I am looking for any info on drilling the holes for my gauges, I'm using a repop 32 dash and the hole saws I have seem to turn a little out of round. Anyone care to show me/us how you did yours. Thanks in advance Grits
a ch***is punch is the perfect tool for that. Electrical companies use them ....got any friends that do electrical work?
you gotta stop using that bent tool on your Hot Rod i would go the punch method..or the bridge port idea..the ability to hold tollerance is much better
First off, I'd suggest making cardboard templates of the gauges just to verify your dash layout.....If the hole saws are running out a bit, it shouldn't be big deal, the hole will be a skoosh larger. You could always try a piece of s**** material for sizing. Pat
I like the idea of having the hole cut with the mill, I just happen to have a good friend a few doors down from me that has a machine shop in his back yard, why didn't I think of that, That's is what makes this board a great place. You guys rock! I'll post up some pictures of the event a little later today if he's not busy doing other stuff. Thanks again guys Grits
I used a Northern tool set and a 3 1/8" from NAPA. They seemed to wabbel, but my gauges fit nice and snug. All I did was drill an 1/8" hole then a 3/16" hole... The the hole saw. I dodn't have a pic yet, but they look awesome! Jay
Quality hole saws running slow and backed with a flat piece of wood (3/4" ply) helps make them truly round. Generally, the 2 1/8" size hole saws cut with no probs as do most of the 2 5/8" saws. The larger speedo size can wobble a bit, but they still cut ok. Starratt's bi-metal holes saw work well as does the similar - probably made by Starratt - hole saw sold at Home Depot and the like. Vermont brand I believe. These hole saws have a somewhat floating drive pin system and don't bolt down solid with a nut like Black and Decker does. The pin drive allows the hole saw to run true. I've cut .063 stainless with these and no probs. Gauges fit nice and you'll have to file a little notch in the bottom to match the locating protrusion in the bottom of the case. The notch is to align the gauge level and is quickly cut with the side of a narrow file. A mill would take a lot of set-up time if you're using a boring bar. A drill press set slow and backer board along with a couple of clamps will do it. Be sure and pad the clamps so they don't put a dent in the sheet metal. A small piece of 3/4" ply works well here. This dash and panel were drilled and hole sawn separately. Drill the panel with 1/8" holes and use it as a template for the dash. Drill the dash with 1/8" holes using the template/panel. It can be a good idea to make a separate template for later use if you decide to go with a different panel material. This dash was also drilled separately. I made a drilling template from an aluminum yardstick, 1/8" holes. Mark and drill the yardstick from the back so you don't get confused by the markings. Drilled the dash proper with the template. Enlarged the holes to 1/4" then hole sawed them. Couple years later I decided to make a stainless panel. Laid it out with the yardstick template, hole sawed it. It matched perfectly and is retained by the gauges.
Making some gauge templates is an excellent idea. The cardboard on the back of a shorthand or legal pad works great. Mark them as oil, temp etc., install them where you think you want the gauges and live with that for a while. After a few sessions of sitting in the drivers seat, you'll find that some gauges aren't as visible as first thought.
I'm with 4t64rd: cut them a slightly smaller size with a hole saw, then grind and/or hand file until you get the fit exactly right. The gauges in my car are a pressed fit - it takes some pressure to get them in (or out). No brackets required. And it only took a few minutes per hole to get it that way.
a k a "knock-out punch". Pretty spendy in the large sizes for just a single use. You might have to sharpen borrowed ones. As for holes being a little out of round, I reckon the bezels would cover that up.
I have a buddy thats in the I.B.E.W. and they always have nice sharp tools. And free for me to use!! thats a win win..
Ahh the memories.... 75 1/8" holes and 2 hours of filing the points down until the gauge finally fits. Those were the days. I'm just too F'n old.
drill youre pilot hole where you want the gauges. Remove the drill bit from the center of the hole saw and put round rod in it the same diameter as the pilot hole. From there you should be good. The drill bit in the center of the hole saw usually does some walking ,but when you replace it with the round rod it stays in place better.
knock out punch makes a very clean round hole. worth every penny... of course I got a nice set of them for 10 bucks at a garage sale.
go to your local electrical supply house and buy a knock out /drag out for the size you need. they are not cheep but they are the only way to fly
Do your gauges mount from the front or the back? If they drop in from the front the hole doesn't need to be 100% perfect (the edge of the gauge will cover any TINY imperfections). If they mount from the back then your holes will need to be as close to perfect as possible.
Besides replacing the drill bit with a rod what I have found is that you remove two teeth from the hole saw-leave one-remove two-leave one and continue with that around the hole saw. What is left is a very aggresive looking and the tooth sets are in and out. What this all does is it keeps the saw from loading up with shavings and allows the teeth to cut down the material smoothly. Use this along with some alu tapping fluid and it will look like a cnc machine cut the hole.
I will sometimes make a pilot out of a piece of 3/4 inch plywood. Holesaw it to the correct size. If the saw fits snug in the hole, you're good. Center the plywood pilot over the spot on the dash where you want your gauge and clamp or screw it in place. You can now drill the hole without fear of the saw wobbling. You don't need the 1/4 drill that normally pilots the saw, but you can leave it in anyway. You can make an entire mockup dash panel out of the plywood and cut all your holes without removing it or you can do one at a time.
ill put in a vote for the greenlee punches these things rule. no nasty burrs like hole saw holes much quicker and cleaner. the shop i work at had never heard of them. i told him to buy a set ,now he wishes he had them years ago he got a 10 pc set on ebay for less than $100
1.Drill Pilot hole 2.Use hole saw that is under your hole size but kinda close 3.Mount a sanding drum into your die grinder, and put on a ruffer than hell sanding sleeve 4.Finish it out to where the guage goes in perfectly 5. Sit in the chair and drink a cold one, and ponder the problems of the universe before you do the next guage hole...........................
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