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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Triple gauge... need some ideas

Posted by: si2t3m May 2 2003, 08:35 AM

Hi all,

Had to pull the tripe gauge cluster out again as a wire on the fuel gauge got loose and shorted.

The backplate itself is pretty easy to fabricate (as i have mine as a template). I'd improve the backplate design so it accepts a 74-75 fuel instrument instead of the older ones. The change regards the way that the connectors for the instruments are installed on the back plate. The 74-75 ones have the connectors built in the body of the instrument instead of the cheezy remote connectors that hold on the backplate by bending the connector tabs against some orangish cardboard and hoping that they will not move & short.

The ideas i need regards the face plate. I'm trying to locate some material that could be used to fabricate it. Well, the same material that is used for these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2172384059&category=418

The gauge face that came in the triple gauge kit needed that you cut the tabs from an existing gauge face and glue them onto the new face plate. This allowed to keep the gauge face at a certain distance of the glass. After a while, the tabs either unglue, and fall. I'd go with a smaller OD for the new faceplate and it could be glued to an old faceplate (with the middle of it cut out).

One thing, the actual openings for the gauges and the lights on the faceplate are rouded out. The face plate goes down a bit near the openings for th gauges and the lights (Hard to explain with my poor english!). I don't think this could be reproduced so the face plate would be completely flat.

Anyways, if some of you have ideas regarding the material that could be used for the faceplate, i'd probably go into getting a batch made.

Marc-André

Posted by: drew365 May 2 2003, 09:13 AM

I don't have any suggestions on the face plate material but I did build a tri-gauge and I agree that getting the little tabs and cardboard isolators to work was a bitch. I put electrical tape under the cardboard as extra protection. Using the later gauge is definately the way to go.

Posted by: si2t3m May 2 2003, 09:32 AM

Bingo!

Found a place juste next to me that does this kind of work.

I'll go see them after lunch...

I'll shoot for a 50 or 100 run.

Marc-André

Posted by: krk May 2 2003, 10:05 AM

Marc,

I'm definitely interested!

kim.

Posted by: Brad Roberts May 2 2003, 12:53 PM

Lets talk about how PA and Hollywood does these.

I have NO idea.. but how hard can it be ??

Airbrush ?? silk screen ?? how do they do it ??

I could call and ask or even stop by ...ha ha

B

Posted by: Qarl May 2 2003, 12:54 PM

I would make sure that the paint and silkscreening on the gauge face is a matte finish. The other triple-gauge kits that were made and sold by Pelican, it was sort of a sem-gloss and looked considerably different than the stock gauges.

Also, match the font for the lettering.

Regards,

Karl

Posted by: Dave_Darling May 2 2003, 02:53 PM

Pelican's were powder-coated. If you can hunt down an address for Don Haney (no longer with Pelican), he can probably give you details. Maybe Glen Sager (a914luvr at earthlink dot net) knows?

M-A, the idea of allowing for the later fuel gauge modules is very good. I drilled my backing plate (same pattern as for the temp and pressure gauge modules) to allow for that, and it was pretty easy. And I agree that the whole "cut the tabs off and glue them on the new plate" thing was not the best thought-out design, but it did work.

B, PA Speedo makes specific gauge modules that are smaller than the standard 911 ones. They use the correct paint/powder/whatever and silk screen the text. They don't use existing gauge modules the way the kit did.

--DD

Posted by: need4speed May 2 2003, 03:28 PM

I don't know how "kosher" this would be for a set of real gauges, but back in the 1980's I had a buddy who tricked-out his mom's Mercury station wagon. Along with many other modifications (none performance-related) he re-did all the gauges with those rub-on letters that typesetters used to use, before the advent of desktop publishing.

He reconfigured the speedo to do speeds in "Warp Factor".
The best one was where he changed the "Unleaded Fuel Only" to "U-238 Only".

(He also re-engineered the back-window washer sprayer to be a squirt-turret. Lots of fun at stop lights!).

Posted by: StratPlayer May 2 2003, 04:12 PM

I just finished doing mine, I did it with the carbon fiber look. I think it blends in with the basket weave look very good.

Attached thumbnail(s)

Posted by: Aaron Cox May 2 2003, 04:44 PM

Hey STRAT, what part # is that combo gauge? i have 2 early 911 ones that have temp labeled on top, but not TANK on bottom. nor does it have a handbrake warning light. my plan was to take it to this one place (joggin my mem) have them drill a hole for another light and silkscreen TANK on the bottom and the Handbrake warning light symbol by the new light. ( i have two fuel tank modules to use along w/ 2 other 914 combo gauges....so, i can experiment)

Posted by: StratPlayer May 2 2003, 05:12 PM

I'll look at it for you and let you know what the number is on the gauge itself. As soon as I know I will post it here.

Posted by: StratPlayer May 2 2003, 05:14 PM

4000 more miles and it will turn over 100K.

Posted by: Aaron Cox May 2 2003, 06:27 PM

ok cool, thanks

Posted by: si2t3m May 2 2003, 06:42 PM

I'll be getting a quote at the begining of next week.

I saw how they do it. Pretty nifty. Looks like a small CNC machine.

Regarding the finish, yup, the kit Don used to sell was powder coated and semi gloss. It was ok, but not satin like the other one. This one will be satin.

I'm trying to figure out the proper fonts for the OIL, TEMP, PRESS words. Also looking for the BRAKE and ALTERNATOR graphics.

Sabin told me to just take a good picture of a gauge face with a ruler next to it. He's a graphist and can make the silkscreen for me.

I have no clue how much this is going to cost! I didn't tell him it was a Porsche gauge!!!

Marc-André

Posted by: Dave_Darling May 2 2003, 11:42 PM

Strat, you're talking about the panel that the gauges go into. (You have the combo gauge that was fitted to all the non-center-console 2.0 cars, BTW. The 914-6 had a similar one, but it had a silver cone in the center.)

We're talking about a combo gauge that not only has oil temp and fuel level like yours, but also has oil pressure.

--DD