Aftermarket gauge cluster installation

My52Chebby · January 16, 2010, 04:39:45 PM

hi all,

Here is what I did to solve an installation dilemma for my new TPI Tech gauge set. They look great in my '52 pickup dash but they're a bit smaller than the original gauge openings.

I could have gone "billet" but it wasn't the look I was after. I decided to try my hand at metal spinning. After reading up on it, I realized that using stainless was the hardest metal to metal spin. It involved annealing the stainless to white red and slowly cooling. I had to do this twice during the process but luckily for me, my wife has a few copper enameling kilns. I forget how many degrees it puts out but it's hot enough in there to melt a pop bottle into a glass blob. 'Nuf said...

To metal spin, you have to machine a buck that you will be forming the metal onto. Here is what the buck looked like on the lathe. I made mine out of aluminum.

At this stage you need to first anneal the stainless disc you want to metal spin. I drilled a hole in the middle of the disk to fit that bolt on the buck. The disc was then put in the kiln for about 15 minutes then cooled slowly in a bucket of sand, about half an hour. Once cooled it was bolted to the buck and then the lathe was started and a brass or bronze tool used to push against the spinning disc to mold it to the buck. I got half way and the disc had to be removed and put in the kiln for another round of annealing (heat and bucket). Twice did it and this is what the disc looked like against the buck (I had already cut it off at this point).

The back looks a bit grungy because you have to use soap as a lubricant when spinning. They call for some special soap but I just used "Irish Spring"... It smells good heated up... LOL

Before cutting the hole in the disc to fit the gauges I remounted the disc "pie plate shape" out to polish the edge on the lathe with white rouge... (white rouge, red white hot... this is getting confusing). Here is what the polished side of the disc looked like.

Here's the backside again:

And here are the spun adapters in the box:

... and mocked up in the dash (not a great picture)

My wife is gallivanting somewhere across the pond (either in Brighton, England where her sister lives or in Spain on a side trip they had planned) so the lad's been busy in the shop...

So far, I have made up the rotisserie to rotate the cab (a really handy tool. previously shown on here), I have installed the stealth Lokar accelerator pedal in the floor...

I have figured out the hanging brake pedal. It was a kit designed for my truck but I wanted to adapt a GM pedal to it.

I have also poked a hole in the floor for my Flaming River tilt column.

Now I have to figure out the column drop. The rotisserie doesn't give good access to the inside of the cab so I made this tool to help decide how much drop.

At this rate, I may start seeing some real progress on the truck for a change.

Later guys...

My52Chebby

enjenjo · January 16, 2010, 05:17:00 PM

I've thought about metal spinning but never tried it. You have inspired me to do it next time it comes up.

phat46 · January 16, 2010, 05:26:41 PM

Very nice stuff, looks like you're having fun!

jaybee · January 16, 2010, 06:05:53 PM

Nice, nice work. The gauges look fantastic and your steering column "tool" is very cool.

river1 · January 16, 2010, 06:29:02 PM

very impressive!!! i think you need to spend more quality time in the shop and finish the truck. i betting the truck will impresive as well!!

later jim

Bruce Dorsi · January 16, 2010, 07:08:56 PM

Nice work! ......I'm enjoying your posts!

What tools did you use to spin the gauge bezels?

What did you use for a fulcrum?

Was the spinning done at low speed or at a higher rpm?

I know! .....Lots of questions, but I am here to learn!

Thanks!

Charlie Chops 1940 · January 16, 2010, 07:31:34 PM

*, everytime I think I'm getting a little clever someone ilke you comes along and turns the wick up some more.

Very cool work!

Charlie

My52Chebby · January 16, 2010, 08:40:32 PM

Quote from: "Bruce Dorsi"Nice work! ......I'm enjoying your posts!

What tools did you use to spin the gauge bezels?

What did you use for a fulcrum?

Was the spinning done at low speed or at a higher rpm?

I know! .....Lots of questions, but I am here to learn!

Thanks!

Stainless is actually very hard to spin to shape. I started by using the tool post as the fulcrum but found that the best way was to mount the brass drift (I was using as a push tool) right in the tool post.

Manipulating into the 45 degree angle meant using both longitudinal and cross feed wheels simultaneously.

At first when spinning the metal, I used light pressure. You get the feel of it very quickly.

Speed was relatively fast but not excessively so.

Did my explanation make any sense?

kb426 · January 16, 2010, 09:06:48 PM

Good post. We're coming back to life again. If you have more details about the spinning, I'd like to hear also.

chimp koose · January 17, 2010, 12:41:50 AM

Great post! years ago I worked in a machine shop where one of the contracts was spinning aluminum satelite tv dishes 12' and 14' diameter as I recall.The first buck used was made of wood and required a bit of repair every week or so . Another buck was made to replace it out of steel to avoid all the repairs. The second buck never worked. Lesson learned.... make the buck out of a material softer than the material you wish to form.Those rings you made are very nice! Quality workmanship for sure!I will have to make hood sides for my Anglia in the future as I am using a glass hood and want removable hood sides. Keep posting ,your work and progress is inspiring.

Bruce Dorsi · January 17, 2010, 10:16:06 AM

Quote from: "My52Chebby"Did my explanation make any sense?

Absolutely! ......Thank You!

My52Chebby · January 17, 2010, 05:48:03 PM

Quote from: "kb426"Good post. We're coming back to life again. If you have more details about the spinning, I'd like to hear also.

I had bought this small pocket book a long while ago on metal spinning

http://www.blueridgeshoponline.com/product.sc?productId=313&categoryId=-1
but when I got serious about trying it out for this project, I also looked up metal spinning on You Tube. What a great source for information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwrk0SwDJhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsUDMZsPbxM

Other than making it look TOO easy... The videos were very helpful. Like I said in my original post, spinning stainless is one of the most difficult metals to spin. Experiment with aluminum first.

If you have the equipment, it's a very satisfying process.

My52Chebby

chimp koose · January 17, 2010, 06:17:06 PM

There is a really good site called metalmeet.com that has a lot of good info for anyone interested

wayne petty · January 18, 2010, 01:28:21 AM

those look great.... you might even be able to sell a bunch of sets on Ebay.. made in ... (like you have any) your spare time...

i wonder.. what would happen.. if the buck was made of ceramic or steel... and there was a torch heating the spinning stainless as you spun it...

Danimal · January 21, 2010, 05:06:33 PM

Nice work. I just cut the centers out of a pair of stock speedos and stuck them in. Woodward Gauges even sent a guy a link to my "tech" post when asked how they recommended putting them in his truck! I used Autometers for mine.

I like this, I'm thinking about getting a lathe this year and that'd be cool to try.