How To Build a Custom Instrument Cluster
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- This is (Episode 20) of the #ETCGDadsTruck Series.
Link to (Episode 21): • How To Wire a Custom I...
Link to (Episode 19): • Installing a New Radio...
Extended (Full) Version of this video: www.ericthecarguy.com/exclusi...
If you’re looking to build a custom instrument cluster, this video can give you some basic ideas and techniques for going about that. I’m building this cluster for a 1990 Chevy C1500 Sport Truck, #ETCGDadsTruck, but the information can apply to any custom instrument cluster you might want to build.
In the second part of this video I show how to wire these gauges up.
Link to wiring video:
Camera: Brian Kast, Eric Cook
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Links
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I'm doing an LS swap into my '90 chevy pickup and have been unimpressed with the gauge cluster offerings the web has been showing. This is exactly the kind of idea I've been looking for- just didn't realize it. Great job and thanks for passing on some really useful stuff!
Hey Eric, as a high school-er that use to mess with acrylic/plexiglass to make projects, etc., I found it helpful to use 2 or 3 layers of green painters tape over the areas you want to drill a hole prevents the bit from wandering (same effect as the center punch in metal). Use painters tape as is far less likely for the tape adhesive to melt to the material as you drill. Also, a use spray bottle with some water to keep the larger hole cuts cool :)
Thanks for the tips!
Also a small tip for when going through with a drill bit. I like to use a really high speed with almost no pressure when i am close to exiting the piece. This will melt the acrylic a bit but it will not force itself through and crack. This is really important with thin pieces of acrylic.
Use a scrap piece of acrylic underneath the hole th drill into. That way there is no tear out at the bottom.
Other tricks that can also work (depending on what you're doing and what equipment you're using):
- clamping the acrylic between two pieces of wood so it can't lift up
- putting the drill in reverse and run it fast enough to melt its way through so if it grabs the piece, it just pushes it down
Can also flip the work when you are about to go through... just like wood.
Good morning Eric. I saw a contractor do something 2 years ago that would have saved me many years of troubles, and I want to share it with you. When drilling a hole using a hole saw. Use the pilot bit by itself to drill the pilot hole. Then attach the hole saw so you don't get that "Oh shit" moment when the pilot breaks through.
Good one, thanks!
@@dw4940 And when first making contact with the piece run the drill backwards to avoid chipping
What a beautiful job! I can never seem to work with acrylic material without melting, warping or breaking it. I guess patience is key.
Word to anyone listening with headphones........ when Eric starts cutting the holes...... lower your volume......ALOT. 🤣🤣🙉
And using the marker.
Not all heroes wear capes.
Yeah, that screechy squeaky sound when he was drilling the larger holes was like nails on a chalkboard. Ouch!
Now that is funny
I use ATH-A900Xs.
The sound didnt bother me all that much.
WOW! Fussing, fiddling and fitting galore, Eric! Having done some panels myself, I know how just a little variation can ruin the intended look. Cameraman Brian was spot on throughout all this, and made sure we could see every step quite well. Thanks, Brian!
I always liked the gauge cluster in these 1500 model years. I know many people hated this cluster, but I thought it was a bit different, and that was why I guess I liked it. Anyways, with that being said, I like your custom gauge cluster the best! It is very clean and looks amazing! Hopefully one day I will be able to get another 1500. I bought a 1995 GMC Sierra with the Vortec 350 in 1999. I got the deal of a lifetime from a soldier who was getting deployed, and it was like new with only 20,000 miles at the time. I wish I never sold her when the gas prices went super crazy in 2008. Thank you for the video and take care. Peace
After watching your videos you inspired me to start tinkering with cars/trucks again. As luck would have it i picked up a 95 silverado for $300 that runs but is dirty AF and needs love. your vids (though diff interior) are helpful to me to get me motivated and putting my head in a place that helps me go for it. Thanks for videos, and your format, I appreciate the hell out of them.
Eric, this is by far one of my favorite videos you have made to date. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome brother. Glad to see you enthusiastic again!
Thank you Eric always enjoy your videos from South Africa
That looks awesome. Simple and very effective. Love it.
Eric use tape on both side of the acrylic and spray water on it while drilling to prevent cracking or melting it
Ya I was going to suggest water as welll
That was legit entertaining! Everytime the bit caught and you gasp, that was clutch.
Awesome man, I’m working on a 76 f100 with possibly the most disappointing cluster of them all and you’ve inspired me to do some miracle work! Well done on the video. New subscriber!
Absolutely love the new cluster!
Awesome job. Fabrication is such fun.
This is awesome. Thank you, I have a 2010 GMC SLE, I5 2nd and I swapped my cluster LED’s, but now I want something custom. Thanks for the great video.
That is some great work, Eric! I've been thoroughly enjoying your truck and fairmont project. I'm learning a lot and have learned a lot from your videos over the years. It's helped me with my own car project. You are a true craftsman and artist.
Thank you!
1/128 is enough. Nice gauges dude. I have really been thinking about doing something like this for my Nova.
Sick cluster
Appreciate the effort that went into the project, perhaps if you reverse the hole saw and try and cut it that way might not melt the the plexi....
all that fussing at end reminds me of myself. You are the best!!!
We need a Playlist for this truck at this point 😆 Been following this build forever! Love it cause I have the same truck and at a very slower speed im doing alot of the same things. Very informative and entertaining 👏
Glad to see its coming alone well Eric you are doing great work truck looks good keep up the good work buddy...
I’m glad I found this video. I’ve been wanting to do this to my 92’ C1500. Now I have an idea how to start. Thanks.
With acrylic or plexiglass, those glass/tile spade drill bits make a world of difference. No need to worry about cracks.
Just found this channel and I am thoroughly enjoying it. the custom dash has me enthralled. new subscriber!
This is awesome. You're an artist.
Very impressive,dude. I think I would have gave up and cried the first 8 minutes.
Eric,
Really cool video. This video reminds me of what I used to do in woodshop.
I have a boat that I’ve done the same with. The acrylic I used was mirrored with leds for accents. It looks good, but I had an awful time working with it. Till me a few times to get it right, kept cracking. When I finished the 2nd I went to clean it with glass wax, and it cracked it. but I did get it all finished and turned out better than I thought. That acrylic is very difficult to work with more so than I would’ve ever thought. Your gauges are gonna look pretty cool Eric, good job thanks for sharing...
When cutting holes in acrylic/plexiglas I found if you Cool the material with cold water you reduce the risk of cracking. An added benefit is the edges of the cut will also be polished.
Great video man. It makes me appreciate some of the stuff I have learned working part time in a machine shop for the past few years part time. Keep your eyes open for a drill press. I think the extra rigidity could help you in your future projects! But very interesting series!
I always like the Deep look to the paint when you paint the backside of the clear acrylic - Yours looks good too
I didn't want the glare that would come with that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Awesome! Love the look of the cluster
I LOVE THIS SERIES!
Sweet video, can’t wait for the next one. Tell Brian those were some really cool action shots!
Looks really good.
A little helpful tip. Use the back side of the painted acrylic as the faceplate. It looks so much better. When we paint the body’s of rc cars, we always paint them on the inside. Makes the paint job look like a pro did it 👍🏻😉
I didn't want to do that because the shiny surface would cause glare. Also, the acrylic is very susceptible to scratches. Thanks for your input.
This crazy thing was so amazing
so many people would think all this work is "overkill". I actually like the "restoring" idea.
I really enjoyed this video Eric, custom work fascinates me...it's always so cool to know that no one else has the item you do! Great work. I'd have put a few coats of low gloss clear on the paint though, one scratch and it'll show up like no body's business...!
should have painted the back instead. . front will always be glossy and cleanable, plus have a little depth. looks way cooler and more functional.
That looks killer
Looks great! Nice work!
I love what you did there.. might do something similar for my car
I think I would've put the high beam indicator opposite of the parking brake indicator but it did turn out great! Good job man!
These gauges really look like 02 Chrysler Concorde/LHS - black with chrome rings. Your cluster looks great.
Thanks for sharing your experience really appreciate it.
Great job Eric
Very nice😄👍 my 1980 Toyota corolla will get this mod😊
Great work and videos Eric
Good job Eric..!
Thanks for the idea. I did this in my far less equipped and much more "I don't need all that fancy equipment" style..... Then I stepped on the curved plastic.... snapped off a hole for a screw completely destroyed a tachometer....proceeded past losing charge light plastic piece and bought a voltmeter.... Installed the voltmeter only to find the charge light indicator. All in all, not bad for me. Now I'm just watching again to see how you do the rest. Lol.
Building a custom instrument cluster ASMR
Great job bro,almost over the hill.Pops will be proud to see what you have dòne with his old girl
I got a 1991 F150 this gave me some good ideas.
Great presentation
Great content for the serious tinkerers.
This was all around a great video ..
I love the idea of modifying the stock bezel. This is pretty similiar to what I'm doing to my S-10 Blazer.
A trick I like to use is flip the acrylic when you're about half way through. Not only do you start on the second side with a little cooler acrylic, the cutout and drill will start to free spin before you start cutting a circle into the wood/benchtop. This let's me know it's through and avoids unnecessary heat build up.
Nice look too the dash
Great job man!!
I love your work
Proper plexi bits help a lot
Thanks. I was wondering how to do it on my project truck.
Looks good. I did the same steps on building a cluster for my ‘72 Nova. The only thing I did different is that instead of black paint I covered the plastic sheet with black leather. Just a preference thing.
That was beautiful
I would love to do something like this for my 88 Bronco!
looks great...
Great video, good use of the acrylic, funny that, I used the same to mock up my custom air intake. Anyway it just so happens I was looking at those same gauges for my 1980 Corvette, I'm inspired but not with the current exchange rate AUD to USD, will wait a while before buying as they are already expensive gauges. Thanks for this.
I done same on ford gran torino with 6 gauges and 2 digital display ... and it is perfect
I really love the dad's truck series. Everything you're doing to that truck I'm wanting to do to my 96 s10. But with far cheaper parts. I don't have the money for all the fancy stuff. I found a used Silverado 1500 engine for 700 doing a new rear axle new brakes front and rear suspension new gage cluster and a new front bumper and headlights.
But over all it does look amazing !!! I like it a lot !!!
Excited for this video.
Looks good Eric, thanks for the extra video this week.
Did you catch the extra one last week also? Doing it again next week BTW. Thanks for the comment.
@@ericthecarguy I did, yes.
Turned out sweet
Holy shit 😂 I’m gonna buy a 90’ c1500 tomorrow and I was thinking about how much I’m gonna hate the display what a great find.
Very creative thanks!
I have an 89 k1500 and would love this as an upgrade. I personally love the 4in1 gauge to conserve space and add additional gauges to the cluster.
Eric, I did audio/visual installation and service work for quite a number of years and I cut many a hole in acrylic pulpits and I learned two tricks to cutting round holes in them, one run the hole saw in reverse and keep a spray bottle with water in it handy and get someone to keep the acrylic and hole saw wet at all times and I never ruined a pulpit because of those two things that I did, try it on a scrap piece sometime, Good Luck.
This is a great idea for a video. thx
Awesome upload, awesome channel. I wonder why custom instrument clusters isn't more popular. I'd love to install a digital cluster in my vehicle.
When painting plastic, I found that using a random orbital sander with 240 grit paper gave a really even and slightly matte finish when painted. For that extra 1% more smoothness :D
Great job 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Great job, look forward to the hookup details..
Thanks. That will be covered in Fridays video.
Mad Skills!!
I actually laughed out loud when you thought one coat of paint would be enough lol. That is never how that works hehe. Great job man, it looks incredible.
Hi Eric if you put some talcum powder around the drill blade you will get a better cut and finish.👍🏻😎👍🏻
I have installed aircraft windshields. They make special twist drills for plastics. Conventional bits bite too hard, dig in, and pull themselves into the material, leaving microscopic stress risers that will eventually cause a crack.....guaranteed. Use a dedicated 1/8" drill for pilot holes, then use a step drill for the final dimension. Then de-burr the hole to remove any stress risers.
I’ve been watching the dads truck and fairmont builds and for some reason thought they were both done. I’m currently building a 1991 ford bronco and I’m going to be using Holley EFI analog gauges in a custom cluster to be installed in a custom dash. None of which I’ve built yet. Seeing this I thought I was going to get some good ideas on setting up blinkers and high beam indicators and such. Guess I get to do it the hard way.
I love your video, exactly what Im doing to my 90 ss 454 gauges (I hate those "moonies") except Im using Dolphin Gauges which comes with a custom made backing plate to mount the gauges in. So this morning I went to the local boneyard and found a cherry "hood" like you used, figure if I screw up cutting it out Ill have a backup lol. Wish me luck
Great job...its inspiring me to do something similar...I wonder how painting just the back side of the acrylic with the color coat and let it show through...might be tough to keep from getting scratched during install, but once it was in, it should be safe.
nice job!!!!!
When drilling any kind of plastic, I found that for some reason a step bit will not bite or chatter the way a spiral cut bit will. Just make a minimal hole all the way thru with the smallest size step nit, then bring the hole to the desired size with the appropriate size bit.
Smashing job eric :-D, that plastic is such a bugger to work with.
I used to work in a sunbed factory when i was 17, the surface people lay on to get tanned was bowed and made of Perspex as i knew it.
Drilling holes for screws was always a worry, we drilled a 1/8th pilot hole then slowly drilled it up to size, they were all near the edge of the perspex :-(.
We also had some 'Special polish' in a tube to rub away scratches, it dissolved the plastic. Care was needed.
Indeed it is difficult to work with, but I hope the experience I shared in this video will help others. Thanks for the comment.
Eric I know this is a bit late on this video but when you're working with acrylic I personally use rubbing alcohol for coolant on the hole saw works great every time
ERIC, It may help when you use a hole saw to run a little praffin wax around the inside & outside of the saw. This helps on any saw blade either round are straight. Only making a little sugestion. Man I really enjoy your videos. There is a lot of information a little humor well presented and very intresting. I just bought a 1994 GMC Sierra 1500 extended cab sb pu & when I googled rear disc brak upgrade your video came up as a choice. after watching a couple of videos i joined your websight. Pleas keep doing this work!!!
I really like your vids
If I may Mr.Eric, pilot drill those turn indicators. Awesome dash...
For your fluted twist bit holes, as you approach your 'tearout zone' at end of hole switch bit to reverse direction, and go faster. The heat will punch it through without cracking, Debur the backside with dril flutes or chamfer bit. Also when cutting ABS bezels, I've found that a hot, flat soldering tip, is nice to score, then snap out with pliers. Much less mess, than a dremel. Then finish edge with file or sanding board.