As each gauge slowly goes the way of the dodo, something had to be done. I had my buddy that does custom machining make the dash panel out 6061, mill the Econoline logo in it (with the "O"s open for the turn signal indicators) and recess the gauges. I added a set of NOS vintage Sun gauges and it's ready for the next step. We'll be surfacing the face on the belt sander to give it a "brushed" look (not billet) and in it goes. Excuse the ****py cellphone pic, it doesn't do it justice! (I may have to confi****e the van and make it the shop truck)
where did you find the NOS gauges at? i can't find that style anywhere, and the new ones are chinese junk.
A great finish for aluminum panels is to take a small DA with a 60 grit or so pad and hit it with that. No pattern just a neat finish. Panel looks nice, and home brew brushed on the belt will look nice too. Not familiar with the econo ****pit though so I don't get the whole picture
You're psychic. We knew Boyd and the kid liked his work. He's made up his mind about the brushed finish (though I tried to talk him into the engine turn). It's his ride, his deal.......
You coulda skipped the econoline lettering if the sheet had been positioned differently. It could've said "aluminum", which seems weirdly cool.
Finished up installing the new panel yesterday. Here's a few pics and tips I came up with along the way. I didn't want to hack the harness any more than I had to, so I had to come up with a way to use the original gauge push on connectors on the new gauges. I took the insulation off a lug, opened it up just enough for a firm connection and voilla, no cutting required (for these circuits). Here's the back of the panel after finishing the wiring layout. Finally, the before and afters Before Now
The Jalopy Journal
