68 Dash Resto Using Bare Metal Foil

[HITMAN 149]

damn DK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that looks soooooo nice!!!! came out great!!! if i were to keep my original guages (as i'd like to update threm to modern ones) i would  do them in white face.
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so what's your add. so i can send ya mine!!!!

[dkn1997]

I might try to do a spare one I have to sell. it's out of a 70 I think.  headlight switch is f'd up, but everything else works.  I may do that one with the sharpie and the decals.  it would be better than what most people have.  I almost never see any "freshened" up charger ralleye clusters, it always seems that they are show mint or bottom of the ocean bad.  maybe there is a market for driver quality clusters for a couple of hundred bucks...

[HITMAN 149]

i'm sure there would be...if they look as good as yours came out!!!!! for a descent price!!!!
seee...you could get the kids involved & start your own company!!! hahaha you can pay them in cheerios!!! LOL

[Goldfinger71]

Great job buddy!
Ive been thinking about doing my dash in my 71 RT for some time now.I think the 3rd gens will be a little easier to do.For everybodys info you can also get bare medal foil at hobby or craft shops that sell models and misc supplies. 

[Charger_Fan]

That looks great!
I can't imagine you'd have any problem at all selling a few of those in "driver" condition.

[dkn1997]

the only problem is that i don't know if I have the patience to use the bare metal foil again.  for my own dash, I was more than willing, but it's tedious work.  if I do another, I will probably use a sharpie.  still better than most of them out there...

[bill440rt]

Bare Metal Foil is NOT for everyone, you do need a steady hand. However, it's the next best thing to chrome. There's a new paint out that is supposed to resembled chrome very well, better than chrome spray paint or bare metal foil. Eastwood now carries it, I just saw it in their recent catalog.

DK, I finished the dash cluster a while ago for my Project '69. I used the white decals from Duranged Design, & a can of Dupli-Color Chrome spray paint. Cluster came out good, but I didn't get those crisp edges around the switches. They were very hard to mask, even with fine line tape. Still came out good, for "driver quality." Maybe I should have brushed those... 

[dkn1997]

I heard somewhere that you can get any paint you want made into a paint stick.  you could probably take apart an existing paint stick and clean it out, then put your choice of paint back in it. that would follow detail very well.

I am going to check into that eastwood chrome paint. 

[Charger Aficionado]

I did not even have to do the clock, it was mint, as most are.

You know why I believe that is..?  Because all the JUICE running through the instrument cluster...  That particular guage needs little to run on, so it must have something that cuts down the power...   Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that Auxillary Headlamp Wiring Set-Up, cut-down all that power going through our instrument clusters? 

I had a '68 Satellite with this Headlamp Wiring Conversion done, and the headlamps were MUCH Brighter than any MoPar I've ever seen...

I'm gonna start a thread to see if somone has a "How To" on that wiring deal... 

EDIT:  Here it is:  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=21342.msg231883#msg231883

[tan top]

dash looks like new  . awesome job ( dkn1997 )

[dkn1997]

I did not even have to do the clock, it was mint, as most are.

You know why I believe that is..?  Because all the JUICE running through the instrument cluster...  That particular guage needs little to run on, so it must have something that cuts down the power...   Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that Auxillary Headlamp Wiring Set-Up, cut-down all that power going through our instrument clusters? 

I had a '68 Satellite with this Headlamp Wiring Conversion done, and the headlamps were MUCH Brighter than any MoPar I've ever seen...

I'm gonna start a thread to see if somone has a "How To" on that wiring deal... 

EDIT:  Here it is:  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=21342.msg231883#msg231883

actually I think it's because the clock is made of aluminum and the rest of the gauges are steel.

[Charger Aficionado]

VERY OBSERVANT dkn1997   I never thought of that, but am familiar with the guages...  Hmmm...  Nakes sense...

[Recharger]

I did not even have to do the clock, it was mint, as most are.

You know why I believe that is..?  Because all the JUICE running through the instrument cluster...  That particular guage needs little to run on, so it must have something that cuts down the power...   Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that Auxillary Headlamp Wiring Set-Up, cut-down all that power going through our instrument clusters? 

I had a '68 Satellite with this Headlamp Wiring Conversion done, and the headlamps were MUCH Brighter than any MoPar I've ever seen...

I'm gonna start a thread to see if somone has a "How To" on that wiring deal... 

EDIT:  Here it is:  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=21342.msg231883#msg231883

actually I think it's because the clock is made of aluminum and the rest of the gauges are steel.

Good job, DKN, looks great!     I recently redid my 68 bezels too, I and I must say I wish I knew about that krylon paint before.  I used the Duplicolor semi gloss black and couldn't find 2 cans that would come out with the same finish.  I ended up redoing mine a few times over to get something presentable.    And I know what you're saying about needing to be patient with the bare metal foil, I tried that route myself and gave up on it.   I figured the small gauges would be the hardest part, so that's where I started.  I never got any farther than that.

I ended up using a modeler's chrome paint (Alcad 2 I think) that turned out as well as or better than the metal foill.  I'm not sure if it's the same stuff Bill is talking about from Eastwoods, but it has to be sprayed with an airbrush.   It only cost $5 or $10 bucks for enough to do at least 2 sets of bezels, but obviously if you don't already have an airbrush there's a lot more cost to factor in.  Also, there's a lot of time to factor in with taping off all those little bezels....  By the time I was done with it all I was ready to drop the $400 on the repro bezels, but after hearing that they don't fit right I'm glad I didn't pay throught the nose for a not-quite-right-repop.  I don't have any pics on my laptop, but I can post some later if you want when I get back to my other PC. 

[squeakfinder]

I haven't tried this with the clear plastic lens that go's over the gauge's. But, spray on furniture polish will fix scratched eye glasses and I think plastic safety glasses.

[Manfred318]

I found out that Zymol polish works fairly well on the lenses that go over the gauges. I'm gonna get started on my bezel later today and will post some pics when I finish. DK great job on the dash!!! How much do the gauge face inserts run for a set, I would like to get a set if they are not to high priced.

[HITMAN 149]

hey fred....
thery have a website....... www.whiteguages.net
they are on ebay for around $30-$35 bucks
-JOHN

[squeakfinder]

It's been over a year ago since I bought my gauge stickers from white gauges on FEEBAY, but I think it was $30.00 with shipping back then. I specified I wanted the stock look (black background white letters). I have no complaints about how it turned out. Very easy installation. I would make sure you get the faces sanded smooth if theres much rust on the faces of the gauge. If you don't they come out a little bumpy, not real bad tho. Don't ask how I know.

[hookem78613]

Are the letters on the switches white?  I thought the were silver too? 

[dkn1997]

'day be white...

[dkn1997]

received my quartz clock conversion in the mail yesterday and tore into it.  not that hard, worst part for me was putting the face and second hand trim ring back together, but still not too bad.  hooked it up to my battery last night and when I came down this morning, it was still keeping time, so that's cool. 

How much would you guys pay for a nice used clock with quartz movement and new adjust knob?  I have an extra clock from another cluster.....curious if it's worth it to try...

[hookem78613]

There has got to be someone else besides RedLine who offer the volt meter conversion?  I wish I had a spare cluster to see if I could get one to fit.  I don't want to use the ammeter but still want to look stock!

Hookem

[dkn1997]

I am thinking about getting a generic volt gauge and having a local shop make me a vinyl decal to go over it that matches the stock gauge lettering.  it's a novel idea, but I am not paying someone over 100 bucks to make me a gauge. 

If I only had access to the font of the original, that would be sweeeetttt.

[6670charger]

Nice work on the dashes, guys.  If I ever get another second gen, that's probably how I'll do my dash.  Can't do it with a 1st gen, as the chrome on the pods would not look quite right.

[smasherofall]

here's a pic of mine, i used Krylon semi-flat black and this elmers white paint pen i got from wallyworld, went on perfect and very easy to use, the chrome fingernail polish i used in the large areas, and silver sharpie on the small areas:

[Manfred318]

Looks great!! I finished my dash and radio bezel a/c delete panels kick pannels and the large pannel above the glove box today. I will post the pics as soon as I get some new batterys in my camera.