The opening is adjusted until the gauge cluster is a nice fit all around. The edge band was intentionally made wider than needed so a decision could be made about how deeply to recess it into the dash. After finding the best depth, the perimeter is marked for trimming.
Custom Metalwork Tastefully Modifies Our Ford Highboy Roadster
The place to start is by selecting the instruments you want to use. In this case, the Classic Instruments All-American Tradition five-gauge set.
Adding a small detail to a project car, such as a recessed instrument cluster or tail light lens, will make a specific part of a car stand out from the crowd. These projects can be accomplished with basic fabricating equipment. Still, as with any job, the work needs to be done with a certain degree of care and precision since the human eye will quickly find any line that is even slightly crooked or out of alignment. In this episode, we’ll follow Jason Scudellari, part of the In The Garage Media team, as he adds these details to his Model A Ford Roadster project. Scudellari has many years of experience with metal fabrication, and there is much to learn with his no-nonsense techniques.
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Next is selecting the layout and spacing of the gauges. The speedometer will be located on the right, and the smaller gauges will be centered in front of the driver.
He selected a Classic Instruments five-gauge instrument set, and the first step was deciding how to arrange these instruments in the dashboard. He chose to cluster the four small instruments behind the steering wheel and position the speedometer on the right. Several layouts were made to find the best spacing, and once the layout was finalized, it was transferred to a piece of 16-gauge steel. Hole saws are the tool of choice for making round cutouts in sheet metal, but the job could be done with a jigsaw and a file in a pinch.
A layout is done on a piece of 16-gauge steel, showing the outline of the recess for the gauge cluster and the center for the holes needed for each instrument.
After the holes were made, the perimeter of the gauge cluster was cut and a strip of metal was fitted to the edge. Next, a hole was cut in the dashboard, the cluster was fitted into place, the depth was adjusted, and then it was welded and smoothed.
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Hole saws are excellent for making clean, accurate openings for each instrument.
The tail lights were done similarly, and Scudellari made buckets to recess them. Again, a layout is done to pinpoint the location of the taillights, then a hole saw is used to make the holes. Each bucket is carefully fitted in its hole, checked to ensure it’s plumb, then marked, trimmed, and welded into place.
After cutting all the holes, the perimeter is cut using an abrasive cut-off disc on a handheld grinder.
After smoothing the welds by sanding, the job is complete. As you look through the photos, you’ll pick up many small details that help ensure success with jobs like this. MR
Next, the gauges are test-fitted into the panel. Everything looks great at this point, but if any corrections are needed now is the time to make them!A metal strip must be contoured to match the perimeter of the gauge cluster. The round sections can be bent around anything that’s the correct diameter.After carefully fitting the edge band, it is tack-welded into place, carefully checked, and then finished welded.Here’s how the gauge cluster recess looks after sanding the welds flush.The perimeter of the gauge cluster is positioned on the dashboard, and the edges are marked. Hole saws are used to make the rounded cuts on both ends.A die grinder makes straight cuts with an abrasive cut-off disc. The rounded ends need to be opened a little more too, and this can be done with a carbide burr or sanding drums.An abrasive cut-off disc is used in a grinder to trim the edge band down to the desired width.The insert was welded and ground smooth After tack-welding and checking the fit one last time. Recessing the instruments slightly gives the installation a very professional look.Moving to the roadster’s rear, the plan is to recess ’50 Pontiac-style taillights from Speedway Motors into the panel below the decklid.The location of the taillights is very important. They need to be spaced from the top, bottom, and side in a way that looks proper for the application, and, of course, the layout needs to be symmetrical.Once the centers of the taillight locations have been located, a hole saw is used to cut the openings.Scudellari made buckets from 16-gauge steel, like how he made the instrument cluster. These buckets are fitted into place, adjusted to be square and plumb, and marked for trimming.Here, you can see the trim line on the bucket.A right-angle die grinder uses an abrasive cut-off wheel to cut the bucket on the line.After checking the fit, the buckets are tack-welded into place.A sanding drum is used to smooth the finish weld on the inner surface.With the weld smoothed and the taillight mounted, you can see how great these classic lights look when slightly tunneled.
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With both lights mounted, you can see this treatment’s clean appearance on a Model A roadster.
