If you're planning to butcher up the original dash arrangement, why not just fabricate a new panel from a piece of aluminum sheet metal and move all the gauges into a single location- - - - -right in front of you where the factory put them in the first place? A piece of 1/8" thick aluminum cut to fit the dash opening can be laid out any way you want, using aftermarket gauges. All it takes is a hole saw and a rotary file in a drill motor to make a hole the size of the gauge you want, and the arrangement of the gauges can be laid out exactly like some of those ridiculously expensive custom gauge clusters on Ebay. There's plenty of room in the dash opening to install a matching-size speedometer and tach, flanked by small-diameter oil pressure, temperature, ammeter, and even manifold vacuum gauges if you choose.
That would also eliminate the need to rehab a trashed original equipment panel you're planning on butchering up anyway.
Jerry
