My new gauges arrived - Custom New Vintage USA

[Super_Dave]

I just knocked out a rough draft in CAD using some dimensions from the Speedhut Website for their 4.375" Speedometer and dimensions I took from the Bezel in my 74 C20.

The attached PDF shows the Red Gauge dims overlaid onto the measurements I took from my Bezel. It was a challenge getting the Bezel dims inside the truck, but I think I was accurate enough to make a strong educated guess.

The key dim was the Dark Blue inner Bezel where there is roughly a .125" flat. As you can see in the attached CAD drawing, the outer trim ring of the gauge will easily rest inside the Bezel opening and against the flat, giving the Grey threaded ring something to tighten against when locking down the gauge.

From what I can determine so far, all that will need to be done is to grind away the .095" thick Silver Inner Trim Ring and slip the gauge in from the front.

I feel strongly enough about my assumptions, to contact Speedhut and ask if they will supply a set of gauges for me to prove the concept and then they will benefit in the form of selling 6 gauge kits that we can easily adapt to our own "direct fit." The nice thing is their gauges are all 1.03" deep and attach with threaded rings... way cool.

Other brands might work as well, depending on dims but I will see what Speedhut wants to do first. If Speedhut wants to play ball, I will start a new thread so mikentosh's doesn't get completely hijacked

It would be sweet if more than one vendors gauges had the same dims. We would have a great selection and could purchase them separately and mount them from the front.

[SKT]

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Wow, this has to be one of the best looking C10 dashes ever!

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[Super_Dave]

I ordered, received, and returned my NVU Gauge Cluster. The reasons are posted in my build thread. In a nutshell, the QC, fit and a number of other issues were involved.

While waiting for the Post Office to open on a Monday, I took that weekend to test my thought that any gauges with the same dimensions, could be mounted from the front, eliminating the OEM Lens and flexible circuit membrane and keeping the back housing for turn signals and shift indicator.

I described what we did in the build thread. Suffice to say, it worked out exactly as I thought it would, so I ordered a full 6 gauge set from Speedhut. They should be here in a week or so. I am excited to finally get a quality gauge set and the AAW Harness installed so I can get the truck back on the road.

The three weeks to process the return to Summit was a bit much, but it all worked out and the money should be back in my account this week.

We didn't make any progress getting the truck ready for the Cruis'in Sherwood event this coming weekend, but plan on being one of the 350-500 cars there next year in final form!

[mikentosh]

Originally Posted by Super_Dave

I ordered, received, and returned my NVU Gauge Cluster. The reasons are posted in my build thread. In a nutshell, the QC, fit and a number of other issues were involved.

Yeah I did a fair amount of dremel trimming on the mounting bracket to get it to fit decently, and getting the dash bezel in and out requires me to drop the column down now.

[Super_Dave]

Originally Posted by mikentosh

Yeah I did a fair amount of dremel trimming on the mounting bracket to get it to fit decently, and getting the dash bezel in and out requires me to drop the column down now.

I guess for me, $900 should get you a gauge cluster designed to fit better and use the same quality parts competitors use. For instance, Speedhut uses a threaded lock ring on ALL their gauges, where NVU uses very poor quality injection molded compression parts on their large gauges, which need two nuts to lock it down. Even with a modicum amount of tightening, you start to see the injected molded tabs start to bend dramatically, which will become a weak point down the road.

Speedhut has great directions and their gauge clusters are designed to daisy-chain together, making disconnecting the cluster for any reason, much easier.

Once the Dash Bezel is filed down to accept the diameter of the gauges, it's a simple drop-in-from-the-front and tighten the locking rings. Their 1" depth should allow for remounting the OEM back housing using the same screws used when disassembled.

Another huge plus for Speedhut, is that their gauge bezels are all CNC machined and threaded, so you can change them out if you want a different look. NVU, and all the others I looked at, use the pressed on gauge bezels, so you have to live with what you get, replace the gauges or pay to have the vendor swap out bezels.

Using my front mounting concept, I don't get gauges that stick out past the front of the Dash Bezel like a lot of Jeep 4x4 dash mods. I wanted something that looked either OEM or was close to flush mount. Going through the front door accomplished that.

In the end, I was able to custom design my Speedhut gauges for a hair over $800, including 2 Day Express Shipping, and get all the advantages they offer. I will hold final judgment until after they arrive, at which time I will review them.

[midnight rambler]

that looks real nice