I have an 85 GSL-SE dash in my living room...

I'm adding A/C, converting to Electric Heat, Adding Controls, Diagnostics and Gauges.

I'm at a spot where I would rather buy something (if it exists) rather than fabricate it..

I want to replace the stock Speedometer, Tach, and Add a Boost Gauge there.
I removed the instrument cluster in my living room dash and there is a black plastic piece that has cutouts so you can see the gauge dials that are mounted below.
That plastic piece also forms the "Walls and top" of that instrument cluster cavity in the dash.
It's a very 3 dimensional piece.

Does anyone know of someone who fabricated this before or is selling a "blank"??

Probably not - but it's worth a try.

I want it to look very good and factory-like appearance.

I could always cut out the instrument cluster face - leaving a lip around the outer edge and epoxy a cut out piece of painted aluminum there, but I'm looking for a better solution.

Steve C

 

whats your dash look like now? We have some good photochoppers here.

 

I took one apart. All the guages are seperate. Maybe you could take out the ones you dont want and use their parts to build what you do want.

Where did you get the electric heat? I would like to pull all my heating and cooling from the dash and replace with electric heat only when I need it.

 

I rewired an 85 gsl dash to fit into my 81 which was badly cracked not until I was done did I find the dash cover to fit mine. Major pain in the *** it was my ac controls were all manual but the 85 were all electric ,so I went to the salvage yard and found an 85 that had part of the controls manual the electic ones still dont work. I tried to wire up the gauage cluster but could only get part of it to work right so I took some alluminum plating and made a shroud to fit the old school gauage cluster which I liked better anyways it had a central tach. I plan on rewiring it again so the controls that are electric will work and for my stereo and Im going to and take out everything I dont need and to simplify everything

 

pics???

 

I would post pics sorry but dont have a camera. just imagine a 85 dash with a 81 gauage cluster in it.

 

I was working on an '85 dash kit, but never finished it... Stupid job...

Maybe this year...

This is the photochop I did... but it's evolved since then...

It's moving forward... VERY slowly...

 

The issue with the above photoshop is that the size of the gauges are not accurate. Here are a couple of pics of the same gauges actually mounted in my dash. The first with aluminum, the second with plexi glass painted black.

 

two words:

STACK GUAGE!!!!

 

Two more words

VERY EXPENSIVE

But yes, very nice, simple and compact.

 

well, im having my entire cluster re-done by a forum member. "82streetracer". he is having the piece lazer cut, and i will be fitting one 5" tach, as well as four 2 1/16" gauges as well.

i came across a post he made once, and in his signature i noticed he had something similar done to his car. i pm'd him, and from there we have decided to make me a piece. he is doing all the work, all i have done is sent him my cluster. he is charging me somewhere around $250 to have it done, but it will be well worth it in my opinion. i won't be running a speedometer at all, or will i be running warning lights, but i will have turn signal flashers cut out, and will probably run oil temp, oil press. water temp, and voltage gauge, and of course the 5" tach.

he plans on making maybe 6 or 7 of these, so if anyone's interested, im sure you could pm him and ask him questions. if anyone wants to see a computer generated picture of possible layouts, pm me, and i'll send them to you (forgot how to post pics here).

nick

 

Don't you need a spedo, leagaly?

 

i don't know...don't care really either. i can tell how fast i am going by the gear/rpm's. plus from what i understand, it can be a pain in the *** to install an aftermarket speedo in a first gen, because you have to get a 3rd gen sending unit or something like that. don't quote me because im not 100% on that, but i know its a hassle that i don't want to have to deal with for something i really don't want.

nick

 

Fair enough. I know you can drive without one, but I was just thinking if a cop pulls you over...