Now, since a lot of the big work is done, it’s that time where the bits
and morsels of the arduous task at hand become more relevant; those
smaller effects that make a restoration stand out from the other
restifications in the car show parking lot.
When I first got the Barracuda into my driveway, the first thing I did
was take out the dash frame for a complete restoration. It was something
I could do during the winter months in my little work space. I removed
all the plastic bezels for a complete makeover, blasted the frame and
polished up all the metal trinkets and knobs that make up a mid-’60s
instrument panel.
After restoring the all the pieces, and coating the frame in a nice
blanket of blue, I re-assembled the gleaming parts back into their
respective places, stood back, and admired my handywork. But
something stood out as just not belonging in my newly freshened dash
set-up. While everything looked new and relevant to a high end project,
the yellowed-out numbers on my black-faced gauge clusters stood out
like a punk rocker at a James Taylor show. It just didn’t belong....
The heat and U-V rays did a number on the original off-white numbers
on the speedo, and it also dulled out the print on the smaller gauges.
And since I was doing more of a resto-mod than a numbers-matching
gold medal restoration, I felt I could take plenty of liberties with the
overall styling of the project.
Luckily, through the “Mopar Vine” of communications of our beloved
hobby, I heard there was an easy fix at hand that was also easy on the
pockets. Since I was ready to get the cluster and dash back into the car,
the fix worked well since it was a quick solution.
I called the guys at Whitegauges.net and talked to them about re-doing
my cluster. Luckily, they were just putting the finishing touches on a
new set of replacement faces for my ’64 dash set-up.
The difference in the look of the newly restored dash is mind blowing.
Here’s how it all went down:
SOURCES
WhiteGauges.net
http://www.Whitegauges.netThe Eastwood Company