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Opinions on a custom dash

Centerline

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Just looking for opinions.

I know most Mopar people are "original" oriented. Nothing wrong with this at all, however sometimes being a little different can be a good thing. Not talking about doing the Chevy black under the hood or anything like that, but something a little creative like a race inspired dash.

Rebuilding a stock dash, instruments, plastic and chrome can be a bit "expensive". After pricing this stuff on my '64 Polara it was going to run me a little over a grand. So I started looking at options. A race inspired dash, basically flat with a good set of aftermarket instruments, a radio and integrated AC vents sounds pretty good and definitely fits into my budget since that's all something I can do myself.

So my question is: What does everyone think of going with something different than a "stock" dash in one of these cars?
 
I plan on using a custom dash in my 64 Polara as well. I picked up some ribbed plastic that I will heat bend and "file to fit" to simulate the original overall cluster appearance. I will be installing a Dakota Digital gauge cluster (VHX-1018). My opinion is to make the car the way I want it to be.
 
If you are restoring to "stock" specs, go with a stock set-up. If you are building the car to fit your needs, like racing, build it like that. Bottom line is it's "your" car, and you should be happy with the results, and performance you end up with. As the years go by, you may want to change things, so the stock build may disappear down the road. I'm currently working on a '63 Dodge, and have a '65 Coronet in the wings, waiting to go. I personally like the dash set-ups on these cars, and plan to keep them stock, as is, but add a tach, and gauge cluster, where it will do the best job for my old eyes to see them...
 
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Just looking for opinions.

I know most Mopar people are "original" oriented. Nothing wrong with this at all, however sometimes being a little different can be a good thing. Not talking about doing the Chevy black under the hood or anything like that, but something a little creative like a race inspired dash.

Rebuilding a stock dash, instruments, plastic and chrome can be a bit "expensive". After pricing this stuff on my '64 Polara it was going to run me a little over a grand. So I started looking at options. A race inspired dash, basically flat with a good set of aftermarket instruments, a radio and integrated AC vents sounds pretty good and definitely fits into my budget since that's all something I can do myself.

So my question is: What does everyone think of going with something different than a "stock" dash in one of these cars?
I've done this on two cars and never looked back. I found doner bezels and holders and just modified them to accept my new gauges. I used classical looking Autometer gauges with a 5 1/2 inch speedo and 2 inch fuel, oil pressure, temperature and voltage gauges. I added a matching clock as well. So what did I end up with? Bright, dimable gauges that look tasteful, got rid of the speedo cable completely and accuracy beyond belief. Sometimes a big part of the driving experience is truly being able to see the car's status at a single glance, even at night when headlights are a must.
 
Well, I think let a few pictures of the Yankee Express say what I think on this subject.

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i'm completely against it for early sixties stuff but im also nuts when it comes to period correct look. in reality, to each their own especially when it comes to budget. if you like the look and it fits your budget our opinions shouldn't matter. ive had tons of people try to tell me to change/upgrade this and that but my style is my style. one thing to keep in mind is that heavy modifications can hurt resale or at least make it harder to find a buyer.
 
i'm completely against it for early sixties stuff but im also nuts when it comes to period correct look. in reality, to each their own especially when it comes to budget. if you like the look and it fits your budget our opinions shouldn't matter. ive had tons of people try to tell me to change/upgrade this and that but my style is my style. one thing to keep in mind is that heavy modifications can hurt resale or at least make it harder to find a buyer.
I agree, but i'll never sell her.
 
Thanks for the opinions guys.

When it comes to resale value, I'm not all that concerned about a custom dash effecting the value of the car. The early '60s stuff will never be worth what the late 60s early 70's Mopars are worth (except rare optioned and Max Wedge cars of course). So the value of a run of the mill big block 2 door HT will not change much with the addition of a custom dash.

Here's a pic of what I'm doing. AutoMeter gauges, AC vents, radio and a modified glove box are the basic changes. The glove box was narrowed 4" to make room for an AC vent on the passenger's side, a modern radio with rectangular AC vents above it and another round AC vent on the driver's side. The ash tray has also been deleted and the AC controls will go there. All the holes have now been cut and fitted and all the finish body work has been done. Final paint was this morning and with a quick cut & buff it will be ready to go in the car. I'll post pics once the paint is dry enough to stick the gauges and vents in. I also filled all the dash pad holes so I wouldn't have to spend $$$ for a new one.

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Thanks for the opinions guys.

When it comes to resale value, I'm not all that concerned about a custom dash effecting the value of the car. The early '60s stuff will never be worth what the late 60s early 70's Mopars are worth (except rare optioned and Max Wedge cars of course). So the value of a run of the mill big block 2 door HT will not change much with the addition of a custom dash.

Here's a pic of what I'm doing. AutoMeter gauges, AC vents, radio and a modified glove box are the basic changes. The glove box was narrowed 4" to make room for an AC vent on the passenger's side, a modern radio with rectangular AC vents above it and another round AC vent on the driver's side. The ash tray has also been deleted and the AC controls will go there. All the holes have now been cut and fitted and all the finish body work has been done. Final paint was this morning and with a quick cut & buff it will be ready to go in the car. I'll post pics once the paint is dry enough to stick the gauges and vents in. I also filled all the dash pad holes so I wouldn't have to spend $$$ for a new one.

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That's gonna look nice. I am going custom on my 67 Coronet as well. Original 318/auto Coronet 440 bench car. Not a big money car. Never cared much for the sweep style speedo. Currently it has nice gauges with a rag tag aluminum bezel. eventually thinking of getting a billet piece custom made.
 
Yeah - this is a personal taste thing or what you're trying to do for intended use of the car ex; racing. I lean toward keeping the dash more original but want gauges that work accurately too naturally. I put in a '62 dash in my '63 Fury as I liked the look of it better than the big ranch style gauges 63 had then took out the clock finding a tach of the same diameter there. I'm planning though to install a modified center console out of a Lincoln that has idiot lights and an area to put in some added gauges and further modify to have cup holders. Converting the console lights to indicate blinkers, brake, and headlights. The original dash has "one" light to indicate blinker (no left/right indicators) and more than once I left my lights on that I reckon the light in the console will remind me of.
 
On my 65 AFX car I used autometer gauges , 6 toggle switches with red covers , moved the ign. switch over 1 inch to fit the switches in place . moved the light switch down with the others , A metal edge was welded on the original dash to rotate the new one up to the drivers eye level . installed vintage air controls in the dash with a cd player for music ,
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For sure updating a stock unit is quite pricey. I'm going to do a flat one for my 65 using Autometer's version of the RacePak unit. It has all the functions I want and does not occupy a lot of area. The ashtray opening will get filled, since I don't smoke and therefore have no use for it. I'll punch in holes for the a/c outlets. For the switches I'm looking at Watsons Street Works as I like the look of their stuff. Stereo will be one of the Retro units. I'm mainly shooting for an updated look without a lot of clutter.
 
For sure updating a stock unit is quite pricey. I'm going to do a flat one for my 65 using Autometer's version of the RacePak unit. It has all the functions I want and does not occupy a lot of area. The ashtray opening will get filled, since I don't smoke and therefore have no use for it. I'll punch in holes for the a/c outlets. For the switches I'm looking at Watsons Street Works as I like the look of their stuff. Stereo will be one of the Retro units. I'm mainly shooting for an updated look without a lot of clutter.
Thanks for mentioning the Watsons Street Works, I had never heard of them. I see they have a bunch of cool stuff and I ordered a catalog.
 
No problem. This is one of the reasons I have magazine subscriptions for different venues in the car field. You never know where you might find your next solution.
 
I kept the dash plastic and painted it with Rustoleum paints: metallic silver and metallic black. I wanted a full set of gauges so I cut apart my cluster (it was broken and cracked anyway) and made an ABS plate that I'm going to have duplicated in aluminum. It turned out pretty decent for my likes...
VHX1060-03.jpg

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I kept the dash plastic and painted it with Rustoleum paints: metallic silver and metallic black. I wanted a full set of gauges so I cut apart my cluster (it was broken and cracked anyway) and made an ABS plate that I'm going to have duplicated in aluminum. It turned out pretty decent for my likes...
View attachment 522469
View attachment 522470

Hey '65, that's a clean look I might like to emulate on my '64 Fury; what kind of gauges are you using?
 
Thanks for the opinions guys.

When it comes to resale value, I'm not all that concerned about a custom dash effecting the value of the car. The early '60s stuff will never be worth what the late 60s early 70's Mopars are worth (except rare optioned and Max Wedge cars of course). So the value of a run of the mill big block 2 door HT will not change much with the addition of a custom dash.

Here's a pic of what I'm doing. AutoMeter gauges, AC vents, radio and a modified glove box are the basic changes. The glove box was narrowed 4" to make room for an AC vent on the passenger's side, a modern radio with rectangular AC vents above it and another round AC vent on the driver's side. The ash tray has also been deleted and the AC controls will go there. All the holes have now been cut and fitted and all the finish body work has been done. Final paint was this morning and with a quick cut & buff it will be ready to go in the car. I'll post pics once the paint is dry enough to stick the gauges and vents in. I also filled all the dash pad holes so I wouldn't have to spend $$$ for a new one.

View attachment 520416

Hey Centerline, I love the way you welded up the original cluster/heater opening to make a larger area for the new gauges; I never thought of that on my '64 Fury but now you've got me thinking!
Thanks!
 
Hey '65, that's a clean look I might like to emulate on my '64 Fury; what kind of gauges are you using?
The gauges are Dakota Digital's VHX-1060. I had another brand in there, but couldn't read any of the gauges at night, so I went with this setup. You can read these gauges and the info center in any lighting condition, even bright light directly on the gauge. I'm actually installing another Dakota gauge set in another car I own... love these gauges!
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