Just curious where you folks with a sweep style dash & idiot lights have placed your aftermarket gauges. I am getting a new set of gauges and am curious as to the best spot for them. My old one's are stuffed into the hole in the middle of the dash where the a/c vent would be, I want to cover that hole with the proper plate and move the new gauges elsewhere. I'm assuming the only other logical location is mounting them under the dash? Kinda tough to see them down there while driving.
Thanks in advance.


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Bob C.
70 Malibu
TC Gold Member #169
N.E. Chevelle & El Camino Assoc. #085
bob70@chevelles.com

In my 71 malibu I mounted my tach on the steering column and I mounted my oil press and water temp guages using an autometer 2 guage face plate under the dash as far back as they would go behind the ash tray. This allows me an unobstructed view of them while driving. If you mount them under the radio like most people do you have to look around the steering wheel all the time.

I think they look cool in the hood but mine are located below the radio and are led so i can see them @ night very nice

you have room for 2 small guages to the right of the radio (seen it done before) i have my mini tach there but im looking at custom making a plate with all guages in place of the SWWWEEEEEPPPPPP speedometer

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members.aol.com/jnkb2cool/chevelle9.jpg (http://members.aol.com/jnkb2cool/chevelle9.jpg) John Krenn
1970 malibu SS look-a-like well kinda
307/200-4r

Ft.Worth, Tx

70 Malibu. Oil/water mounted below radio on aluminum bracket and the big honking tach mounted on left side of column completely obscuring the left turn signal.

If I put my tilt column in, I am thinking about moving the tach to.....hell the only place it would probably fit is the backseat. Might look into a smaller one in place of the delete plate for the clock.

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DG
Springfield, Ohio
70 Chevelle Malibu

www.wright.edu/~adams.6/chevy.htm (http://www.wright.edu/~adams.6/chevy.htm)
TEAM Chevelle Member #0086
Genx member (Founder 4 Ohio)

Chev-hell - I like that idea of a custom plate to replace the sweep panel, you should design that and produce it! Could be a money maker, sure beats the hec out of changing out the entire dash for an SS gauge dash. Of course you would lose originality.

I haven't tried doing it yet, but I want to mount about 3 2" gauges immediately to the left of the steering column (on my '66). They may need to be offset/staggered to fit horizontally in that space. Planning on using a nice shiny metal box or bent plate to mount them just below the edge of the plastic instrument bezel. If I ever get a tach I'll put it on top of the steering column with a padded hose clamp.

For a groovy look that makes them easy to steal, you could mount them in cups on the cowl just behind the hood.

Bob,

I spoke with a guy at rt 66 joliet at a show who had his mounted on the pillar post drivers side. Used small gauge and cups and the corrugated wire covers. Looked realy clean and was easy to read at eye level

Dan

Bob,
Whats wrong with where you have them ??? I am a bit biased because I have a set of Stewart Warner Stage 3 gauges mounted in the same place on my 71, they have been there since a month after I bought the car new in 71 ! Done properly, you can't tell them from factory.

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Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

1971 Heavy Chevy - original owner
Team Chevelle #100

do yall think i could really make some $ making a gauge set to replace the factory sweeper? I do need a new job and i could find some in a wrecking yard to use as a starting point and a buyer would just "trade" in there speedo so they wouldn't have to wait for ever for me to make it. hummmm... my vending job is going to the dogs (new corporate owners)i think i may try it. what do yall think???

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members.aol.com/jnkb2cool/chevelle9.jpg (http://members.aol.com/jnkb2cool/chevelle9.jpg) John Krenn
1970 malibu SS look-a-like well kinda
307/200-4r

Ft.Worth, Tx

Well under the dash deal for amps, water and on the colom for the tach and oil pressure. that is how mine will go. For street/Strip use it is good to see speedo sometimes but if all out strip all you need is oil pressure and tach if you ask me. If i found one of them colum pods i would like to get a 3 pod for there have the oil pressure, water temp and amps and on the colum only have the tach. my car will run some strip so need oil pressure more than tach if you ask me. You can shift on sounds but can't always hear oil presure, hehe my 2 pennys
PS there is more spelling mistakes in this then i can count, but real tired 2night...

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OWNER OF 66 CHEVELLE MALIBU
www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Shop/9801/ (http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Shop/9801/) Check out page dedicated to resto of my chevelle. still being made

Chev-hell... YES!! Go for it, I will be your first customer! I considered doing the same thing but my fabrication skills arent the greatest so I just left it as is. If you make one, email and let me know.

BillK, how do you have yours set up? my 3 gauges (amp,oil,water) don't fit into that hole very well. I have the small ones too. I guess if I trashed the amp (don't really use it much anyway) and fabricated a black plastic square to fit into the a/c hole and just mounted my oil and water gauges there, it would look pretty cool & still be at eye level. I like the location just not the looks of 3 gauges stuffed in a hole.
Chev-hell - If you get a prototype of your idea and set it up so all gauges can be mounted where the sweep area is, I think you'll have something there. I say go for it! I may be another customer!
If you make millions, can we get a small percentage? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

I met a guy last weekend at GoodGuys in Dallas who was selling a set up he made that used a small tach and a small oil pressure and water temp gauge mounted on either side of the tach. They were a one piece arrangement that mounted on the steering column where you might mount a tach.

It was really a pretty good looking arangement.

[This message has been edited by Doug Hinton (edited 10-07-99).]

If you can stand one more...
I found the neatest little tachometer to fit in the hole where the factory clock goes at JEGS from AutoMeter. It overlaps the opening, but you still see a trace of the corners. I mean, it's street driven, not raced and perfectly adequate.

I also had one mounted directly to the dash from behind positioned over the steering column - about the 10:00 position. You couldn't see the left turn signal, however.

I don't mind the oil/water guages under the dash, it just takes a little patience to set it up where you can see it at a glance while driving.

Chev-Hell,
check out what one guy who has a link to team chevelle did. He used the sweep guage plate as a template to hold six guages. It looks pretty good.

Here's his webpage:

http://members.aol.com/beavrab/guage.html

It's not quite the look I'm after and since I scored a complete dash out of a 4-door, it will allow me to modify and play until I have what I want with aftermarket guages or maybe a late model gm dashpod, without having to hack into my existing dash. Then when it's ready, I'll just swap out the whole thing.

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Rick
72 Malibu
98 Fatboy
Team Chevelle Member #369

[This message has been edited by rlhelton (edited 10-07-99).]

Bob 70 and Chev-hell, that's what I'm in the process of doing now. I bookmarked the plans that rlhelton mentioned. Let me give this a try[http://members.aol.com/beavrab/guage.html] Just trying to locate a spare speedo assy before I start cutting anything.

[This message has been edited by Randy Mosier (edited 10-07-99).]

One more time; members.aol.com/beavrab/guage.html (http://members.aol.com/beavrab/guage.html)


Hooray, I did it!

[This message has been edited by Randy Mosier (edited 10-07-99).]

Randy, do you need the speedo assembly or just a template of the sweep faceplate? Since I have the extra one apart already I can make a template pretty easily.

P.S. Just having them apart and cleaning it and replacing all of the little lights made a world of difference. I can see how fast I'm going at night http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif now.

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Rick
72 Malibu
98 Fatboy
Team Chevelle Member #369

Wow Randy! That's awesome. I like it. What do you estimate it took you from beginning to end to put this together?

Nevermind Randy...I saw the last line of the materials list. 8-10 hours plus removal and installation of the gauge cluster is pretty good!

[This message has been edited by Bob70 (edited 10-08-99).]

Randy - that looks great! I was thinking about doing this to mine, but gave up as I have enough other stuff to do.

If somebody made a template, or a gauge set or whatever - I would sure be interested in it.

I'm just getting started. Those aren't my plans but I wish I had thought of it. I'm going to a salvage yard tomorrow to pull a speedo assy out of a four door. As soon as I get the template made, I'll post the dimensions.