Finish Custom Dash: yes/no

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Alright, i'm wondering what you guys think about how the frame of the dash looks, if i should finish it or not. it's totally custom, made from mdf. it's gonna go into my 1991 GMC C2500 Ext.Cab.

I was also working on a center console to go with the dash.

couple pictures:
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2481000-2481999/2481995_25_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2481000-2481999/2481995_24_full.jpg

and this is the picture that made me start thinking, and eventually made me start building the dash, i stole some ideas of this dash, but there's gonna be mostly my thoughts into it.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2481000-2481999/2481995_8_full.jpg

[DirtyGmc]

why stop now? finish it.

only thing i'd say is to use 6.5" components instead of those 4x6's.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Oh, and does anybody know if i can put aftermarket gauges in, like speedometer, oil pressure, engine temp, battery, fuel level?

If you know something about this, can you explain something about it, or does someone have a wiring diagram with explanation which will help me through this, because i kinda want to put aftermarket gauges in, instead of keeping the factory ones.

thanks guys

[gutlassracing]

very very nice wood work man !! Wish I had the skills to do the wood work the body work to me is the easy part lol !!

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

why stop now? finish it.

only thing i'd say is to use 6.5" components instead of those 4x6's.

Actually, i did make brackets for 6.5 components, but i dont have those yet, so i made some brackets for the 4x6 quick so i was still able to play my music.

thanks

[ChevyCanuck]

It's really hard to say by just looking at the frame. Maybe after you fleece it we can get a better idea of what you are going for. The other dash looks really good for a show car, not something I would personally do, but to each his own.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

It's really hard to say by just looking at the frame. Maybe after you fleece it we can get a better idea of what you are going for. The other dash looks really good for a show car, not something I would personally do, but to each his own.
i agree, that other dash looks good, and since this truck isn't gonna be my daily driver anymore once i get a bigger/newer truck in march i'm kinda thinking to just finish it and see how it turns out, this truck will be all pimped out once i get my new one, gonna do all the bodywork, interiorwork and everything myself.

[g0dl355]

Finish it man
but do what you want to do with it, with that mdf do you worry about moisture ever? I know its dry in the cab, do you wonder about its longevity.
I am going to build a custom dash for myself and am going to go metal, but by all means finish that dash man. I'm sick and tired of seeing ordinary dashes, make it custom, make it yours.

[scorpian]

looks good... i would replace the gauges though...
looks like you have a lot of work into it, and its not gonna look anything like the stock dash, so why go through all that work only to let the original gauges bring ya down...with a less custom dash you could prolly make the stock gauges work... just my opinion

[Bradford]

I say finish it. But definitly if your building from scratch use 6.5 components. You will be kicking yourself in the end for going all custom and using 4x6s.

The only other thing i would do is add another round area lik eyoru deck has and put your ac controls like your deck.

[Red04Silverado]

Looks great!!! Do custom gauges, thats what Im doing with my 88.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Looks great!!! Do custom gauges, thats what Im doing with my 88.
Ya i've looked into that, but i can't figure out how to wire it up, can't find no wiring diagram anywhere. Do i just have to cut the wires from the plug and wire them to the aftermarket speedometer, fuel level, etc etc?

[glassman2k2]

too late to turn back now, you must finish :)
I think a lot of the gauges will come with sending units to hook up.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

too late to turn back now, you must finish :)
I think a lot of the gauges will come with sending units to hook up.
alright i see, where can i get those gauges online? And if possible km/h for the speedometer, seeing that i live in canada lol.

[glassman2k2]

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm?ptype=home thats the only one that comes to mind real quick, sure there's others

[99gixxer]

finish it... werd on the 6.5s & another round part for the a/c controls. i think it will turn out nice.

[256kman]

It looks like you're in pretty deep, and it looks good. I'd go for the finish.

[Dean-]

DO IT! You got some hours into it, finish it! it looks like it is going to turn out great- just keep us updated as you progress.

[SoCalZ28]

i say finish it. 4x6 speakers can only sound so good, put something bigger in there, maybe a newer cluster and climate control knobs

[mulvane]

autometer.com has a vast selection of gauges you can check out.

[thekl0wn]

Go with a good set of 6.5" components, and finish that bish! :read: :aniteef:

Looks good so far, with the exception of the cheap speakers! :cheer:

[SilveradoSexy]

Keep trying and working, if it doesn't turn out the wasy you like it, that's just practice under your belt.

[ragmc]

Finish it you have a good start just take your time.

[almost_low]

Weres your air conditioning? did you reroute it somewere and I just cant see it. but I say finish it like everyone else

[shakedown067]

Looks sweet. I've got the dash out of my truck right now and am thinking about doing something somewhat similar. I'm looking into new analog gauges as well, but really haven't done much searching yet. I'm going to see what summit racing carries and go from there.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Looks sweet. I've got the dash out of my truck right now and am thinking about doing something somewhat similar. I'm looking into new analog gauges as well, but really haven't done much searching yet. I'm going to see what summit racing carries and go from there.
thanks.
if you're gonna go through with the analog gauges, please let me know how u wired it up, cuz i haven't figured all the wires out yet

[shakedown067]

I did find a universal GM analog gauge kit from painless wiring. I'm going to look into that kit for starters. I'm also going to ask the chassis shop that I'll be taking my truck to so I can get the suspension fixed and see what he recommends.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PRF%2D30302&N=700+4294845011+115&autoview=sku

[1990C1500]

do you have any more pictures? Im competely redoing my dash for the 2nd time (old skool style). looking good man, keep it up

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

do you have any more pictures? Im competely redoing my dash for the 2nd time (old skool style). looking good man, keep it up
sorry man this is all i got for now, the dash is just sitting in the shop for now, ill finish it once i get a new truck and this will be a project truck

[splitmeister]

looks very new yankee workshop.

Norm would approve.

[monza_man]

Looks baddass man...If you are going to use the 4x6's I would get the Infinity Reference or Kappa plate speakers. Otherwise I'm with Quadkid on the 6.5 components.

[Nick Z71]

yeah what monza said. i had the 4x6 reference infinity speakers and now have the kappa's cause i got a good deal on them. they do scream, VERY loud. i will sell you my reference 4x6's for $60 if your interested. and finish that dash man! custom is the only way to go. i wish i had skills like that.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

yeah what monza said. i had the 4x6 reference infinity speakers and now have the kappa's cause i got a good deal on them. they do scream, VERY loud. i will sell you my reference 4x6's for $60 if your interested. and finish that dash man! custom is the only way to go. i wish i had skills like that.
like i said before, there will be 6.5" component sets going in there, 4x6's can't keep up to my subs, i can't even get my subs to go to it's full potential cuz my speakers will start to distord, even with the bass down, which sucks.

I've been in car audio for a couple years now, and know what's good and what's not, and i have my preferences (alpine) and so does someone else. did a lot of installs already and stuff like that. i'm running 2 12" type-r's right now, and they have never seen their limit yet because of the speakers, but i will upgrade those soon with 6.5 type-x components in custom fiberglass pods in the doors, and maybe 6x9's in the center console. of course all amped.

[Ricoshay]

i say finish it, but round off the front face a bit more...the fiberglass will look better with more contoured shapes.

[yukntukn22s]

Guages.....you can put aftermarket guages in it with no problem, I went with auto meter, but it is whatever you prefer. Everything from autometer wires up, I went with mechanical on the oil pressure, and water temp. everything else wired up just fine. Just make sure that you complete the circuit for the alternator reg. wire that connects to the stock battery guage, otherwise the alternator will not charge.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Guages.....you can put aftermarket guages in it with no problem, I went with auto meter, but it is whatever you prefer. Everything from autometer wires up, I went with mechanical on the oil pressure, and water temp. everything else wired up just fine. Just make sure that you complete the circuit for the alternator reg. wire that connects to the stock battery guage, otherwise the alternator will not charge.
Good news! thanks, i was looking at Auto Meter too.

[TheMaroonBaboon]

Hows the dash coming along?

[Low88]

Oh, and does anybody know if i can put aftermarket gauges in, like speedometer, oil pressure, engine temp, battery, fuel level?

If you know something about this, can you explain something about it, or does someone have a wiring diagram with explanation which will help me through this, because i kinda want to put aftermarket gauges in, instead of keeping the factory ones.

thanks guys


You cannot just do that on an 88-91. The VSS signal is buffered in the speedometer and sent to the ECM. You need to wire in a DRAC and send one leg of the DRAC to the Aftermarket speedo, and one leg to the ECM for your truck to run right. You can go aftermarket gauges, but its a lot of work. I did mine not too long ago, PM me with any questions if you decide to do it.

I have a nice excel file showing the connections you need to do for this to work. Dhall made it up IIRC.

[1990C1500]

dude, just to let you know. I used your pics to help design my dash Im working on. Cant wait to see yours.

Is that the stock dimentions that your using?

[jumbo]

finish it, it'll be badass. I'm going with cyberdyne for my digital gauges when i get them, only other suggestion i have is point the speakers up toward the windshield instead of towards you, they'll bounce off the glass and be louder at lower volume.

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

finish it, it'll be badass. I'm going with cyberdyne for my digital gauges when i get them, only other suggestion i have is point the speakers up toward the windshield instead of towards you, they'll bounce off the glass and be louder at lower volume.
sorry but i totally disagree with you on this one, when i had these speakers in there like this they were a lot louder than facing up in the factory dash. the speakers are gonna face on a small angle towards the middle of the truck. but first theres gonna be a new truck before i continue working on the dash

[gr8twhite]

Keep on keepin' on.

Especially if it's going to be play truck...

Good autometer swap thread:

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/general-discussion/technical-maintenance/274184-moonies-autometer-swap.html

[LS6TT]

didnt read all the posts, but that dash looks pretty low, are your knees going to hit?

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

I don't have the dash anymore, i don't have most of that truck anymore after my shop burned down. I'm gonna be building a NBS SCSB bagged and bodydropped on custom frame.

[Justv610]

Well, it was looking really good, and I was looking forward to seein the finish. ahh well, you got some practice. Sorry to hear that about the shop man.

[BigBody90]

Dang. I was really looking forward to you finishing that dashboard. How did the shop burn down?

[BuiltOilPatchTough]

Dang. I was really looking forward to you finishing that dashboard. How did the shop burn down?
Look for my '91 bagging build thread and u'll see.