Art & Inspiration The Mother Of all Dash/Gauge Threads!!!

1958 Chevy Impala interior

Hello,

The dash of the new 58 Impala with a 3 speed transmission was primarily red. Red dashboard metal, red carpets and seats, with colorful inserts. The part facing the inside of the dash was silver in contrast to the red. In the automatic transmission version, the silver inset on the steering column shows the automatic shift positions.
stock 58 chevy automatic shift pattern.

But, to keep the image location standard, a small aluminum piece was inserted. Or at least, it looked silver.
The stick shift insert.
We had the Impala from the fall of 1957 to the summer of 1960 as a three speed stick shift as stock. From 1960 until we sold it in 1965, it had a C&O Stick Hydro transmission. In the initial C&O transmission installation, I asked if they could put in a floor shifter, using the 4 speed curved handle. At the time, they could not, so they hooked up the 3 speed stick shift moving lever and arms to connect to the C&O Stick Hydro.

Jnaki

Now, I could shift the transmission manually or leave it in “D” to drive, normally like all transmissions. The modified transmission started out as an 56 Olds Hydramatic Transmission. Then it was taken apart and modified with all new parts. Then using the stock 3 speed lever and arms, made the dash transmission lever the selector for the new C&O Stick Hydro.

Note the white ball position of the stick hydro transmission in reverse, as my brother was backing up out of our narrow driveway.

This was the norm for anyone who drove the modified 58 Impala. One had to know where the “D” was if one wanted to go forward. Also, the “R” for reverse. No letters were in place. Almost theft proof... YRMV

 

Chromed the gauge panel and shaped a new insert.

 

Now,redone

 

Very very nicely done. Kudos.
Did you install new gauges or refurbish your father's.

 

All new, the gauges were long gone when I got it

 

After seeing your steering wheel, I forgot all about this being a "dash-gauge-thread"....very cool!

 

With help from my bud's Nick and Ken Smith, I put together this dash panel... I wanted it to work like new, but look like old. It's actually an early (1966) Mustang GT gauge bucket and gauges, with convex fascia's. I painted the orange needles white. We made the panel cover out of steel and had it nickel plated. Ironically, none of the gauges are equal distance from each other. The dash covering is made from the factory seat cover material from Nick's 1951 Henry J gasser.....

 

Speaking of different, this is the little gauge panel in the Crosley/almquist that I vintage raced for several years..... It is the stock 1951 Crosley cluster, and all thee gauges worked 'cept the speedometer. I had to rely on the tack for that. The mill was a V8-60, and it was by far the most fun critter that I have ever raced..... 970 pounds and 110mph on the first straight at Laguna Seca, and it's uphill.....

 

Years ago at Bonneville I'd just have made a run in my roadster and I pulled around at the 6-mile Return Road waiting for my push truck to pull me back to the pits. This streamliner pulls up behind me and George Poteet gets out. We chat for a minute or two and then I ask him if the dash is a genuine Stewart-Warner. He looks it over and says it's a genny. That's good enuf for me!

 

haha thank you

 

Three dashes I thought looked really nice. Saw at a recent car show. I particularly like the gauge cluster on the Studebaker. And the leather dash in the Kaiser is neat

 

Here's a cool little gizmo, when you want to reduce the voltage from 12V to 6V on group of gauges, like most all pre 1960's Stewart-Warner gauge & some of the later ones.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3890499901...4MTdSnERE5Fi4DVHqM+5puSQ==|tkp:Bk9SR_Crxve1Zg

 

That is just a 12v to 6v dc to dc voltage regulator and you can get them much cheaper than that.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGQRIFG/?tag=atomicindus08-20