Help With Winter Project

[tdvs]

The plan is to install oil pressure and volt gauges in my '95 CSV. I know there are easy ways to do this, aftermarket gauges, "A" pillar pods, etc., but my mind works in mysterious ways So I have an over the top idea, with all winter to kill anyway. I want to fabricate custom pods, and mold them into the lower corners of the gauge cluster bezel where they can be seen, yet not interfere with seeing anything on the cluster.

 

To the gauges first tho. I want something that looks as close to the stock factory cluster gauges as possible in 1 1/2 inch diameter. Plan A is to "make" them. The closest thing I have found so far, are from a pre '95 Cutlass with a full gauge cluster. At the j/y today I pulled one, totally disassembled it, so all I had was the cluster face with the gauges attached. I cut the ends off so now I was left with just the oil, water, fuel, and volt sections. I further cut these sections down to leave just the oil and volt areas.

 

Before I go further, can these gauges be direct wired without the circuit board? Does the oil pressure gauge use a different sending unit than used for the idiot light? To cut out/around the gauges, I encountered my first problem. I needed to remove the face, which meant removing the needles, but when I pryed them off, the tiny metal shaft snapped off inside the gauge How do you remove the needles without breaking the shaft?

 

I have a plan B if these gauges can't be used, but more on that after I get answers to these questions first.

 

Tom

[tdvs]

The plan is to install oil pressure and volt gauges in my '95 CSV. I know there are easy ways to do this, aftermarket gauges, "A" pillar pods, etc., but my mind works in mysterious ways So I have an over the top idea, with all winter to kill anyway. I want to fabricate custom pods, and mold them into the lower corners of the gauge cluster bezel where they can be seen, yet not interfere with seeing anything on the cluster.

 

To the gauges first tho. I want something that looks as close to the stock factory cluster gauges as possible in 1 1/2 inch diameter. Plan A is to "make" them. The closest thing I have found so far, are from a pre '95 Cutlass with a full gauge cluster. At the j/y today I pulled one, totally disassembled it, so all I had was the cluster face with the gauges attached. I cut the ends off so now I was left with just the oil, water, fuel, and volt sections. I further cut these sections down to leave just the oil and volt areas.

 

Before I go further, can these gauges be direct wired without the circuit board? Does the oil pressure gauge use a different sending unit than used for the idiot light? To cut out/around the gauges, I encountered my first problem. I needed to remove the face, which meant removing the needles, but when I pryed them off, the tiny metal shaft snapped off inside the gauge How do you remove the needles without breaking the shaft

 

Tom

 

 

bump

 

Tom