full custom gauges my journey from stock to usefull

[88beast]

ok so a while ago i posted about my full custom gauges. well i forgot then a member reminded me so heres the update and write up.


first i made the new housing which went fairly smooth.

i mocked up what layout i want in cardboard then cut holes for the gauges and mocked it all up with some spare dash parts from a yard.
then i tweaked it till i liked the layout.

now for gauges i choose to use speedhut for the speedo and fuel gauge. they have an amazing product but horrible customer service.

the speedo is a gps based unit that comes with the antenna. it has features suck as peak speed, elevation, 0-60 time, 1/4 mile time, and more i think i forgot. i was hoping to go with a 2 inch but that gauge did not have the odometer function.

the fuel gauge is programmable to 8 presets for common sending units and it can be fully programed to be used with any sending unit and tank combination.

the tach is an old isspro that i got at the local diesel shop. it was on sale and one of the few usable for the ford idis. speed hut does offer one that should work with our engines but i had to explain to their tech who builds gauges that the sensor for the tach works like a wheel speed sensor before he under stood.

the pyro is sunpro and is a great gauge ive been using for a while i just relocated it to the dash since its kinda important to watch.

all the other gauges are sunpro gauges. all together i have h20 temp, oil psi, volts, and boost right now. i may add tranny temp and a volt gauge off the alternator to read output voltage.


now to some pics.

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after the mock up i took the center bars out of the gauge bezel. then hot glued the sheetmetal back to the gauge bezel. i tried epoxy and the hot glue worked great.

then i wired up the gauges as needed for lighting etc.

durring installation i noticed that the gauge bezel would not sit correct so i took apart the stock cluster. I had to modify the white part the circuit board mounts to. i did this by cutting the back off it. then everything sat correctly.

with everything in place i started wiring. a quick run down here, one side is power etc the other is sensor so that is the reason for 2 plugs.
wiring is as follows
yellow/ white fuel sender wire
dark green/ yellow to tach sensor ( hook this to 12v if you only have one wire on the gauge)
black/ light green return from tach sensor (hook this one up to the gauge for only one wire gauge)
black/ light green ignition switched power ( yes this is the other black and light green( on the other plug))
light green/ black high beam indicator ( this is high beams inside the cab you can tap into this anywhere in the circut)
light green/ white left turn indicator
white/ light blue right turn indicator
i do not remember the color but i found the dash lighting wire by probing with a test light and turning the dimmer knob.

now i ran into another problem. the turn indicators and idiot lights are in the stock gauge panel. since i kept the white back just cut the back out this worked well for me. i took the 194 bulb out of the stock socket and drilled a hole int he socket. i picked up some led bulbs with wire leads attached from autozone. then i inserted the bulb in with hot glue wire leading out of the stock socket. by doing this the stock socket twists into the stock housing and the led shines through the stock location. this is slowly being done for check engine etc. right now im concerned with being legal. plus the check engine gauge is useless with the gauges now.


you could use the stock volts gauge wiring. i choose not to so i could hook up to a switched power that would not be on at all times.

while doing this i added a few more small things in.

i added a relay and 2 fuse boxes. the relay controls all add on power and is activated by a switch. the first fuse box is under the hood and controls all the under hood functions and non cab functions. the second fuse box is a 14 gang that is behind the drivers seat. this is for all interior accessories and small power draw things. i also put most of the lighting on relays. with this came new headlight and wiper knob to really look different.

i will be adding led lighting to the other gauges yet i have not determined how i wish to do this.

on to more pics.

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now the night view, why leds are needed.

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second one is of the cb and radio location.

hope you enjoyed

 

[riotwarrior]

I sure like that speedo....whats that worth btw....link???

Nice looking project turned out quite nice actually really really nice...I'm liking it enough to do something similar...rofl...

Thanks for sharing such a nice project...

Al

 

[88beast]

thanks riot just google speedhut their gauges are amazing but like i said customer service sucks so plan way ahead it could take a while to make (made to order) and you can customize every last part of the gauge.

hopefully ill get some writeups on the rest of the gauge installs soon too. the boost, h20 temp, oil psi, and tach still need finished.

where is a good place to put the oil psi? is there a plug on the front of the motor?

 

[GOOSE]

That looks sweet. I really can't stand the fact that my volt, oil pressure and engine temp gauges are there just taking up valuable real estate in my dash. Did you play with the layout to see if the coolant temp would fit in there as well? I think I need a dash out of a wrecking yard truck to start a project like this. Nice job!!

 

[88beast]

yes the wrecking yard dash is what i used, not the full thing but gauges and bezels. that way you know itll fit.

I could have put more gauges in the dash but choose not to, i already had a 3 gauge pod below the radio.

the coolant temp is in that 3 gauge pod, it is there due to the mechanical gauges only having so much wire for the sensor.
im not worried about it down there its very visable and can be seen with a quick glance. boost is also down there so again no big deal. i will only be wathcing them like a hawk if shtf. the speedo tack and pyro will tell the most.

 

[opusd2]

I've always been curious about the gps based speedometers and their accuracy as well as their ability to be accurate in all kinds of inclement weather.

 

[Matrix37495]

My speedometer hasn't worked for months. All i use is my regular car GPS for speed and it seems accurate enough... I've never noticed it getting glitchy in bad weather....

 

[88beast]

same here i was using the tom tom for speed for a while but one is necessary for inspection. so i went with gps for 2 reasons. one a 5 speed swap may be in the furtue with divorced 205. two my gear in the t case has gone bad and i do not know where to get one. so this was a good option.

i think if i was in a long tunnel i wouldnt get speedo reading, but just keep traffic speed youll be fine.

 

[smolkin]

If you want LEDs in your other gauges and they have the Sunpro-type "light tube" where you stick a standard incandescent in the back, here's a redneck solution I used: get a small 1" length of fuel hose (either 1/4" or 5/16", whichever fits) and thread a few LEDs through it, and electrical tape over the other side to hold the wires in place. Join the wires together, and insert the whole doohicky in the light tube-- voila! a led instrument light that will make even a cheapo Sunpro look great at night! I did this on my Sunpro coolant temp gauge with 3 green LEDs to match the factory dash, now it's brighter than the dash!

 

[Devon Harley]

I like it another board member whos on leave right now has one like that in is slant nose I think is names jahns83 or somthing. Its looks nice good job.

 

[88beast]

thanks everyone and ill try that idea with the leds and fuel hose.

 

[cbarm]

I am in the planning stage of something similar but using a flat piece of checkerboard aluminum cut to fit the whole dash piece that snaps on. Then I figure it will allow for speedo n tach n 6 more gauges there to go with the A Pillar quad pod I have already...

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Please explain what I need so far as the LEDs and where do I get them, thanks.

A few pictures would be wonderful.

If you want LEDs in your other gauges and they have the Sunpro-type "light tube" where you stick a standard incandescent in the back, here's a redneck solution I used: get a small 1" length of fuel hose (either 1/4" or 5/16", whichever fits) and thread a few LEDs through it, and electrical tape over the other side to hold the wires in place. Join the wires together, and insert the whole doohicky in the light tube-- voila! a led instrument light that will make even a cheapo Sunpro look great at night! I did this on my Sunpro coolant temp gauge with 3 green LEDs to match the factory dash, now it's brighter than the dash!

 

[riotwarrior]

thanks riot just google speedhut .....
where is a good place to put the oil psi? is there a plug on the front of the motor?

Ok I'll do that...

IMHO...my personal choice for OP gauge is to pick the furthest point available from the oil pump. My reason stands as follows.....if at the farthest point you have good oil pressure, it stands to reason that you do elsewhere in the system...

JM2CW...but it is how I think things out!

 

[88beast]

riot where is the furthest point? i may tap into the 1/8 port for the turbo not sure would really like a larger line but well see how it goes.