I'm still in the planning stages, but I've been searching around and have found numerous cool gauge setups. Not sure which one I'm going with or how I'm going to set mine up, but I do have a question.

If I install a bunch of aftermarket gauges in places other than their stock location, what do you do with the stock gauge locations in the dash behind the steering wheel? Obviously, they are no longer hooked up but do you just leave them there, not working? Or do they make some kind of dash "blank" that would cover them up? Knowing how I am, it seems to me that I would get annoyed by having an unworking gauge in the dash and would want to do something with it.

 

If you leave a non-working gauge there, it just looks like you didn't know how to fix it. You didn't state whether you have a Camaro or Bird, but the Firebird gauge panels look great with aftermarket gauges. Even the Camaro panel can be removed and something fabbed up to fit aftermarket gauges there. I think if you choose to leave the stock gauges and you leave them there, just leave them operational.

 

Yeah, that was kind of my point - I think that dead gauges just don't look very good but I wasn't sure what else to do with those spots.

My car is a 1985 Camaro IROC.

 

IMO...take your time, and install the gauges in the dash with a custom panel. Unless gauges mounted the "easy" way all over your interior is the way you really want it...along with the dead gauges. You could fab a cover to hide the non-functional stock gauges, but why do that when you could just remove them and do something nice and tidy.

Ultimately its up to you. But I have a feeling a lot of folks here are going to vote to fab a panel and keep things nice and clean.

J.

 

fabing a panel is a piece of cake in 89 and older camaros. you can just cut a flat sheet of steel to bolt in with the gauges mounted on it and a little wiring and youre done.

 

Thanks for the info.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone bought one of the full Auto Meter Gauge clusters? They are expensive, but come with 6 gauges and the dash piece. I haven't priced them out individually yet, but just wondering if this might be the way to go since (1) I do plan on replacing all of the gauges and (2) I would have to make a panel anyway.

 

i spent over $600 just for the gauges when i bought mine. at the time they didnt make a prefabbed panel for the 90-92 camaros. now its like $900 for the whole set up with gauges, panel, and plug and play wiring harness. you can probably save a little cash by making the panel yourself and buying the gauges. but youll have to wire it in yourself and the panel wont look as professional. (unless youre fairly experienced in fabbing things up)

 

You're right Travis, a new gauge cluster panel w/ all Auto Meter Phantom II gauges priced out at ~$930.00 w/o installation when I looked into it. Couldn't justify the cost. Now I'm looking at adding a couple additional gauges either on the door pillar or attached to the twin air vents under the dash pad.

 

I have searched and searched and am curious it anybody has put aftermarket gaueges in a camaro but left the clear plastic pieceso it looks as if it belongs instead of gauges stiking out by themselbes .

 

my stock 91-92 Camaro tach, like most of them at this point, is extremely inaccurate. I have an autometer tach on the a-pillar. It's accurate. I use it. That leaves the stock tach doing nothing and I hate it. I think I may just go through the trouble of trying to recalibrate it even though it's a temporary solution.

The other problem is with my T56 my speedo is way off. It doesnt work either. I also hate that. But I just cant bring myself to pay the $70 for a speedo when I've gotten so used to using my tach to tell how fast Im going. I will get one eventually.

Non working gauges with cheap extra gauges everywhere is the epitome of trashy looking. If you're replacing, for instance, your oil pressure or coolant temp etc gauges, I'd just make a new dash panel.

If nothing else try to get one of those slick multi-purpose gauges and mount that somewhere inconspicuous.

 

not likely gonna find anyone thats done it. it would require quiet a bit of custom fabbing. and the fact is most aftermarket gauges wont fit at the stock mounting depth.

 

I thought I saw one where a guy cut up the white part which holds the guages , but cant findo it now

 

he did. but he had to cut up the plastic piece and use it as a spacer. the gauges sat on top of the plastic.

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...91-post24.html

if this is the one youre refering to, this was done in a 92 camaro, the 90-92 camaro dashes are completely different than the 89 and older dashes

 

Yes. That it. And yes, they are different, but not enough that one couldnt apply same concept

 

But, I think I have also seen anothet becsuse I remember seeing ribbon cut up

 

the clusters mount in completely different ways and have completely different trim peices and mounting depths.

 

it might be possible to mount the aftermarket gauges behind the plastic on the earlier models, but i doubt theres enough room. i know when i made my cluster for my 91 i had to move the guages a few inches closer than the stock ones sat for them to fit.