How To Build a Custom Instrument Cluster

[@barrybaker9516]

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!

[@quonslecn7755]

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 :)

[@ericthecarguy]

Thanks for the tips!

[@craazyy22]

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.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Use a scrap piece of acrylic underneath the hole th drill into. That way there is no tear out at the bottom.

[@MicraHakkinen]

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

[@wobblysauce]

Can also flip the work when you are about to go through... just like wood.

[@daveogarf]

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!

[@Drewtube64]

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.

[@WinchesterWoodWorks]

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 👍🏻😉

[@ericthecarguy]

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.

[@advhawk6455]

Instead of acrylic, I used 1/4" aluminum and jeweled it. Thanks for this video!

[@jasoncannon1875]

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!

[@WilliamTythas]

I always like the Deep look to the paint when you paint the backside of the clear acrylic - Yours looks good too

[@ericthecarguy]

I didn't want the glare that would come with that. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@TheCrewChief374]

I was taught to use soapy water to lubricate and keep acrylic cool. While drilling holes through it. Plus it cuts the squealing noise out.

[@ericthecarguy]

Great tip, thanks.

[@radarw64]

Do you mean "Soapy Wooder?"

[@TheCrewChief374]

@@radarw64 What? Stop trolling me. You only make yourself look bad.

[@williamsinger4124]

@@TheCrewChief374 I don't think he was trolling you, I believe it was a chrisfix reference.

[@TheCrewChief374]

@@williamsinger4124 Who?

[@seandaley1339]

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.

[@jjmccloud]

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 👏

[@alangarner4095]

Hi Eric if you put some talcum powder around the drill blade you will get a better cut and finish.👍🏻😎👍🏻

[@kennethblackburn8756]

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.

[@danbierschbach7743]

Just found this channel and I am thoroughly enjoying it. the custom dash has me enthralled. new subscriber!

[@funguy7979]

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.

[@garcjr]

I got a 1991 F150 this gave me some good ideas.

[@charlesnoel9081]

Next time, if you cut all the holes in a piece of plywood and then clamp that on top, you won't need the centering drill on your large hole saws. They will be held by the large holes in the plywood. This also works if there is already a hole in something and there is nothing for the centering drill bit to follow. Thanks for the video. I am thinking of doing this for my '93 GMC and my '97 Chevy.

[@ConfuzedMind]

Word to anyone listening with headphones........ when Eric starts cutting the holes...... lower your volume......ALOT. 🤣🤣🙉

[@allenmckinney9533]

And using the marker.

[@BrentFreyEsq]

Not all heroes wear capes.

[@LMacNeill]

Yeah, that screechy squeaky sound when he was drilling the larger holes was like nails on a chalkboard. Ouch!

[@robs1852]

Now that is funny

[@IIGrayfoxII]

I use ATH-A900Xs. The sound didnt bother me all that much.

[@Itsfarko]

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.

[@janetoss]

Great content for the serious tinkerers.

[@DanielRichards644]

I totally get that nervous feeling when drilling, i'm toying with the idea of getting some different cabinet door faces from Ikea but to fit those drawer faces I have to tap my own holes to modify it to fit my face mounting system as opposed to Ikea's mount, I did 1 test face by hand, if I decide to go this route I plan to find someone with a drill press with a depth stop so I can tap them all faster.

[@billygreenhorn9275]

Great job Eric

[@Neptune730]

I was a machinist and manufactured parts from acrylic sheet. You want to drill with a fast rpm and low pressure before you break through. Make sure the part doesn't lift.

[@brunothehumble]

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.

[@DOffio]

Hey Eric, I am an aircraft mechanic. When drilling acrylic, plexi, or lexan, there are 2 easy methods. If you are going to do alot of it, (which you are not, but for science sake) you can re-tip a set of drill bits with a (nearly) flat tip. They will be useless for anything else, but they dont grab and crack the material. The better option for those of us that don't do it all the time, if use a UNIBIT, or a stepdrill bit to cut it. It will not grab the material and crack it either. Just a tip! Cheers!

[@Peter170254]

If you have seen a dashboard area of a 1992 suzuki swift, and/ or a 1992 holden barina, I am using your idea to house 4 car guages in the area that actually holds the basic air and heater, as I don't ever use it, I cleared out this area and hand fitted a piece of perspex, to hold the 4 guages. thank you for the idea. and greetings from Australia

[@speedytech7]

After having a few SpeedHut gauges, the quality is impeccable but the mounting ring things are a dumb design and don't fit into many gauge pods. They went out of their way to make great gauges in slim packages and use the huge spin on plastic rings that muck up the profile. Also the backlight transformer makes a lot of high pitched noise (probably not a big deal to old timers) so you have to extend the wiring and hide it away well.

[@DatSmooveMF]

Always pre-drill with a small bit first...makes the bigger one drill much easier

[@snowman01]

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.

[@joshuamingin956]

Great work and videos Eric

[@jamesterrill1938]

Great job, look forward to the hookup details..

[@ericthecarguy]

Thanks. That will be covered in Fridays video.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Turned out sweet

[@aserta]

TIP: don't bother with dremels. Get a scoring knife (thick blade, stout angle for the tip of the blade, those one inch Stanley box cutter blades are excellent) and score the living potato out off the back of your to-be-cut part on the edges. Then score lines inside making it into small bits. Break those bits one by one until you reach the edges. You should always leave yourself a couple of mm to finish the edge proper. THEN, you use a dremel or a flush trim router bit.

[@lasoberbia5189]

You’re drilling through good man! Haha

[@sheachopper6416]

I LOVE THIS SERIES!

[@garyharms8466]

Use Windex to lubricate the hole saws. Paint the back side of the clear plastic.

[@VeganGorilla555]

A little after the fact but a cool carbon fiber vinyl wrap over the acrylic would have looked good too.

[@jerryjones4943]

This was all around a great video ..

[@victorlewis8970]

☆☆☆☆good work, Eric

[@ericthecarguy]

Thanks.

[@Jerkwad152]

Spritzing the area with water while drilling might make it easier.

[@JohnS-hp2xu]

I’m always looking for good moonie gauges for my ‘89 GMT400. I really like the old school quirkiness they have.

[@kevybear5229]

So the main reason I got excited about this type of project is because I had a somewhat similar idea, but I have no idea how everyone is making the gauges 😮‍💨😖

Magnifique 🇫🇷 / beautiful 🇺🇸

[@alanwhinery961]

Very cool I'm going to make a custom dash for my lawn tractor. I wonder if using cutting oil would help in cutting the holes for gauges and screw holes in the acrylic

[@ericgustin3386]

lots of great comments about how to drill lexan. but one thing that drove me crazy was that you painted the wrong side. you should have painted the back instead. that would have given the front a super smooth surface while also allowing you to clean it with out taking off paint. also an added benefit of giving it a slightly cool look of depth as well.

[@kelli217]

I wonder why the high beam indicator couldn't have been placed in the 'reflection' position of the parking brake indicator.

[@IIGrayfoxII]

Eric why not put the high beam indicator on the bottom right? Have you thought about getting a piece of aluminium that is anodized black for the cluster backing

[@ericthecarguy]

You could do that also. I'm fine with the high beam in the gauge. It's not like I need to drive around with a bright blue light on at night. These LEDs are very bright.

[@IIGrayfoxII]

@@ericthecarguy Add a resistor if you want to reduce brightness of the LEDs, unless they're hooked up to the cars dimmer circuit(assuming it has one) But you would know of this already.

[@rusteezy8786]

What about dash lights like the check engine light and stuff?

[@jdinnis]

Nice work, I love the result. Just curious, if you were going to paint it black anyway, why not just use a piece of aluminum? It would be a lit easier to work with.

[@chefrarestones1960]

Couldn't you use water as a coolant and to wash away the debris to make a cleaner cut?

[@MrTeletubyman123]

Amazing video, the link for the cluster doesn’t seem to be working, any idea why?

[@phatkatracing]

6:40 ...just like me... 🙂

[@jaydegelder2964]

Wouldn't it have been better to spray paint the back side instead of the front side to prevent scratches on the surface in the future? ( just a thought ).

[@milkhouse01ja]

With the gauges being mounted flat, do you find that you have any issues reading them when you look down at them? Trying to do something very similar in a '78 nova

[@sami9113]

great eric

[@Str8kustomz]

nice job!!!!!

[@GeorgeGraves]

How bad did it melt in the summer in the sun?

[@F6HemiCharger]

I’m surprised no spray bottle with water to keep the acrylic cool.

[@Iskazi3285]

How do you certify the mileage if you’re changing the gages.

[@haqitman]

i can smell the burning acrylic from here

[@derekr3895]

Hi. . . . Have a question. On speedometers like these that accept signal over wire . . . they can accept a physical cable sender OR an electronic sensor signal correct? My car has a speed sensor in the transmission - no cable and I'm looking to buy a drop-in universal gauge cluster.

[@fila1445]

Is this Friday already?

[@BoTTanker]

I use compressed air when I cut like that or small water drip

[@MrDONNIEKOONCE]

Hey Eric what about the mileage you cant read it

[@thelonelywolf88]

Kid from Bruce Almighty: Hey! You said ass!

[@nancylewis7142]

First time at your KZbin channel, what are you doing Eric? Are you fixing something, or destroying something?

[@ericthecarguy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXTIoaGXmNaFq6s

[@radicalgreek99]

Awesome

[@khancross]

Gauges are great but very expensive

[@seanfagan4996]

In this quadrant

[@edpoisson7065]

What? no "check engine" light?

[@ericthecarguy]

The new system doesn't use one.

[@spectretn]

Ed, It's a GM it doesn't need a check engine light. 😁 EricTheCarGuy, Everything looks great and makes me want to do my 91 Suburban V1500

[@markdrewett149]

Probably coulda shoulda woulda painted the back of the plexiglass to give the front a glossier more transparent look. Never the less grass hopper, what you have done looks cool as a mother in laws kiss.

[@funguy7979]

How much for this????

[@fady04]

WOW

[@realTRAVE75]

What about your odometer? Isn't that a legal requirement?

[@ericthecarguy]

Since the truck is rebuilt, I don't see it as an issue. Although I believe you can set it to whatever you need. I just didn't bother. I wanted the miles since the rebuild.

[@MrJebbata1]

Amazing.. The whole idea came from a nuclear brain 🧠

[@mbiker345]

I woulda pulled those gauges too. The New stuff looks much nicer. Chevy people like some really weird stuff. Their current interiors aren’t very nice either. Must be a special breed of person.

[@armandochavez632]

make me one !! please!!

[@twakefield10]

use hole saw in reverse

[@bobweiss8682]

Acrylic definitely sucks to work with, as far as low melting point and tendency to crack. Next time, try polycarbonate, aka Lexan or Makrolon.

[@satamanschmidt3428]

Good advise. But why not just aluminum? He's painting it anyway so it doesn't matter that it's transparent.

[@bobweiss8682]

@@satamanschmidt3428 Easier to cut those big holes in plastic...

[@satamanschmidt3428]

@@bobweiss8682 Not with a holesaw it isn't. The holesaw will go through the aluminum with ease with just a little WD40 sprayed on it. The plastic has all of the problems Eric experienced that the aluminum doesn't.

[@MrNotorius5500]

3:02 Giggidy

[@jdumonceaux3706]

Two words, drill press.

[@allenmckinney9533]

Anybody here use GPS speedos? Are the cheap ones any good?

[@ExtraFungus]

I like the idea, I've seen mixed reviews. You can get GPS speedo sending units around $100 that you could make work with most speedometer even oem speedometers but again, mixed reviews.

[@allenmckinney9533]

@@ExtraFungus I just don't want to get one only to find out it takes too long to get a signal or goes out in bad weather.

[@ExtraFungus]

Bad weather wouldn't be an issue, driving between tall buildings could be.

[@ericthecarguy]

This one works great until you go through a tunnel. Although I don't feel that's really a problem.

[@allenmckinney9533]

@@ericthecarguy alright thanks.

[@wanjockey]

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.

[@dw4940]

Good one, thanks!

[@bvandme]

@@dw4940 And when first making contact with the piece run the drill backwards to avoid chipping

[@killzrus1886]

Eric use tape on both side of the acrylic and spray water on it while drilling to prevent cracking or melting it

[@jeremymass2770]

Ya I was going to suggest water as welll

[@HeinzP100]

What a beautiful job! I can never seem to work with acrylic material without melting, warping or breaking it. I guess patience is key.

[@ChrisfromGeorgia]

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

[@davidcunningham00]

1/128 is enough. Nice gauges dude. I have really been thinking about doing something like this for my Nova.

[@vijayantgovender2045]

Thank you Eric always enjoy your videos from South Africa

[@johnpinkston7500]

With acrylic or plexiglass, those glass/tile spade drill bits make a world of difference. No need to worry about cracks.

[@magnusandersen8898]

Building a custom instrument cluster ASMR

[@dmoneyswoop4165]

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.

[@ericthecarguy]

Thank you!

[@Neolith100]

That was legit entertaining! Everytime the bit caught and you gasp, that was clutch.

[@zx8401ztv]

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.

[@ericthecarguy]

Indeed it is difficult to work with, but I hope the experience I shared in this video will help others. Thanks for the comment.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I have that same black and decker dremel

[@jimmyrockstar907]

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!

[@biff1tannen]

Very nice😄👍 my 1980 Toyota corolla will get this mod😊

[@ariyanadumon4549]

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.

[@Dutch1951x]

I would love to do something like this for my 88 Bronco!

[@Andrew-zv4fm]

Eric, Really cool video. This video reminds me of what I used to do in woodshop.

[@Timthetoolman79]

Pilot holes are your friend.