Aluminum cluster back

[1985-GMC]

Has anyone tried making the whole back part to the cluster out of aluminum. I think it would be cool to do because it would solve any broken mounting tab problems, you could make it to hold regular oil/temp/volt gauges and you could polish the inside to make the light extra bright for the stock speedo/tack or gas gauges. Just something ive been thinking about for a while for my truck, what do yall think?

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Has anyone tried making the whole back part to the cluster out of aluminum. I think it would be cool to do because it would solve any broken mounting tab problems, you could make it to hold regular oil/temp/volt gauges and you could polish the inside to make the light extra bright for the stock speedo/tack or gas gauges. Just something ive been thinking about for a while for my truck, what do yall think?

I thought about replacing the broken mounting ears with aluminum brackets and nylon rod for the face panel attachment pins that get cracked & broken.

You could just spray the inside of the housing with aluminum model airplane paint. Not the fake chrome but the stuff that they spray on then can polish like aluminum. I have seen what just painting the inside gloss white does and it makes a huge difference. I don't know if making the whole thing out of aluminum is worth it for that alone. Unless you get a mirror finish from the aluminum I think the gloss white would reflect better and it won't oxidize and get dull like aluminum will.

You would have grounding problems with the circuit board too. Everything would have to be individually wired and all the terminals protected from the housing so nothing grounded out.

[1985-GMC]

I didn't think about it oxidizing but i guess you could always spray clear on it. One of those threads about painting the inside they said that flat white will reflect light better than gloss. And it shouldn't ground out on all the contacts because isn't the metal only exposed on one side of the printed circuit? Ill have to go look at one.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

I didn't think about it oxidizing but i guess you could always spray clear on it. One of those threads about painting the inside they said that flat white will reflect light better than gloss. And it shouldn't ground out on all the contacts because isn't the metal only exposed on one side of the printed circuit? Ill have to go look at one.

Its not the printed circuit but the gauge clips that come through the housing and engage the pins on the back of the gauges that would ground out.

[1985-GMC]

Well the only ones that have those are the four small gauges and I would get rid of those anyway and put real gauges there instead. If we are talking about the same thing.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Well the only ones that have those are the four small gauges and I would get rid of those anyway and put real gauges there instead. If we are talking about the same thing.

The large fuel gauge has them too but it wouldn't be any big deal to make the cluster deeper so the pins would not be in the way. Being deeper would also give you more room to mount aftermarket gauges from the back side too.

[1985-GMC]

Yea it wouldn't be to hard to figure out how to make everything work, maybe someday ill make it.