Custom Gauge Cluster (1 Viewer)

[SmokingRocks]

Welp after loosing my tach, oil pressure gauges and trip meter (with my speedometer getting real twichy) I have decided that it is time to do a completely custom gauge cluster. I'm going to mount this in a stock housing so that I can keep the caution lights on the bottom.

I've priced out the kit to about 750 bucks for the gauges, a case of beer for the carbon fiber plate and some more beer for the help to cut it.

Here is my original idea:
Day time

Night time (but the speedo and tach needles will be red)

Gauges:

Here is my mock up on a spare cluster, just to make sure the sizes are right. If you've noticed I dropped the 2 5/8" gauges for the left size since those wont fit.

 

[Aussiecruiser82]

Looks really nice. Accurate and easy to read gauges. Are you planning on putting the gear indicator on the bottom right like on the mock cluster?

 

[Dave 2000]

Looks very modern and smart, I like it. I do have an OCD issue about balance i.e. the same amount of gauges on either side of the larger speedo, but see that as 'my' problem and not anyone else's.

Although not a lover of automatic transmissions it is good to see the addition of the gauge, the 80 trans is prone to getting hot when worked hard. I noted @Aussiecruiser82 comment on the gear selector, perhaps that could be an LED in the speedo which changes letter to display the gear selected? It would take up very little room.

Mine is manual but I used the gear indicator from an auto to monitor other stuff going on under the bonnet.

Don't throw away your old dash indicator, if it is the 7 position one I will give you a few bob for it, handy as a spare.

Subscribed to this.

regards

Dave

 

[dirtyboots]

Excellent! It's down the list but I have also been planning a speed hut insert. I was thinking kydex backing and deleting the factory mulimeter altogether. Gotta agree with @Dave 2000 it appears imbalanced with 2 on the left and three on the right off center. What about flipping the gear indicator letters to read horizontal?

 

[mct75]

Why do we even need heads-up indicators for the prindle? 99.99% of the time I know that it is in D, and the other 0.01% I'm looking at the shifter anyway.

 

[thatcabledude]

^What I was about to say.

 

[Dave 2000]

Why do we even need heads-up indicators for the prindle? 99.99% of the time I know that it is in D, and the other 0.01% I'm looking at the shifter anyway.

^What I was about to say.

What, and no longer be a member of the blown 'D' bulb club?

regards

Dave

 

[SmokingRocks]

Looks very modern and smart, I like it. I do have an OCD issue about balance i.e. the same amount of gauges on either side of the larger speedo, but see that as 'my' problem and not anyone else's.

Although not a lover of automatic transmissions it is good to see the addition of the gauge, the 80 trans is prone to getting hot when worked hard. I noted @Aussiecruiser82 comment on the gear selector, perhaps that could be an LED in the speedo which changes letter to display the gear selected? It would take up very little room.

Mine is manual but I used the gear indicator from an auto to monitor other stuff going on under the bonnet.

View attachment 1352886

Don't throw away your old dash indicator, if it is the 7 position one I will give you a few bob for it, handy as a spare.

Subscribed to this.

regards

Dave

Thanks Dave, I followed your thread closely and am really impressed with how it turned out. Great attention to detail.

And @dirtyboots I would love to make the letters horizontal like the 4 runners. I have no experience with making those covers though.

@mct75 I could care less to have it honestly. But as dave and dirtyboots pointed out the cluster looked off balanced so I figured that moving the indicator to the left side would help.

Further on the balance topic, I get what you all are saying. My original plan was to use 2 5/8" gauges on the left but when I mocked them up they wouldn't fit with the bezels on. So thats why they became 2 1/16" gauges. Also they are the only ones with warning lights and 6 o'clock to 3 o'clock sweeps. The gauges on the right side are simple 8 to 4 o'clock sweeps. I thought the variance would help make them stand out.

View attachment 1352902 I was thinking kydex backing and deleting the factory mulimeter altogether.

I'd like to ditch the factory multimeter and do everything custom, but I have no knowledge of what kydex even is and virtually no experience in cluster fabrication. Thats why I chose to keep the stock framework in place. I haven't looked at the wiring diagram closely enough to know if disconnecting the multi-meter has any affect on the vehicles operation? Anyone know?

The point of this is to make an appealing functional gauge cluster quickly. I've got 5,000 miles on my 1fz-fe that I rebuilt from the ground up myself... And its the first engine I've ever rebuilt... Not having working oil pressure gauge, tachometer, and worth while water temp gauge scares me especially when I remember that there is $4000 of fresh machine work and new parts under the hood.

 

[SmokingRocks]

Maybe I could add another gauge to the left side. Any thoughts on what it should be? Cylinder Head Temp Gauge? Oil Temp?

 

[mct75]

Ammeter?

 

[SmokingRocks]

what would be the benefit of the ammeter? I've got a T-max dual battery system with its own voltage display. I know they are different functions...

 

[mct75]

Do you have the charge indicator light anywhere?

What about a vacuum gauge?

 

[SmokingRocks]

The t-max display shows when the batteries are being charged, and it will disconnect the link when they are not being charged. This is how I knew my alternator died on trail once.

Not sure vacuum is that useful to me. Oil Temp seems to be the leader in my minds eye right now.

 

[mct75]

Vacuum is useful to me as a load indicator.

Does a FZJ have an oil cooler? I figured the oil temp would follow the coolant temp pretty closely.

 

[SmokingRocks]

Yea the 1fz has a plate cooler with coolant circulating around it for the oil.

Vacuum may not be a bad choice.

 

[SmokingRocks]

Revised Cart. Wow that vac gauge is pricey!

 

[mct75]

Wow! That's highway robbery on the vac gauge.

Not to derail your shopping cart, but have you looked at any other gauge manufacturers? I've been considering GlowShift but some of their features are a little too rice for me.

 

[SmokingRocks]

I've looked at them. Probably will look more closely now, still want the Dual Speedo/tach from speedhut. The only thing I noticed is that glowshift gauges lack warning lights.

$318 For Glowshift gauges
$369 For Speed Hut Speed/Tach

Total
$687 Pre S&H

Not bad

 

[mct75]

One gauge Glowshift has is this dual air pressure one, which I think would be totally badass for an OBA system with tank and regulator pressures:

 

[Hornd]

I take it you don't have the Koso Temp Gauge or you would have room for the Tranny Shifter?

I'm doing the battery LED with 3 Pole Switch real soon. I really think I should do a write up.