Dash Options? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter gillti
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None.
Only mod I've made is to widen the stock radio opening .5 inches to fit a normal cd player.
now I wish I hadn't.
Only mod I've made is to widen the stock radio opening .5 inches to fit a normal cd player.
now I wish I hadn't.
I also widened the radio whole and put a pioneed deck in. Dremmels are great. Also, pulled out one of the rubber gromets and widened that hole a fed a tach thru it.
Ken
Ken
- Thread starter
- #4
the PO had put a cheesy 30$ tach through one of the plugs, but it jiggled and wiggled and as I tightened it fell apart. No harm, didn't really dig it anyway. Don't think I'll be cutting a hole for a radio, mines a 5/72 and I believe they didn't install radio's till 9/72 (I think I remember reading that)
any picks?
any picks?
Here is mine:
I put my 79 dash pieces in my 71. Have a few extra holes in it, so I will prolly be putting in an extra lighter and some switches I guess.
I put my 79 dash pieces in my 71. Have a few extra holes in it, so I will prolly be putting in an extra lighter and some switches I guess.
- Thread starter
- #6
looks like my 72--lots of holes. are you putting your ignition on the dash? My PO has it on the steering column, must have been with the power steering Conversion. Your door looks great! Did you chrome those parts? and, is that handle stock? Mine has some jacked up later style handles. I always wondered if they came with the doors.
No, I am going to use my 79 steering column, box and links. I will have yet another hole to fill since the ignition is on the column. The silver color is Duplicolor High Temp, Aluminum colored. It came out shinier than I was hoping, but a few months of dirt and dust should dull it up a bit. 
The ashtray hole is where I mounted switches ... in my case fuel pump, oil cooler fan, and fog lights. In the radio hole I mounted a charging light, oil temp, and clock (Autometer makes one that matches the other guages) ... and then the instrument cluster is all the other stuff.
The plates I used are simply 1/8" aluminum that I cut out.
Rice
The plates I used are simply 1/8" aluminum that I cut out.
Rice
Last edited:
Sitch panel
If you have a stock dash.... with no radio in dash.... and want to mount some switches without messing up the stock dash by drilling (visible) holes, you could do as I did.
Remove the lower padding on either side of the radio hole.
Fashion a thin plate of steel or aluminum that's a fraction taller than the radio hole and extends 2" either side of the radio hole.
Drill a couple of small holes on either side of the plate and through the dash.
Screw/bolt plate to dash.
Replace the padding strips.... which will now cover the screws.
I found some spray paint for the plate that sorta' matches the interior. Looks good. No (visible) holes.
John Sherwood '79 FJ-40
Charlotte, NC TLCA Upstate Cruisers.
If you have a stock dash.... with no radio in dash.... and want to mount some switches without messing up the stock dash by drilling (visible) holes, you could do as I did.
Remove the lower padding on either side of the radio hole.
Fashion a thin plate of steel or aluminum that's a fraction taller than the radio hole and extends 2" either side of the radio hole.
Drill a couple of small holes on either side of the plate and through the dash.
Screw/bolt plate to dash.
Replace the padding strips.... which will now cover the screws.
I found some spray paint for the plate that sorta' matches the interior. Looks good. No (visible) holes.
John Sherwood '79 FJ-40
Charlotte, NC TLCA Upstate Cruisers.
tucker74
Moderator
Pinion said:
Nice looking dash there man - love that "Sea Foam" ... my pig was originally two-tone w/ that green (been thinking about going back). The original dash had a blank or two - you can get the blank plugs from $OR if you don't find anything you need to stick in the dash...
Tucker
TxCruzr
Wait, this ain't Texas...
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I can't find any pictures of my dash after I completed it but you get the idea Just used some scrap diamond plate aluminum for the pieces on each sided of the gauge cluster and glovebox and the piece between them. Then used a old alum. sign and used the glovebox door as a template.The original design was to have the speedo and tach at the top with 4 smaller gauges along the bottom but there was too much supports behind it to do that. Still had to cut the supports behind the dash a little to get everything to fit.
Joseph
Just used some scrap diamond plate aluminum for the pieces on each sided of the gauge cluster and glovebox and the piece between them. Then used a old alum. sign and used the glovebox door as a template.The original design was to have the speedo and tach at the top with 4 smaller gauges along the bottom but there was too much supports behind it to do that. Still had to cut the supports behind the dash a little to get everything to fit.Joseph
Rice said:
Great looking dash!!!! wish my 71 could look that way. Do you remember what model # autometer gages you used?
The guages are from the "phantom" series but I don't recall part numbers. These are 2-1/16 size and use electric senders that so far have been very reliable. For some reason that I don't understand (and really don't lose any sleep over) the needle for the tach is black and all the others are red ... perhaps I just got a weird part number.
PabloCruise
SILVER Star
Any ideas for a guy who wants to keep his factory cluster, but add a small tach, vac and volt guage?
I do not want to cut my dash either - blasphemy!
Seems like the radio slot is too small to stuff three guages in there, unless there are some smaller ones I do not know about.
Thanks
I do not want to cut my dash either - blasphemy!
Seems like the radio slot is too small to stuff three guages in there, unless there are some smaller ones I do not know about.
Thanks
PabloCruise said:
As I recall you are correct ... it was either going to be too small or too crowded, I don't remember which ... so I opted for the idiot charging light instead. Along those lines, however, I can't say I've ever seen a 2-1/16 inch tach ... perhaps they're out there.
Rice
Pablo, Rice,
AutoMeter makes 2 1/16 tachs and air/fuel ratio meters which will fit inside the radio hole in the dash. I had a machine shop cut out a steel rectangle just larger than the radio hole and drill 2 evenly-spaced holes to install the gauges. THe whole assemble fits inside the factory radio hole and when painted pewter will match the other dash pieces-parts.
The autometer site has the full line and part numbers. Summit racing can get you the parts. I believe there are 2 1/16 vacuum and volt meters. I could only fit 2 gauges in the radio hole, not 3. But don't you already have an ammeter in the instrument panel...so maybe you can live without the voltmeter and put in the tach and vacuum...
No pics here with me at work...
AutoMeter makes 2 1/16 tachs and air/fuel ratio meters which will fit inside the radio hole in the dash. I had a machine shop cut out a steel rectangle just larger than the radio hole and drill 2 evenly-spaced holes to install the gauges. THe whole assemble fits inside the factory radio hole and when painted pewter will match the other dash pieces-parts.
The autometer site has the full line and part numbers. Summit racing can get you the parts. I believe there are 2 1/16 vacuum and volt meters. I could only fit 2 gauges in the radio hole, not 3. But don't you already have an ammeter in the instrument panel...so maybe you can live without the voltmeter and put in the tach and vacuum...
No pics here with me at work...
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PabloCruise said:
Just pic two and use the ashtray hole. I would go for vac and temp. Tachs mean little once you get used to driving the truck and the ammeter is good enough to let you know if you're charging or not.
You can use the two ashtray mounting holes to put a piece of aluminum over the hole and cut out for guages from the aluminum. Thus, no actual drilling in dash!
Here is my dash w/Toyota CB Radio. This is how it was when I bought my cruiser. The PO increased the width of the ash tray opening by about 1/2 in. I have since made some adapters and installed original ash tray. I have never seen a Toyota Cb Radio before - thought it was interesting.
