Restomod instrument arrangement

bdepedro

bdepedro

Member
Nov 6, 2006
362
2
19
Outer Banks, NC
#1
I'm a new member and I have a '70 fastback that I'm planning on redoing the interior this winter. I'm going to replace the factory gauge cluster with a pod from Year One that houses (2) 5" gauges and (2) 2 1/16" gauges to each side (6 gauges total). I'm going with Auto Meter Ultra Lite gauges and I've been checking out other gauge arrangements and have noticed that most group the oil pressure and voltmeter gauges together and the water temp and fuel level together. I'd prefer to have my tach to the right of the speedo and group the oil pressure and water temp gauges to the right of the tach and the voltmeter and fuel level gauges to the left of the speedo. That way the most important gauges will be a quick glance away. Anybody know if there is a reason for instrument arrangement other than preference? Any info would be appreciated. Last winter I rebuilt all the mechanicals (engine, trans, rear, suspension, etc...), this winter I'll do the interior. Next winter....?
 
#4
That's what I thought, but sometimes there's a good reason for things being the way they are. All my gauges will be elec except the speedo so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll post some pics when I get it done although it probably won't be until after the new year.
 
#6
Ultrastang, your dash looks awesome. Can't wait to start mine. I've done a lot to my car this year so I'm trying to ease up a little on the wallet but I'm planning to have all the gauges and the pod by the end of Dec. Unfortunately, I also need a new dash pad. It sucks how expensive the 69/70 pads are. I'll probably get that in Jan.
 
#7
bdepedro said:
Ultrastang, your dash looks awesome. Can't wait to start mine. I've done a lot to my car this year so I'm trying to ease up a little on the wallet but I'm planning to have all the gauges and the pod by the end of Dec. Unfortunately, I also need a new dash pad. It sucks how expensive the 69/70 pads are. I'll probably get that in Jan.
Click to expand...

Thanks bdepedro.

Obviously from my photo, I don't have a dashpad installed yet. My '68 has a long way to go before it'll be road-worthy again, and I'm only able to work on it a little here and a little there, but it's slowly getting there.

I spent about $700 for the seven gauges I have. The most expensive one was the speedometer --$256 dollars. It's an electric, programmable unit.

www.ultrastang.com
 
#8
For an overall cost that's not bad. I think all 6 gauges I need will run me about $500, the cluster pod is about $170 (I think) and I can get a new dash pad for about $300 so I figure It'll probably run me about $1K before the dash is done. I'm the same as you, a little here, a little there. Unfortunately, the mortgage eats most of the income around here.

After the dash is done I'm going to redo the seats with NPDs sport seat conversion. You use the existing stock seat frame and springs with their new foam and seat covers. They use higher side and seat bolsters for a more modern feel with classic looks.
 
#9
ultrastang-- awesome looking!! My '67 dash is stripped down and that picture gives me hope!! I can't wait to get it put back together!!

I like the dash pod idea!! Never seen it on a classic. I think I'm going with A-Pillar myself, but like i said, yous looks awesome.
 
#10
I was just looking into that YearOne guage panel yesterday. Saw it online on the Blackened car about a month and a half ago and again in the latest issue of M&F. I got to have one for mine. It is what I was wanting to fab myself instead of buying something else but the price is reasonable. I plan to paint it a charcol color for my black interior.
 
#14
69fastback393 said:
i have a year one bezel w/phantom guages ended up with 600.00 in the setup including wiring and plug for the harness.if you go with the manual speedo make sure to get an adapter.the speedo uses the older screw on type cable and yours is probably a snap on type.or you could use a 68 and down cable.www.cardomain.com/ride/2073886
Click to expand...

Very nice ride you have there, great pics!
 
#15
I did mine last winter. I Added a 2 gauge pod on my console for the
other 2 gauges. I went with the less expensive gauges and recovered the
speedo gauge. I think I had $135.00 in it for everything.



<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8356/daisysandmustang031kx1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" /></a>
 
#16
95CobraStang said:
ultrastang-- awesome looking!! My '67 dash is stripped down and that picture gives me hope!! I can't wait to get it put back together!!

I like the dash pod idea!! Never seen it on a classic. I think I'm going with A-Pillar myself, but like i said, yous looks awesome.
Click to expand...

Thanks. After I installed the Autometers in my stock bezel in '01, the shift light tach left me with no place to mount a fuel gauge, since orginally there were two stock gauges in the right, large, pod --one of which was the fuel gauge.

I was trying to come up with a solution for mounting the new fuel gauge, and in 2001, there weren't really any A-pillar pods around for classic Mustangs. I was looking through a late model Mustang mag (at that time), and saw the gauge pod for a '94-'98 SN-95 Mustang and thought ...Hmmmm....I wonder...

I had never seen anyone else use one in an early Mustang before, so I just bought it with the hopes it would work. --It did!:nice:

Since the pod was a twin-gauge arrangement, I had to come up with another gauge to mount with the fuel gauge. Since I have a '90 GT 5.0L EFI engine in my '68, it only made sense to install an air/fuel ratio gauge to monitor off the O2 sensors.

The only problem with that, is the gauge is designed to only read off of one O2 sensor. I bought a miniature 3-position maintained toggle switch and mounted it to the face of the pod, just to the lower right side of the A/F ratio gauge. With the toggle switch in the left position, it will read off the left hand O2 sensor. With the switch to the right, it reads off the right O2 sensor. In the middle position, it doesn't read anything.

www.ultrastang.com
 
#18
69fastback393 said:
i have a year one bezel w/phantom guages ended up with 600.00 in the setup including wiring and plug for the harness.if you go with the manual speedo make sure to get an adapter.the speedo uses the older screw on type cable and yours is probably a snap on type.or you could use a 68 and down cable.www.cardomain.com/ride/2073886
Click to expand...

Nice car overall! The dash looks great. I'm planning on painting my pod silver as well as the area over the glove box and the door panel inserts. I also like the red panels in your seats. I was planning on redoing my seats with premaid seat covers but I think I'll look into having grey panels sewn in. I'm also debating about a new steering wheel. I like the Collector Series by Grant but can't decide between the mahogony, black leather or black mahogony grip. I love the look of the mahogony but it would then be the only wood in the interior. I'll probably go with one of the black ones to match the rest of the interior.

Also, thanks for the heads up on the adapter!
 
#19
Dothang67 said:
Your dash is amazing, you seem to accomplish very well that modern look. May I ask you with what type of paint did you achieve it? and how?

Thanks
Click to expand...


Thanks.

....Going back in time to mid-September, 1982 (just before I turned 16), this is what my interior looked like when I bought my '68; http://ultrastang.com/Images/Scanned/44-s.jpg

My '68 originally came from the factory with deluxe interior (one of 9,009 deluxe coupes produced for '68). It had the roof console, floor console, deluxe door panels, wood-grain dash, factory styled steel wheels etc. By the time I bought the '68 in '82, the car was 14 years old, and unfortunately had been very abused by previous owners. But, for a 15-year old kid (at the time), the $1,000 bucks the owner wanted for the Mustang was within in my price range.

This '68 was my daily driver from 1982-1989. The body was rough, but I saw the potential that existed in it for it to be a really nice car someday. This is what the car looked like in September, '82; http://ultrastang.com/Images/Scanned/46-s.jpg

Unfortunately, some previous owner painted the Parchment deluxe interior white --with a paint brush, no less! and pretty much ruined the consoles and door panels --and even painted the seats!

By my senior year in high school (1985), I had the '68 at least looking a little more presentable; http://ultrastang.com/Images/Scanned/33-s.jpg

Presently, my '68 is pretty much just a hull, and there's a ton of stuff I have left to do on it --it just goes back to the problem most of you have in building your cars --a lack of constant cashflow to fund the things I want to do on it.:(

Just to see "how things would look" with a "modern-looking interior". I sprayed the dash and the metal portions of the doors with Ford Gray engine paint. Now that I know it does in fact look the way I want it to, I'll strip all the paint off and and spray on a "proffessional-grade" of paint.

Some of the upgrades I've done on my '68:

1. 5.0L fuel-injected engine/T-5 from a wrecked 1990 Mustang GT.
2. 5.0L power brake booster (from the same wrecked '90 Mustang GT).
3. '75 Granada disc brake spindles with '94-'04 13" Cobra rotors and PBR twin-piston aluminum calipers.
4. 15/16" front swaybar (from a '75-'80 Granada)
5. 1980 Monarch 9-inch drum brake rear converted to 11.65" Cobra rear discs.
6. Ford 9-inch N-case with 4-pinion Traction-Loc diff and 3.89 gears.
7. Power remote-controlled side mirrors from an '89 Escort GT.
8. Autometer Phantom-series gauges.
9. Fiberglass spoilered deck lid
10. Factory fog light grille.
11. Pop-open gas cap.
12. GT rear valance panel.
13. Reclining bucket seats w/halo head-rests from an '86 Ford EXP.
14. TCP subframe connectors
15. Roller spring perches from Daze Cars.

There's plenty left to do on the car, but here's some photos of it as it stands presently;

1. http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/6596/68mustang002yd3.jpg

2. http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/947/68mustang005ht2.jpg

3. http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/5228/g2con68003ms8.jpg

4. http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3564/cobrafrontbrakesvh5.png

5. http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8092/g2con68006po3.jpg

6.http://www.ultrastang.com/images/2006/cobrabrakehosemount0243cf_2.jpg

7. http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/5457/mach1wheel001kd9.jpg

8. http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3725/heritagewheelonrearof68du2.jpg

www.ultrastang.com
 
#20
ultrastang said:
Presently, my '68 is pretty much just a hull, and there's a ton of stuff I have left to do on it --it just goes back to the problem most of you have in building your cars --a lack of constant cashflow to fund the things I want to do on it.:(

Just to see "how things would look" with a "modern-looking interior". I sprayed the dash and the metal portions of the doors with Ford Gray engine paint. Now that I know it does in fact look the way I want it to, I'll strip all the paint off and and spray on a "proffessional-grade" of paint.
Click to expand...

Thanks, it does look very nice. I recall seeing your webpage a few months ago, its pretty cool that you have kept the car ever since :nice:
 
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