Problem with thunder road dash??? Or is this normal??

[redmist]

I purchased one of the kick butt thunder road (Classic Dash) drilled gauge hole dash overlays.

I test fit the dash tonight and dropped a couple gauges on place to check out the fit form function... Fit great! Looks decent! Functions not so good.

The dash is already angled back by the stock dash location, but the classic dash then further angles the gauge buckets back even more?!?!?! It's Opposite of what I would have expected. The gauges are pointing up towards the dash pad. When looking at the gauges in a seated location, they are an oval. In fact it's angled enough that it cuts the text off as to what gauge you are looking at from the bezel obscuring the view.


Is this normal for this product?? If so, I will live with it, or cut the buckets, rotate them, and epoxy in the correct location.

Any input from other users??

[b5blue]

Wow, I don't like that at all. Could clearance be the reason? It looks real nice but why the angle. Possibly you can make shims. Man I always wished for a product like this but not that way. 

[Kern Dog]

That does look strange. It seems that while it looks off angle, it might even induce more glare-exactly opposite of what anyone would want.
The plastic looks high quality though. I'd surely call the company and email them these pictures.

[Mike DC]

 
Hmm . . . looks like somebody designed the product without ever actually trying it out in a car.

The designed angle would have made perfect sense if the factory bezel was sitting vertically in the dash.   

   

[Ghoste]

Or several inches lower. 

[moparnation74]

It looks like the gauge openings need to be turned a 180 degrees.  What did the company say?

[Cncguy]

I went to the website. It says product no longer available. That's probably why

[redmist]

I have yet to contact the company, as I don't know who to contact... Classic Dash? Thunder Road??  I ordered it through Summit, and it was dropped shipped from some other company besides the two listed, LOL.

Here is the listing:  http://www.classicdash.com/shopping/Mopar/B-Body/1968-70/B-Body/Drilled-Panels/


I also notice on the website, that the red indicator is shown as part of the product for the "Check Brakes" However mine does not have that. I wonder of I got sold a knockoff through summit or something.

[redmist]

Called them, they said that's how it's designed.

I will get it all together and see how it looks, perhaps do a review!

It looks awesome thats for sure!

[Indygenerallee]

That would annoy me, gauges staring at the upper dash pad.

[Brock Lee]

Great. We are about to install the dash tonight. Now I am sweating this.

There were a few things I wasn't thrilled about. We had to add standoffs in a few areas just to get it to seat appropriately. Two or three holes were off too.

PS- This set we have came with the red lense.

[Brock Lee]

Did you use their gauges? Not sure if that will make any difference. Here is how this one is coming along.

[redmist]

I just threw some Autometer gauges I had on the bench in it....

But yes... It looks just like that. Notice how you can't see what gauge you are looking at in your picture???

I think cutting the bucket, epoxying some flat stock in, and re-drilling the holes might be the solution, if I end up not liking the angle.


This product would be a home run if it didn't have the angled buckets! the stock angle of the dash is perfect, no need to add more angle.

[rt green]

maybe the guy who designed it was real tall.

[Brock Lee]

I am wondering if they designed it around the 69/70 dash pad. It doesn't stick out as far. I will know better later (and I am rather tall).

I am still not sold on it being a homerun. The complete dash kit came in at about $1K and it took a ton of modification of the cluster housing and tweaking holes, using standoffs, etc to fully complete. For that kind of cash it should have been ready to go.

[Kern Dog]

WHAT ?

[Mike DC]

I am wondering if they designed it around the 69/70 dash pad. It doesn't stick out as far. I will know better later (and I am rather tall).

I don't see the year being the issue.  The frame shape stayed basically the same from 68-70.  

Their design makes perfect sense if they were assuming the bezel mounts more or less vertically.  It doesn't appear to make any sense in the actual car.

 

[Brock Lee]

I was thinking the 68 pad extending out may be obscuring the view looking down. The pad extends out much farther than the 69/70.

I don't know what to say. I see the gauges just fine. And yes, I am tall. My head hits the headliner.

[Brock Lee]

And here is what had to be removed from the cluster housing. I doubt we will ever do another one.

[Brock Lee]

And an overview. Still putting things back together.

[myk]

Wow, what a major disappointment.  Those pieces looked real good and I was probably going to buy one.  But at 5'4" tall, I wouldn't be able to see my gauges-there'd be no point in even having them!  Guess I'm back to the ultra-expensive $1K Dakota Digital dash, or my roach-coach approach of just shoe-horning aftermarket gauges into my stock bezel/cluster...

[Mytur Binsdirti]

But at 5'4" tall, I wouldn't be able to see my gauges-there'd be no point in even having them!  

Being vertically challenged, you're going to have a bigger (no pun intended) problem that the gauges; how are you going to reach the pedals?

[b5blue]

No high beam or blinkers? 

[Daytona R/T SE]

But at 5'4" tall, I wouldn't be able to see my gauges-there'd be no point in even having them!  

Being vertically challenged, you're going to have a bigger (no pun intended) problem that the gauges; how are you going to reach the pedals?

Platform shoes.  

[Brock Lee]

No high beam or blinkers?  

They provide LED's. You drill and install them yourself. The high beam indicator will be placed in the middle, but we are thinking about not even using the turn signals as the car has functioning hood mounted indicators already.

Edit- I should say they provide LED's when you buy the whole kit, not just the bezels. They are super tiny. I would have chosen something slightly larger.