Check out the new gauge faces! - Page 3 - Body - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

Brisk · 05-26-2005, 10:50 PM

that tape is cheesy.. I was thinking along the lines of the double stick tape being a duplicate of the gauge itself in one large piece already bonded to the back of the new face... perhaps with the back part you remove to get to the sticky stuff broken into four pie shapes so you can remove them after you've got the new face over the needle. However thats not a great option, it is still 'tape'.

How thick is this gauge face... like the thickness of a DVD sleeve cover? (The part over the paper insert)?? I still think a perimiter mounting method would be best, just don't know how to accomplish that. Is they any way tabs can be wrapped around the stock gauge perimiter? I don't have my guages here so I can't look at them.. both my car and 2nd gauges are at the shop! I'll keep brainstorming...

Gr89RS · 05-28-2005, 11:15 AM

I currently havethe 115 MPH speedo, if i had one of these printed as a 145 MPH, what would i have to do to make the gauge read accurately??

IROC-Z28_CAMARO · 05-28-2005, 11:25 AM

Yea, thats a good question. I have the 185 kph spedo right now but I would like the gauges to go to 240. Would I have to buy the 240 kph spedo to make it read properly.

Brisk · 05-28-2005, 12:47 PM

the internal windings of the speedo's are different from a 115mph to a 145mph.. or any speedo for that matter( like kmh). You would need to purchase a speedo that can give you a higher reading, there is no way for 'us' to change the workings of the speedo unless your a instrument calibration technician with the proper equipment and such...

Gr89RS · 05-28-2005, 07:09 PM

So would that be something a shop would do??

Brisk · 05-28-2005, 10:22 PM

it would be much cheaper and easier for you to buy a replacement set of gauges that goto 145mph.. try the classifides here on TGO or ebay, local auto recyclers

Gr89RS · 07-06-2005, 03:40 PM

So how are they holding up Abubaca??

Brisk · 07-06-2005, 03:57 PM

either they fell apart, or he's looking at becoming a wholesaler and mass producing them

Firebird 383 · 07-06-2005, 08:54 PM

On my Firebird I cheated and had a custom set made by Scott at www.customgaugefaces.com. He let me pick and choose the way I wanted them to look, so I changed a few things, like adding a few hash marks and making the 145mph Iroc speedo into a 150mph speedo and changing the tach reading from RPMx100 to RPMx1000 (so the numbers around the tach read 1 2 3 4 5... instead of 10 20 30 40 50...)

Here's what I ended up with:

Apok · 07-07-2005, 01:18 AM

those are beautiful, I'm in if you start producing them!

Difflock · 07-07-2005, 03:13 AM

Abubaca, don't laugh, but is there any chance you'd consider the 85 MPH speedo too? Oh, for a 'Bird that is

Wonderful gauges! Try not to abuse you new found power as shop manager MUHAHAHAHA!. The 3rdGen community needs guys like you working in places like that.

Mark.

Abubaca · 09-12-2005, 07:40 PM

Update:

Guys I'm stumped here. The faces are holding up just fine, and I have pretty much all the kinks worked out except one:

I CAN'T FIND A 5/8" PUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you guys remember, I needed to put the actual face/print (which is basically just a sticker) on something to give it some rigidity. I decided to use an acetate sheet which seemed to work very well. Rigid, yet thin and flimsy enough to be worked past the needles without removing them. The problem is that I had trouble cutting all the little holes. I used an exacto knife before I used the acetate which was no problem. On the set I'm currently using (with acetate) the hand cut circles aren't perfect, and they took FOREVER to cut to what I would barely consider acceptable.

Enter the hobby of scrapbooking.

I have punches for all the holes needed except for a 5/8" punch for the center hole in the tach and speedo. The THIRD punch arrived today, and it won't work either. The main problem is that they don't reach far enough into the face. Basically I can't reach the middle of the face to punch the circle!

This is driving me nuts. Everything else is ready. I know some of you will say that I should just do my best with a knife, but trust me, even if I could do it perfectly, it would take forever, and I need some sort of mediocre assembly line here. They're all assembled by hand, short of the printing, so I need the help where I can get it!

first of all, can you guys picture what my problem is? Did I explain it sufficiently?

...and my next question:

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE IDEAS????????????

Abubaca · 09-12-2005, 07:43 PM

....oh, and I had been working on some backlit faces, but this latest problem has been a real pain. Such a simple problem that I can't seem to solve.

....anyhow, if I can do backlit material, I can do just about any car out there!!!

...but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Brock's91RS · 09-12-2005, 08:06 PM

Would something like this work?
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH?PMSECT=1917
We use these at work to make some shims,they punch .010 plastic shim stock nicely
Kind of pricey tho
Hope that helps
Steve

cocacolakidd · 09-12-2005, 08:19 PM

Most leather shops (The ones that sell leather and supplys, and kits - Like Tandy) have hand held punches of different sizes - may be just what you are looking for...Ed.

Scheister · 09-12-2005, 08:50 PM

OMG those are awsome! i want! good job

Brisk · 09-12-2005, 08:59 PM

Abubaca - how about making a punch, literally. Take a piece of round steel stock and grind/mould the end to your desired size (5/8") Then use this piece of steel as a punch, put the desired size down on the face, and hit the other end with a hammer and 'punch' the center out.

You should be able to put an 'edge' on the side with the desired size and it may do the trick. At least, it would make a good impression/indentation and should make it easier to cut out? Hopefully you get what I'm trying to say..

Good luck.. I'll keep racking my brain for more ideas.

Scorpner · 09-12-2005, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Abubaca
Update:.

I have punches for all the holes needed except for a 5/8" punch for the center hole in the tach and speedo. The THIRD punch arrived today, and it won't work either. The main problem is that they don't reach far enough into the face. Basically I can't reach the middle of the face to punch the circle!

...and my next question:

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE IDEAS????????????

This may be quite far fetched, but could you take one of the punches and have someone cut the arms and re-weld extensions? Even if the handle couldn't overcome the leverage you could tap it with a hammer for now until you could find something better. If this is possible you could have a jig on the arm set up for the exact distance every time.

Abubaca · 09-12-2005, 10:08 PM

Well, some of you have started thinking along the same lines as me. An actual punch that would be done by hand as opposed to some scrapbook tool.

....I'm gonna keep messin' with it.

84 1LE · 09-12-2005, 11:24 PM

If you ever wanted to remove these & return the gauges to stock.Would the stock faces be ruined(residue,etc)?

Mr_Metal · 09-13-2005, 06:54 PM

OH yeah !!
You've started a monster here... I want in too !!

Get 'er done !!

Abubaca · 09-15-2005, 11:28 PM

As far as returning to stock...well....it depends on how you stick 'em. I'd probably provide tabs of double sided tape. Would it leave residue? Probably. Could you get it off? Probably, but I wouldn't make any guarantee.

Scorpner · 09-16-2005, 12:51 AM

Goo gone works good for stuff like that.

ZROC86 · 09-16-2005, 12:34 PM

Thats tight man! Good Job. I'm down. Keep up the awesome work!

cocacolakidd · 09-16-2005, 05:59 PM

When all of ther bugs are ironed out I would definately be in for a custom set...Keep up the good work. ~Ed~

Black85sport · 09-21-2005, 08:22 PM

Wow. Those look really good.

XJOSHX · 09-24-2005, 06:05 PM

If you want to sell me some PM me

Abubaca · 09-24-2005, 06:50 PM

Well, I'm still a little frustrated on this one. so close, yet so far. I'm looking into having the actual acetate faces made, and then I'd apply the graphic to the acetate.

....I'm also deconstructing the punch to see if there's anyway to rig it for my purposes. Having them made may very well be cost prohibitive.

V6canvas · 09-25-2005, 09:58 PM