After much soul searching, I've decided to install aftermarket gauges in my GTO! I realize that many folks will not appreciate this, but it's MY car! My car came with idiot lights, and I have a very hard time driving cars without gauges (must be the pilot in me!), especially one with an expensive engine! Since it is a restification, I feel that these tastefully installed gauges will look, and more importantly FUNCTION, great!
Picture on left is a stock '66 GTO dash. It is obviously NOT my car! The other 2 are of the dash that was modified.
The dash bezel that came with my GTO was pretty cut up and 2 of the cluster mounts were broken off. I used a replacement walnut dash insert that came with my car to trace the location of the switches and holes etc onto a piece of cardboard. I then tried a few different combinations of gauge location until I found the one shown in the pictures. I can fit six 2 1/8" and two, 3 3/8" Auto Meter Performance Series Gauges. I chose these because of their classic styling and chrome bezels. After the template was complete, I traced it onto some thin aluminum purchased at the hardware store. I cut the aluminum out with a pneumatic body saw, and cut the holes with hole saws mounted on a drill. I also had to modify the dash bezel. I ground the instrument pod bezels flat with a sanding drum on a Dremel tool, and cut out the holes for the non stock gauges with it as well. It took a bit of fitting to get the aluminum plate to fit, but it fits GREAT! I made a backing plate from aluminum to help support the gauges as well as stiffen up the dash bezel.
I wanted the dash to look "clean", so I replaced all of the gauges in the car with matching Auto Meter ones (all electric except the speedo, vacuum and fuel pressure gauges). The gauges I have are: Speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, voltmeter, oil pressure, water temperature, vacuum and fuel pressure. The fuel pressure gauge has an isolator that mounts under the hood and transmits the pressure readings to the gauge in the dash. The speedometer uses the stock cable. I am also considering incorporating a shift light into the area between tach and speedo (right where the two reference lines intersect in the pictures).........
Aluminum backing plate with gauges installed.
Fuel pressure gauge and isolator that mounts under the hood for fuel pressure gauge. The braided line is filled with anti freeze, and there is a diaphragm in the isolator. On the underhood side, the isolator is connected to the fuel pressure regulator, the other side connects to the gauge. This keeps pressurized fuel out of the interior!
I got a piece of peel and stick, walnut veneer from Van Dykes restorers. It was about $35 for enough to do 3 dashes. I rough cut it to the outline of the aluminum backing plate, then stuck it on. I used the trusty Dremel tool to cut out the holes and trim the edges. I have not cut out the hole for the radio or heater panel yet. I need to fill the edge of those holes a bit. I cut too much off of the aluminum! I'll post pictures with the gauges when I finish sanding and finishing with polyurethane.
Dash insert with veneer. The semi circular piece below is the color before polyurethane was applied.
Here is the finished product! I think it came out pretty good.