My "new" '74 Duster- or why I need a project like a hole in the head
I also decided that I really, really, didn't like the stock gauge panel. So, out it goes.
Now, I like rallye dashes. And it turns out, I have a couple of gauge clusters. So, why not right? Except I'm not going to mess with changing the dash frame. I mean heck, its just a bigger hole right?
Don't try this at home. Seriously. Don't do it. :realcrazy:
Now, after much cutting, hammering, flanging, hammering, fitting, hammering, welding tabs in, there you go. I should have take a picture of it with the dash I was fitting, but you'll have to trust me, it fits. And although the dash frame looks a little rough here, the rallye cluster and bezel covers everything. Not exactly what I was hoping for, you'll never mistake this dash frame for an original rallye dash frame. But, once it's repainted and the rallye cluster is installed, it'll look just fine. I swear. :D
And while you CAN modify a standard dash frame to accept a rallye dash while its still in the car, I don't recommend it. At all. Ever. Seriously. With the dash frame out of the car it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining, but, I have to say that for my time/money, its better to track down a rallye dash frame if you're going to do a conversion.
Oh! and on a side note, the radio location is DIFFERENT for a rallye dash vs a standard dash. By about an 1". So, although it may look like you can put a stock radio in the above dash, you can't. At least not with a stock rallye dash bezel, not without moving the radio mount in the dash to the right about an 1". But, since all of mine have been cut, that's not as big an issue as you might think. Believe it or not, I have a plan to fix the radio issue AND my rallye bezel so that it all works.
But you'll have to wait for that one, because I'm not finished with it yet...
I also decided that I really, really, didn't like the stock gauge panel. So, out it goes.
Now, I like rallye dashes. And it turns out, I have a couple of gauge clusters. So, why not right? Except I'm not going to mess with changing the dash frame. I mean heck, its just a bigger hole right?
Don't try this at home. Seriously. Don't do it. :realcrazy:
Now, after much cutting, hammering, flanging, hammering, fitting, hammering, welding tabs in, there you go. I should have take a picture of it with the dash I was fitting, but you'll have to trust me, it fits. And although the dash frame looks a little rough here, the rallye cluster and bezel covers everything. Not exactly what I was hoping for, you'll never mistake this dash frame for an original rallye dash frame. But, once it's repainted and the rallye cluster is installed, it'll look just fine. I swear. :D
And while you CAN modify a standard dash frame to accept a rallye dash while its still in the car, I don't recommend it. At all. Ever. Seriously. With the dash frame out of the car it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining, but, I have to say that for my time/money, its better to track down a rallye dash frame if you're going to do a conversion.
Oh! and on a side note, the radio location is DIFFERENT for a rallye dash vs a standard dash. By about an 1". So, although it may look like you can put a stock radio in the above dash, you can't. At least not with a stock rallye dash bezel, not without moving the radio mount in the dash to the right about an 1". But, since all of mine have been cut, that's not as big an issue as you might think. Believe it or not, I have a plan to fix the radio issue AND my rallye bezel so that it all works.
But you'll have to wait for that one, because I'm not finished with it yet...