C9
12-22-2003, 12:20 PM
Since we’re on easy tech this morning, here’s another.
This particular panel designed by Grandson for his Ranger.
He received it as seen and took the brushed finish to the end.
Made for a nice looking panel and a touch different from his friends trucks as well as you can’t buy these anywhere.
All this one takes is a bit of layout, a few drills and a hole saw to match the instrument size.
The big secret is what it’s made from.
Not billet per se although not far from it.
Note in this first pic the basic layout for the panel is on an aluminum box for want of a better word.
The box is 3/16" aluminum of a fairly good grade.
The aluminum takes a brushed or buffed finish quite well.
The box is open ended, usually about 24" long and quite a few instrument panels and switch panels can be made from it.
What’s great about cutting panels from the box are the nicely rounded corners.
Better to me than the commonly available sharp edged 90 corner on angle aluminum although if you find the right kind of angle you can knock out some good switch panels from it.
Using angle aluminum to make instrument panels works, but in most cases it’s either too thin or not deep enough to support the 2 1/8" or 2 5/8" gauges.
I’ve used the stuff in 4 x 4's to make combination switch/instrument panels, but a piece had to be Tigged on to make it deep enough for the instruments.
As you can see I’ve cut more than a few panels out of this piece.
You can get the aluminum boxes at electrical supply houses.
I don’t know the exact name for them, but the ones I’ve seen in use were in the power industry and used to bring control cables in the switchyard out of a cable trench, through a cement wall and up into a switch or transformer control mechanism.
They’re usually put in place when the cable trench cement wall goes in.
Some more pics and info coming, so hang in there.
This particular panel designed by Grandson for his Ranger.
He received it as seen and took the brushed finish to the end.
Made for a nice looking panel and a touch different from his friends trucks as well as you can’t buy these anywhere.
All this one takes is a bit of layout, a few drills and a hole saw to match the instrument size.
The big secret is what it’s made from.
Not billet per se although not far from it.
Note in this first pic the basic layout for the panel is on an aluminum box for want of a better word.
The box is 3/16" aluminum of a fairly good grade.
The aluminum takes a brushed or buffed finish quite well.
The box is open ended, usually about 24" long and quite a few instrument panels and switch panels can be made from it.
What’s great about cutting panels from the box are the nicely rounded corners.
Better to me than the commonly available sharp edged 90 corner on angle aluminum although if you find the right kind of angle you can knock out some good switch panels from it.
Using angle aluminum to make instrument panels works, but in most cases it’s either too thin or not deep enough to support the 2 1/8" or 2 5/8" gauges.
I’ve used the stuff in 4 x 4's to make combination switch/instrument panels, but a piece had to be Tigged on to make it deep enough for the instruments.
As you can see I’ve cut more than a few panels out of this piece.
You can get the aluminum boxes at electrical supply houses.
I don’t know the exact name for them, but the ones I’ve seen in use were in the power industry and used to bring control cables in the switchyard out of a cable trench, through a cement wall and up into a switch or transformer control mechanism.
They’re usually put in place when the cable trench cement wall goes in.
Some more pics and info coming, so hang in there.