New custom Gauge panel (89 rig) Newer dash

[Wagoneerlover]

Hello everyone,

I am at it again. I have decided to follow the pathway of many who have decided to customize and attempt to add things to or modernize their rigs. I got tired of my tired old gauges on my 1989 rig always failing to work no matter what you do. When I inquired about replacements the stealership of course wanted an arm and a leg. Why not get better qaulity gagues and add my own flavor to it while I am at it? Well here is my attempt at it. I ordered the autometer Golden Oldies Gauges and I purchased a long peice of steel from my local Lowes/ Home Depot. I think it was 8 x 18 inch steel when I got it and of course using my trusty dremmel I had to make some adjustments.. including cutting the holes for the gauges.


Here are preliminary shots of me making test measurments and trying it with cardboard first



The long hulking husk of metal that I started with before I begin to chop it up


Below are two shots of what it has metamorphasized into after cutting and doing a few things with my dremmel. I have the xpr200 something so it also has a jigsaw attachement. Anyway. As you can see it is still rough around the edges. only two of the gauges fit so far and that is after I used the grinder to smooth the holes out. I have six more holes to smooth out and a little more cutting to do. After that I will add the led lights for the turn signals, the high beams, the low fuel light, the brake light etc.













I also modified my stock fuel sending pickup tube and unit. I removed the stock fuel sending unit and adapted the auto-meter sending unit to it. I did this so that I could get a high qaulity sending unit onto the pickup tube and get my auto-meter gauge to work properly. The auto meter sending unit is changeable so i dont have to throw away the whole pickup assemble to change it. It took careful and precise measurement as the stock tank has a very small hole in it for the pickup tube. install it improperly and you will have difficulty getting your pickup tube back into the tank. Assuming you can get it back in to begin with. Below are some pics of the change.

[caionneach]

Very interesting project

I will be very interested to learn how you ground everything when you wire the gauges and the dash, and to see how you finish it up as a final product. Going for the dash doubles as a mirror effect?

Kenneth

[justin'sbig7]

looks good! i would like to put some round gages in my wagon, let us know how it all works out

[jeepfan93]

I was considering the same thing myself. I hate these gauge panels. Unfortunatly, my narrow imagination I can't figure out how tolay it out that it won't look like everyone else's. Kinda reminds me of my 79 Chevy pickup dash. Grounding should't be hard. Terminal strip all the grounds, daisy chain the hots then just run your individual sensor and out to lights. That's how we used to do it when i was rigging boats for Ocean Master. Except for the blinkers of course. Keep us posted, looks like your doin good. BTW what extra two gauges are you putting in?

[Wagoneerlover]

The extra gauges will be transmission temp and oil temp, and a tach. I may possibly loose one of them and need a second alt gauge as I am planning on installing a second alternator. (But I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it). Assuming I can figure out how to set up and wire in a second alt properly.

[shimniok]

Interesting... I've got an 86 and wouldn't mind some day putting in aftermarket gauges... curious to see how you do this. If it works you should make it into a kit like Zack did with the old style gauges. Two things are holding me back for now: 1) my gauges all work and I have 2 spare dash assemblies and 2) I'd rather spend the money for custom gauges on other things. But, it would be very cool to have custom gauges. Someday...

[Wagoneerlover]

Interesting... I've got an 86 and wouldn't mind some day putting in aftermarket gauges... curious to see how you do this. If it works you should make it into a kit like Zack did with the old style gauges. Two things are holding me back for now: 1) my gauges all work and I have 2 spare dash assemblies and 2) I'd rather spend the money for custom gauges on other things. But, it would be very cool to have custom gauges. Someday...

I am completely with you on that Shimniok. My to do list/wish list for my rig is so long that I dont know where to begin. However the gauges were a constant irritation and with a new engine and no clue as to what the oil pressure reads or what level of fuel I have, or the speedometer that is intermittent. I knew it was time to do something about the gauges.

[83 BEAST]

NOT LOOKING BAD. I LIKE IT. KEEP US POSTED WITH HOW EVERYTHING TURNS OUT.

[zmjeeps]

Looks good, but where are you going to mount it? Here is the one I have for '86 and up...





Zack

[shimniok]

Looks good, but where are you going to mount it? Here is the one I have for '86 and up...
...
Zack

Cool. That'd be a direct bolt in. Tempting, were it not for the fact that I just got another gauge cluster bringing my total of spares up to 4.

As I was picking parts from the Jeep from which the dash came, it seems the entire 86+ dash 'framework' for cluster, heater, glovebox, etc., is essentially one unit that bolts to the metal framework of the rest of the dash.

This gets me to thinking that if a guy were skilled enough to fab something that didn't look like crap, he could completely revise the dash layout as an entire, bolt in unit without having to actually remove the dashpad, leaving no limits to the imagination (or the number of gauges or electronics you could stick in).

As my rig stands, it is a bit of a hodge-podge with ham/cb radios, compasses, gpses, locker controls, thermometers, and soon to be added inclinometer gauges, and video screen for spotter cam, and laptop for navigation in case FEAT gets called up. Sure would be nice to reduce the clutter and have all of it truly integrated into a restyled dash.

Stealing JC's idea, the radios, gps, nav, music, (and more) could conceivably be run off of a computer with one or more screens (touch screen or screen with input buttons). Hmmm...

[Bama Burden]

This gets me to thinking that if a guy were skilled enough to fab something that didn't look like crap, he could completely revise the dash layout as an entire, bolt in unit without having to actually remove the dashpad, leaving no limits to the imagination (or the number of gauges or electronics you could stick in).

This is where the dash in my '86 is headed except that I had to loose the dash pad. It was in bad shape. I've got some aluminum plate that I'll be making into a long instrument panel and then overlaying the dash framework.
As it stands now, the dash looks like it vomited wires into the vehicle.

Wagoneerlover, definitely keep this thread updated. I think the '86+ dashes are ugly, so I like to see what people do to give them a little more style

[Wagoneerlover]

Looks good, but where are you going to mount it? Here is the one I have for '86 and up...





Zack

Well, I am actually going to do a little cutting of the area around the stock gauges (The actual dash plastic). Also I have removed the black OEM cover. (I actually am much better at woodwork than I am at metal work and I intend to design a new wood cover for the entire area. I actually love trying things and designing. (However, I think that your products are great qaulity, but I have always been the type to design things on my own and sort of give it my own flavor/vision. For everyone else, I have been sending them your way!!). Besides whenever I get into a project I always try to make sure that I have an excape hatch in case things dont work out. If for some reason or another I cannot get it to work (After trying and failing 500 times) a certain business with a Z in the title will be getting an order for a gauge panel. Additionally, it was inevitable that I do this project as I was already re-wiring the rig as well. Pics of that in another thread.

[Wagoneerlover]

This is where the dash in my '86 is headed except that I had to loose the dash pad. It was in bad shape. I've got some aluminum plate that I'll be making into a long instrument panel and then overlaying the dash framework.
As it stands now, the dash looks like it vomited wires into the vehicle.

Wagoneerlover, definitely keep this thread updated. I think the '86+ dashes are ugly, so I like to see what people do to give them a little more style

I agree the stock gauges I have always hated. They more look like they belong in some late 70's early 80's race car than in an SUV. Or whatever anology may be out there for them. I have always hated them, replacing them is pricey and in my opinion not worth it if you can get higher qaulity gauges at a lower price that will look better and perform better. (Note: I asked the dealer how much he wanted for a replacement oil pressure gauge and he said it would be 87 dollars). I got the autometer one for 49 or so. Hmmmmmmm. wonder which one he thought I would purchase.

[Wagoneerlover]

more pics up now!!

[jeepfan93]

WHERE?

more pics up now!!