custom made AD gauges
 

This is what the original gauge looks like. When I first started doing this I used an 80mph electronic speedo, I now use a 120mph GPS.
First I mark out the speed (For my graphics shop)
then I fit the faceplate
The first thing I do when I receive my $300 gauge is to rip it all apart!

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Then I trim for the odometer
put the new decals on
Assemble the speedometer

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then I start the other side
The only Modification is the 12V to 6V reducer for the fuel gauge
wha La... Here’s the finished gauge

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Here’s what they look like finished

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I have just recently switched to a 120mph GPS speedometer. Here’s the proof for the faceplate, and my guy carefully drills through the original faceplate for the button

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nice work! you've have balls of steel for sure
i got nervous tearing into my new $20 volt gauge :D

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yeah, sometimes that’s what it takes! I do these for some of my customers. At $450 (including labor) it’s a damn affordable gauge option!

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And it looks great..!!

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Thanks

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I'm thinking a lot of guys who know these trucks pretty well might miss that at first glance while looking that truck over at a show. About the time you are sitting home on the computer sorting though the photos you took that day you all the sudden spot the 120 mile speedo in a stock looking gauge with a little button going through the glass.
Dang slick for the guys who want that look.

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thank you mr48chevy.

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The new faceplates will be ready tomorrow, here’s the proof

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this is what our new gauges look like

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nice work chris!

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thanks joedoh!

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We finished with the quad gauge
Here’s the back all wired with the capalaries attached
Here’s the speedometer complete with faceplate
now we didn’t get the speedometer in, I forgot a light socket in my Tahoe. But the quad gauge sure looks great!

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Here’s the gauges completely installed

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My apologies for this totally off topic question but Skymangs do you have info posted somewhere about mounting a stock steering wheel to what looks like in the pic you posted a aftermarket steering column? If so could you direct me to it. Don't want to hijack this thread anymore than this. Thanks.

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I guess I’ve never posted on how to modify your OG steering wheel to work on a modern column. It’s easy, flip the wheel over and use a flap disk on the backlight to make the base flat. I’ll try to take a pic of what I mean tomorrow.

So you want to use your original steering wheel cause it just looks right. But you can’t figure out how to make your horn work. The reason is simple enough. When that truck was made, the column was energized and the horn was the ground that completed the circuit. Modern columns use the column as a ground and energizes the horn button. So you need to flip-flop it in the horn button. I have never been successful in drilling a used horn ring, they’re just to fragile. So starting with a new horn ring, drill two 3/8” holes about opposite each other. Weld a tab to the bottom then bend the tab through the hole without touching the top plate. Weld a tab through the top plate. The spring wire goes through the other hole, and that wire goes to the tab welded to the bottom plate. The wire from the horn button goes to the tab welded to the top plate.


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Thanks for that info Skymangs. I'm totally ignorant about the mechanics/electrics of steering columns and wheels no matter old or new. Will have to study what you posted to educate myself. Thanks again.

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I wound up not going to work today. I’ll be there tomorrow for a few hours to take delivery of my next project, (a 50 3600 flatbed, converting to a short box) I’ll take pictures then

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Those gauges look great! Here's my failed/abandoned attempt to do the same thing - maybe you can get some value out of it.

I tried something similar a few years ago with Speedhut guts (I ultimately went back to factory gauges) I had a speedometer and tach and was going to put the oil, gas, charge, temp under the dash.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...o_and_Tach.jpg

There was a trophy/award shop in town that made the gauge faces for me out of color coated clear plastic. He had a laser setup to vaporize the colored coating and leave an image on the plastic. Cost about $100 for the initial setup, but every gauge face was about $15 after that. (i hired a CAD guy off of CL to prepare the file of the gauge face - cost about $100 IIRC) The laser also trimmed the plastic and cut the window for the Speedhut digital display.

Here's one ready to attach to the Speedhut speedometer.......
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...peedo_Face.jpg

To back-light them I bought a LED light strip and a dimmer off of ebay. I wrapped the LED ribbon around the inside of the OE gauge can. The LEDs could be white, red or blue. Here's the blue one............

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...lue_Speedo.jpg

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What do you mean abandon? They look great!

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I started this gauge project because I was looking for something to do while my truck was in 'paint jail'

The idea was to have a speedometer and tach in the dash and build some metal pods to house the rest of the gauges at the bottom of the dash.

But the 'pods' idea meant more time in 'paint jail' so I decided just go with some original gauges.

I tend to get sucked into these 'science projects' which is why it took me five years to build my '49 GMC

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Very cool! Check out what I did with the gauges in this truck! https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...=629939&page=2
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