AMC Rambler Custom Dash and Gauge Cluster

Custom Dash Gauge Cluster Factory Gauges

Look closely; those are the stock instrument bezels with the Auto Meter gauges melded seamlessly into them. You can have this with some basic supplies and ingenuity (and some of Steve Strope's talent).

Look closely; those are the stock instrument bezels with the Auto Meter gauges melded seam

'The back of your head is someone else's problem. It's not like you have to stare at it for hours on end or use it for critical gear changes. So you can leave its destiny up to the femme with the buzzin' clippers and call it good. Not so with the dashboard on the street machine. You're gonna stare that thing down on long road trips and need to consult it during gear changes and illicit top-speed testing. It better be right. It better be good.

The dashboard rebuild has come a long way since the standard plastic-polish rubbing and orange-nail-polish-on-the-speed-needle treatment. Steve Strope from Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley, California, has been rethinking the standard, and more recently, Redline Gauge Works in Santa Clarita, California, has come up with a way to swap out analog and geardriven cable systems for sleek new VDO innards. Each has developed a way to completely change the look and feel of the gauge face to any vibe you want; all you have to do is envision it. To that end, we have assembled some cool ideas from these two luminaries and even had Strope work some mojo in the CC/Rambler project dash.

Custom Dash Gauge Cluster Factory Cluster

Behold the ugliness and the hacked-in test-fit gauges of the CC/Rambler. We wanted to keep the stock bezels and avoid the stripped look that comes from simply drilling the panel with a big hole saw or using sheetmetal.

Behold the ugliness and the hacked-in test-fit gauges of the CC/Rambler. We wanted to keep

Supplies
Devcon Plastic Welder
Dupli-Color Silver Metallic
Dupli-Color Instant Chrome
Dupli-Color High Performance Wheel Coating (clear)
Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter
Krylon Semi-Flat Black
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Cleaner
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Polish
SEM Self Etching Primer
Auto Meter 2 1/16 fuel/water/oil/volt gauges
Auto Meter 3 3/8 in-dash speedometer

The instrument bezel was stripped bare using a media blaster. Since this part is nearly 40 years old, Strope hit it "half-throttle" in the media cabinet. Just get the paint off, don't melt it. The holes in the bezels that were created by the author were repaired with Devcon Plastic Welder. Squeeze it out of the tube, smear it over the damage, sand it, and prime it.
The instrument bezel was stripped bare using a media blaster. Since this part is nearly 40
To repair cracks, we used a Dremel to dig a trench for the plastic welder on the backside of the damage. On the front, we filled the crack with adhesion promoter; it's a light primer that helps paint stick to plastics. We dabbed it with a paintbrush to restore the texture.
To repair cracks, we used a Dremel to dig a trench for the plastic welder on the backside
Since the gauges were aftermarket, the back of the panel needed to be modified to fit. The Dremel with a small saw-toothed wheel works best because it doesn't melt the plastic and clog like, say, a head-porting bit.
Since the gauges were aftermarket, the back of the panel needed to be modified to fit. The

The stock circuit board was a fire hazard on the Rambler, so it was tossed. The factory mounting holes were then repaired, if needed, tapped with a 3/16 bit, and fitted with studs to mount the bracket we were about to build.
The stock circuit board was a fire hazard on the Rambler, so it was tossed. The factory mo
Using skills he picked up in third grade, Strope used construction paper to build a template before transferring it over to sheetmetal.
Using skills he picked up in third grade, Strope used construction paper to build a templa
We created the pattern for the gauges by rubbing a pencil over a sheet of paper that was cut to fit the gauge studs.
We created the pattern for the gauges by rubbing a pencil over a sheet of paper that was c