[Surfin' 66]

I am slowly fitting the Elco out for serious drag racing.
To this end I decided to whack the dash and build a new flat-panel style from .125" aluminum plate for strength.

The plates (2 of them, divided in the center) are hard-mounted to the cowl structure, and the former dash itself has been mostly cut away, and is now basically a giant trim piece, with the exception that it still carries the ignition which is now in the former heater/AC control location, and the lights and wipers which are going into a fabbed recessed location on the lower left of the dash.

I took care to mount the gauges as high as possible without being cut off by the dash top horizontal, and with the sports car seats mounted directly to the floor the gauges and the thru-glass over-the-hood view are just at the right height for me (I'm 6'2" and need to sit low) so that I don't have to look down hardly at all to read the dials.
I don't care for the liquid-filled vac gauge, which never reads correctly and has to be adjusted for zero every time the temperature changes as little as 3-5 degrees, which of course includes parking in the sun outside of a Del Taco, or something. It's a real pain, so I'm going back to the Sport Comp style, which has always been faithful and accurate, even under hard-core race conditions.

For anyone who might be interested:
Here are some quick snaps showing the initial install, which I will finish for appearance (metal finishing, trim plate fab, etc) as I get time.

BTW, the oil pressure / vac pods do not mount to the dash upper. They are mounted to a hidden .125" plate which locates into the dash curvature itself in front using slotted rubber tubing (identical o.d. to the dash's i.d.) as a positive cushioned solid mount and then a single bolt to the cowl structure in the rear. The entire assembly with both gauges and mounting setup comes out with a single bolt and in one big piece for servicing.

The light coming thru the former speaker grill gives a very nice soft patterned effect upon the gauges-

]

Eric

 

[Surfin' 66]

I set the vac gauge to zero in the garage. Then I opened the door, and a couple of minutes later the gauge is already reading high. The temp difference was only the morning air compared to the overnight air in the garage.

Sometimes the Pro Comp vac will read as much as 8-10" too high.

Eric

 

[tunedbytad]

must feel like more room in the driver seat with the gauges set back like that,

 

[Brettd85]

Does everything need to be angled like that? I understand the tach but all of it?

 

[Marv D]

It's a common racer item to orient the gauges so 'normal' is straight up. Makes it easier for the driver to pick up on something being amiss. But I'll tell you in a really fast car,, you don't have time to look at anything. My Nova isn't really all that quick by todays standards going from 0-147mph in a 9.2 second quarter mile. I don't look at a damn thng but the track, not even the tach! (air shifted powerglide activated on a timer)

Probably the most important item I can suggest any race car have is a Autometer warning light with a oil pressure sensor set to 15psi. If your oil pressure get's that low on a pass, you are going to have some ugly damage. That big bright red light going off in your face is a welcome warning if something in the oiling system is upset. Nothing else really matters that much unless it may be fuel pressure on a notrous motor.

 

[JWagner]

I agree with Marv. For a race car you do not have time or need for all those gauges. My race only vehicles of the past had only a tach and water temp gauges.

 

[Surfin' 66]

I agree with Marv as well for dedicated race vehicles. Rotating the dials is an old road racer trick (at least that's where I learned it from).

The reason I pay attention to gauge placement is that I use them to monitor my tune in conjunction with narrow or wide-band data as I drive under various amounts of throttle. I'm able to synthesize all that I need to know without the expense of a data logger, although I admit I'd like to have an Innovate setup.
I also use the gauge placements to monitor changes I've made to the tune or something else while I drive and evaluate.

As well, I drive my car often on long cross country trips, and it's relaxing to be able to see the gauges in normal position with the needles up.
Looking at the gauges in the pics, the oil pressure needle is straight up at the minimum pressure I'd want to keep driving, the vac is straight up at max cruise economy, and the tach and speedo are straight up to keep me out of trouble, especially crossing from NM into TX, where you suddenly can't drive 90 mph anymore. The tach and speedo meet at appx 70 mph, a safe zone.
Not race applications, just daily usage convenience.

But...

On the track, I watch nothing but the track itself, and I use an oil pressure warning light as well.

Eric

 

[Surfin' 66]

and, yep, with the panel mounted so close to the cowl, there is a great feeling of roominess.

Add to that a pair of buckets from a racing Triumph sports car mounted all the way back directly to the floor, and there is actually a lot more room, most of which is then swallowed back up by the bars, which aren't even finished yet.

 

[wills65]

I can kind of see you reasoning on the tilted gauges. I have always been a fan of your Elco and I like the new dash setup. I will say that the tach being almost upside down would throw me off I think. Looks cool though.:thumbsup:

 

[DC69]

Cool set up. Got any more pics of the car. I too am building a "Two Lane Blacktop" car.