flat. After more thinking last night, i wondered if a piece of 1/8" thick diamong plate would work? I've seen panels made for the doors and such, just never for mounting gauges. JSM84

 

[Billy Toppless]

Yes, I used self-tapping sheetmetal screws for those two panels. I also put some peel-n-stick weatherstripping inbetween the panels and firewall to get a better seal for inside the cab. The factory A/C box also used the weatherstripping around the edges. I didn't use pop rivets, even though I have a brand new air-powered rivet gun. I figured I might need to remove one or the other of those panels in the future to run a snorkel through to the inside of the cab where the glove box used to be. As for the dash cluster, the 80-86 is contoured on the front surface, but I think the 87-91 is flat. After more thinking last night, i wondered if a piece of 1/8" thick diamong plate would work? I've seen panels made for the doors and such, just never for mounting gauges. JSM84

the backing is flat and the clear cover is on a slope

i thought about that cuz it would match the tailgate idea i had since im taking off that peice of alum. and putting black diamond plate with chrome FORD letters

but how easy is it it drill through diamond plating?

 

[Justshootme84]

the backing is flat and the clear cover is on a slopei thought about that cuz it would match the tailgate idea i had since im taking off that peice of alum. and putting black diamond plate with chrome FORD letters

but how easy is it it drill through diamond plating?

Diamond plate aluminum is fairly easy to drill through. Onlyh thing for a flat mounting surface for the gauges would be the need to grind flat any "diamonds" near the edge of the hole for the gauges.

 

[Billy Toppless]

Diamond plate aluminum is fairly easy to drill through. Onlyh thing for a flat mounting surface for the gauges would be the need to grind flat any "diamonds" near the edge of the hole for the gauges.

alright shouldnt be to hard then

thankss

 

[Matt_V]

Ever get that custom dash done?