I built a new dash

[jhwkns]

I can't wait to get the rest of the parts I need to finish the interior of my truck so I can install this, but I'm one step closer.
In my low buck tradition I bought a cluster from teeitup, a shiny new cheapie bezel from RPP, and a gen II camaro tach that found at a local boneyard.
It was more difficult finding the tach than I thought it would be. After looking in about 6 yards and not finding any that worked I came across this busted-up wad of gauges on the floor of about a 75 camaro.
Five bucks later, and I was out the gate. I did a board search and found some helpful info on installing the tach. Armed with my trusty dremel tool I did it in about three hours.
I used brasso to polish the lens, and to buff the silkscreening from the backside. The inside is now painted bright white, and all of the bulbs are new. The bulbs cost me twice what the tach did!
Total cost about seventy five bucks. Thanks everyone for your help.

[purple gas]

Looks great man, nice job. In the future I might want to pick your brain for tips on how you did it.

[70 shorty]

I have a camaro and don't know the answer to this, but is it possible to remove the entire tach needle? If so ,JMHO, but I would have painted the entire needle orange to match the existing speedo and fuel gauge. Definitely looks nice though!

[Longhorn Man]

75 bucks...amazing how quickly it all adds up huh?
I have an extra inst panel (guages, no tach/vac) I paid 15 bucks for.
30 bucks for a new chrome/black bezel (ricks)
20 bucks for the white overlays.
2 hrs in polishing the lens, a few hrs in sand blasting the case, painting the innards and doing the needles.
then there's 6 or 8 bucks in lights...plus the paint used here and there and clear to keep the sandblasted case lookin good...
And in all reality, you'd be lucky to make much of a profit at all on that, at least, selling here, e-bay could possably make you a few bucks off of it.

[lamar]

Looks great! Do you hook tach up just like the factory?

[lamar]

Longhorn Man your right, I have done 15-20 gauge sets to sell. Not much money to be made, I guess you just have to like doing it.

[Bob Moore]

Please show a photo of the back side of the cluster after the tach install.

Thanks - Bob

[neonlarry]

You don't have to remove the needle to paint just cut a slit in a piece of paper slide it between the needle and the face and spray away (Rust-Oleum Fluoresent matches well).
jhwkns if you got all those gauges you ought to install the voltmeter also. I have also seen the camero clock put in the empty hole next to the gas gauge.

[JayDubBlazer]

good job looks good

[nu2-72]

Glad to see you back John. Looks good there.
If you get tired of the great weather you are having, come see me. Been 0 for 3-4 days now.
Longhorn dude, don't see anywhere that he is selling this. "Can't wait to install" nother post?

[Bamm]

You don't need to "spray" paint the needles. I bought a small jar of flourescent orange model car paint $1.59 and a 49 cent brush and the needles turned out awesome!!! And absolutely no chance of overspray. ........Jerry

[Longhorn Man]

nuto72...I know he ain't sellin...just kinda using this to point out the cost for when everyone belly aches about wantin over 100 bucks for a non tach inst panel.

[Blue Beard]

Lookin good ... any reason you didn't go to the white face like so many others?

[jhwkns]

lamar; There are only three wires. hot, ground, and a tach. I picked up the hot and ground from the other instruments, and the tach lead goes to the HEI

Andy; It was a fun project. I'd starve to death if I tried to make money at this stuff.

Bob; A photo wouldn't show much other than a little bulge in the printed circuit. I had to cut a hole about 1.75"dia. in the housing. The back of the tach only protrudes slightly.

Kevin; I saw where y'all were getting some mean weather. It snowed here last week, but the last few days have been postcard weather. I wore shorts all weekend.