Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

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GRNSHRK
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Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Well gents, I've had this gauge package purchased from H&B (Hardy & Beck) back in, get this, the year 2000, sitting in a box :oops:

Sometimes you have to buy stuff for these cars while they are still available, knowing that you will get around to dealing with the task, eventually :roll:

This kit came with a custom bracket designed to mount underneath the stereo head unit, which required hacking up the louvered vent panel that covers the A/C blower squirrel cage :-"

I had bought a spare at the time as well, so as not to modify my original, in true green shark fashion :wink:

That task was fairly easy, the gauges mounted in as expected, everything was going as planned :shock:

So far [-(

Well, problem number one, as seen in the photo, was that the blower and left hand gauge interfered with each other :-?

That was remedied by shortening the mounting stud on that gauge and use of a standard hex nut instead of the knurled nuts supplied with the gauges =D>

On to the wiring, I even bought right angle Faston terminals for this purpose, now knowing that space was going to be an issue :-"

The photo of the wiring is not the actual finished product as I had other fitment issues, but resembles this, nice and neat, at least O:)

The second post contains the pix of the panel installed, including how it appears at night, which is nothing what it really looks like in person :!:
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

The back side of the panel showing my wiring job, and the finished product =D>

And I want to throw out a special thanks to the guys who helped me out, Carl (Carlp336) and Craig (pasocb) for sticking with me on this one \:D/
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by Slownrusty »

Wow..that is amazing!!

Love the ole skool Sony as well
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by Tommys 89 635 »

Looks awesome, nice job
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by sharkfan »

I echo the above - that's a very tidy job with pretty period looking gauges.
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Yes sharkfan, period looking gauges all right, since they are old enough to drink beer :roll:

Here's a shot from the lower right hand side, since it's not obvious that this custom panel is finished off on the off side, as well as underneath =D>

Plus it's also cool that the panel sorta angels each gauge a little more towards the driver, than the next \:D/

The panel actually didn't quite match the shape of the louvered panel and required a bit of reshaping, which I achieved by clamping it to my workbench and slowly working it to fit better :-"

The photo I sent to Craig regarding this task, he called "redneck engineering" #-o
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Agreed there’s a little bit of git-erdone work to fit but the finish is excellent. I like the textured surface along with the slight angle for each gauge.

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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Nothing but the best for the green shark, Ralph, of course :-"

Here's 2 shots of my redneck engineering, and I will follow up with my starting photos, sizing things up, as it were :roll:
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by 635sharknose »

Looks really good!
Your radio brings back memories. :D
Mom and Dad had the exact same one in the early 1990s!
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Yes 635sharknose, the Sony head unit is 30+ years old as well :roll:

I still have to rewire the entire stereo, yet another rats nest #-o

So, as promised, I am posting the last of the photos of the gauge installation project, guess I'm posting pix in reverse order :-"

But these show the H&B custom panel before install, as well as the louvered A/C panel before hacking it up to fit the gauges in, along with a shot showing that the fit of the H&B panel was actually quite a bit off from the angle of the louvered panel :-?

Obviously the plastic louvered panel would have conformed to the steel H&B panel and not the other way around, so reshaping it needed to happen, hence the redneck engineering task :-({|=

Just glad it's all done and works =D>
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by Pasocb »

Nice post Bob. Really appreciate all the pictures for us graphic thinking folks!
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Thanks Craig, and you know how adamant I am about photographing my work :wink:

Hope you guys get back to your car projects as well [-o<
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by zinnocoupe »

Its a great project Bobbo. Very cool look and very functional . What else you got hiding in your hoard? Thats a long time to be sitting on that gold :lol: Nice job installing, very professional looking. I've never seen one of those before.
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Thanks Dave, hmm, what else to I have in store :-k

Well, currently working on upgrading the side marker lighting with LED's, tinting to match the rest of the lenses, and replacing the front reflectors in the side bumper surrounds with actual lights, curtesy of an E28, and ralph in SoCal, of course =D>

Also got an NOS headliner on the way from slownrusty :shock:

That project will take a while to get completed, first step will be finding an installer [-o<

Thanks again \:D/
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by sharkfan »

Here's my M635CSi with my oil pressure and voltage gauges - hidden in the ashtray, all backlit too.
Volts and oil pressure.jpg
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2001 Alpina B10 V8 Touring (1 of 12 rhd)
1997 Alpina B12 5.7 L (1 of 2 rhd)
1995 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring (1 of 1 rhd)
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by val_c »

Very nice, Bob!
Reminds my old set-up with 3 VDO gauges in the pod from AUDI GT but yours looks cleaner. Now, with 3-d printers available this can be produced in mass.
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Thanks Val, greatly appreciated =D>

My goal was for as close to a factory look as possible, think I did OK :roll:

sharkfan, curious how well you can actually view your gauges, given how deep they appear to be in the ashtray :-k

Looks like the lid for the tray opens opposite of series 1 cars :-?

I realize that you don't have to look at the gauges constantly, more curious than anything :-"
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by jps635 »

Hers my first go.

I'm pretty sure (need to check) I still have this "binnacle" if anyone wants it, less gauges - postage only. Is styled to replicate the main binnacle. Double sided tape to top of dash and ran cabling through air vents so no holes
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by jps635 »

I then got really serious and went the whole hog

This was a whole lot of work but is reversible , not that I would ever revert to the factory setup. LED backlighting is separately dimmable but also connected to the factory dimmer on the light switch.
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

OK, the Kiwi wins, but I have to admit that going from your first go to '"whole hog" was quite a bit of an improvement, and work, I would assume :-k

I'm not going to do anything with the original cluster, other than replacing the weakass OEM 1.2W bulbs with the 2.3W :-"

These are the "grain of rice" bulbs that are used in the series 1 cars, not sure what you guys have beyond, although I've seen plenty of threads on the subject :-"

Nice job jps635 =D>
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by RossDinan6 »

Since this is becoming a bit of show and tell, here is my Dinan gauge set up.

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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by GRNSHRK »

Pic didn't show Ross :-?

Not for me anyway :-"
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by 86_6series »

+1 on no show photo.
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by sharkfan »

GRNSHRK wrote: Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:20 pm sharkfan, curious how well you can actually view your gauges, given how deep they appear to be in the ashtray :-k

Looks like the lid for the tray opens opposite of series 1 cars :-?

I realize that you don't have to look at the gauges constantly, more curious than anything :-"
The gauges are easily viewable from the drivers seat as a quick indication everything is ok - having spent a few years looking at very accurate gauges on submarines you have to realise car gauges are a finger in the breeze in comparison. The ashtray lid opens towards the rear of the car but almost completely disappears from the line of sight to the drivers head position, and also closes completely over the gauges for an OEM look.

I wanted something as a quick and easy indication but without chopping/drilling or screwing anything into the consoles at all, and thought those gauges, from a Volvo 480ES, might fit in the ashtray space - when they arrived I realised they might even fit in the ashtray - and they did. As with all mods I do, I bought another ashtray to make sure I still had a good one before butchering one to put the gauges in.
2001 Alpina B10 V8 Touring (1 of 12 rhd)
1997 Alpina B12 5.7 L (1 of 2 rhd)
1995 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring (1 of 1 rhd)
1985 BMW M635CSi (1 of 524 rhd)
1982 BMW 635CSiA (1 of 100's left from the 1000's made and still valiantly fighting against a rusty grave)
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Re: Got gauges?!? Series 1 custom VDO gauge installation

Post by RossDinan6 »

Perhaps I can get smart enough to make it work this time.
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