Cool Things to put in Custom Mahogany Dash "pad"

[darkone]

hey all, my project has been months in the works now, with things finally starting to come together. so far ive stripped the entire frame with the cab on there, striped the under side of the cab, all the axles, basically the entire under side of the truck, painted, and rubber coated. anyhow, im doing mahogany everything in this truck (LBS) including making a mahogany dash "pad" (wont really be much of a pad if its hardwood, but it will be beautiful)

My question is, is there anything i could (or should) custom fit in my pad? dials? maybe clocks? any cool gadgets you guys can think of? I've got the tach dash & will be veneering this with a mahogany to match the dash pad and steering wheel. Just thought id ask before i start gluing my boards together so i can plan for instrument placement.

[special-K]

I think I'd just make it to look as much like the original padded dash as I could,so it would be a double take thing more than a total stand out.
BTW,what is LBS? (other than "pounds",lol)

[PanelDeland]

I agree with special-K.The simple clean lines of the original dash pad in the mahogany wood should be a real Hmmmmm factor.The only downside I can think of is it will need a good finish that doesn't show fingerprints.Everyone is gonna want to touch it to see if it's a pad or not.

[Luvlegs]

How about an outside air temperature gauge? or, better yet, a recessed "groove" with a real thermometer in it (small one like they used to give out at the bank and such with little calanders). It'd be the period equivilant of todays in dash digital temp display! ahhahahahahah

[VA72C10]

It depends on the overall look you're going for. THe simple original shape of the dash pad in mahogany would be stunning, but if you are hot rodding the truck at all you could have a few extra gauges angled towards you as a "pod" molded into the pad. Or as mentioned a clock in the center.

[BOZO]

Of course, everybody has their own ideas. Mine would be to inlay a row (4 or 5) of super bright LED's into the pad directly in front of the driver, then hook them up as a shift light. Being inlaid (or even recessed) and being so small, they would not detract from the lines of the dash. This is something I have been looking to do to my dash bezel, but would be even cooler in the dash pad (or dash board in your case). Never the less, your dash setup sounds promising. Please post a picture when you are done.

[special-K]

I'm thinking if you ad gauges you will either need to make pods and fit them onto the pad or start with a much larger piece of material and do much more difficult shaping. I know there was a thread on the store bought pad with three gauge pod and the general opinion wash there is already enough space in the dash for whatever gauges are needed. If you are making a custom cluster you don't need a huge fuel gauge. There are 4-way gauges that fit there which leaves the area the optional gauges go open for any additional gauges,whatever they may be.
I know a truck that has a two tone laminated dash pad and matching arm rests in the original shapes and that looked really sharp. But,if you can think up something to ad that suits you I think that's cool. Maybe even something as simple as a bowtie or the numbers for the rear...maybe an inlay of something.

[RPBurris]

I was thinking LED lighting to. Maybe make the pad a little larger so that the front edge hangs over the entire dash and put the LEDs in the bottom and then you can light the entire dash at night. I think that would be cool. It is your truck though and like many have said just having a mahogany dash pad would be cool to.