The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay New gauges for the 73-87 pick ups!

This may interest some of you. I did this and am glad I went this way. I have an 87 full size 4X4 and had no where to comfortably install new gauges as I disconnected all that computerized stuff. It was the first TBI to come out. So since under the dash really has no room and I wasn't too keen on drilling holes in the dash or anywhere else I decided on seeing if I could mount the new gauges in the dash where the old ones were. I bought Equus Performance 2 3/8ths gauges, the white background ones. I use the green lights/covers. The others are too dim. What I had to do was take out the dash again, I removed the old gauges and use a dremel and a small sanding cylinder and round out the black bezel a bit larger where the old gauges were viewed through along with making some holes in the back part of the dash unit to accomadate the cables and oil tube and temp capillary which I ran through the firewall into the engine compartment. I installed the gauges through the front of the bezel and screwed them together through the back so they stay mounted to the bezel only. The battery gauge wires, and the gauge lights I soldered to the two strips on the membrane where the old lights used to be for positive and neg. I installed everything back into place and carefully lining up the outside dash panel with the screws and pa da! It looks like factory installed but with brighter lights and MUCH easier to read and more accurate. Definately worth the time to do it. Did not have to trash the interior of the truck at all. Just a suggestion for a high tech set up looking factory done.

where are the pic's?