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Well, we had plenty of time to work on a game plan as she rested patiently on
jack stands in the garage. After stripping the body down a bit to gain easy
access, the first thing we needed to do was get some parts ordered. With the
holidays quickly approaching we needed enough parts to keep us busy
through the holiday break. The plan was to get our feet wet with a few easy
projects. Day one proved to be a cold and snowy December morning, which
made for a perfect day to hide in the garage. So with a coffee in hand it was
finally time to get something done.
jack stands in the garage. After stripping the body down a bit to gain easy
access, the first thing we needed to do was get some parts ordered. With the
holidays quickly approaching we needed enough parts to keep us busy
through the holiday break. The plan was to get our feet wet with a few easy
projects. Day one proved to be a cold and snowy December morning, which
made for a perfect day to hide in the garage. So with a coffee in hand it was
finally time to get something done.
One of the first projects we decided to tackle was our So-Cal dash insert. We
started by carefully centering the template that was provided with the insert.
We made our marks and proceeded to cut a gaping hole in our virgin steel
dash panel. This was just the first of many holes that would be cut into our rod
and there was minimal room for error on this one. With the saw in hand I
reminded myself, "It's only metal", before the cutting commenced.
started by carefully centering the template that was provided with the insert.
We made our marks and proceeded to cut a gaping hole in our virgin steel
dash panel. This was just the first of many holes that would be cut into our rod
and there was minimal room for error on this one. With the saw in hand I
reminded myself, "It's only metal", before the cutting commenced.
With the cutting complete we test fit one of our gauges for a sneak peak.
Then it was on to the Dan Fink dash spears. I wasn't sure whether we were
going to use these or not. But once we held them in place, there was no doubt
they would add a nice touch to the finished look of our dash. They mounted
very easily once the right location was set. Four holes later our dash was near
completion of the initial fit.
Then it was on to the Dan Fink dash spears. I wasn't sure whether we were
going to use these or not. But once we held them in place, there was no doubt
they would add a nice touch to the finished look of our dash. They mounted
very easily once the right location was set. Four holes later our dash was near
completion of the initial fit.
The next step in our dash build up was to mount our gauges and set the dash
back in the car. We went with Autometer C2 series full sweep electric gauges
to complete our dash. The C2's are a new breed of gauge. They feature
track-tested 270 degree electric movements and use all new digital
microprocessor technology with lab grade sending units. This design allowed
us extreme accuracy while keeping the hazardous fluids out of the interior of
our deuce; not to mention they light up with a bitchin' blue color using low
draw LED back lighting. Finish that up with a polished aluminum bezel and you
now have a highly accurate, good looking set of high performance gauges.
Check them out next time you're at your favorite hot rod event.
back in the car. We went with Autometer C2 series full sweep electric gauges
to complete our dash. The C2's are a new breed of gauge. They feature
track-tested 270 degree electric movements and use all new digital
microprocessor technology with lab grade sending units. This design allowed
us extreme accuracy while keeping the hazardous fluids out of the interior of
our deuce; not to mention they light up with a bitchin' blue color using low
draw LED back lighting. Finish that up with a polished aluminum bezel and you
now have a highly accurate, good looking set of high performance gauges.
Check them out next time you're at your favorite hot rod event.
The final step was finding a place to mount the tach in a way that not only
looked good but remained functional. We felt like the profile of the column
drop could use a little work and this area seemed like the perfect place to
mount a 3 3/8" gauge. The question then became, how could we improve on
the profile of our drop mount and attach the tach. After holding the gauge up
in different places we decided to modify our drop with the radius of our gauge
cup. We then mirrored that sweep on the opposing side which gave our drop
some nice character. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us!
looked good but remained functional. We felt like the profile of the column
drop could use a little work and this area seemed like the perfect place to
mount a 3 3/8" gauge. The question then became, how could we improve on
the profile of our drop mount and attach the tach. After holding the gauge up
in different places we decided to modify our drop with the radius of our gauge
cup. We then mirrored that sweep on the opposing side which gave our drop
some nice character. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us!
| Cutting Up Our Dash |