plus 6 hundred and thirty two.

 

custom aluminum dashboards...any one know a good company that sells them? let me know.

 

theres a company called doityerself that does, and conveniently enough, they work right in your garage

 

lol, ya i deal with them alot. i have never worked with anything like this, and am researching right now what kind of tools i would need to do this on my own. i am assuming if i get a thin sheet i can do all the cutting with tin snips, and bending with like a wood block and a hammer? i would have to tke it in to get welded, but i am sure i can take it to the muffler shop and get some tachs done. is there any tools i can purchase that would help in this project or is it as simple as i am thinking

 

to do it at home the backyard fab way a bunch of different style clamps and a good vise are a starting point. a nice thick wood or steel shop table with a solid square top and edges works for bend forming flat thin plate, just clamp the flat stock to the table and slowly bend it over the edge. as to cutting, it all depends on tools and time involved. tin snips could work, but an air cutter(don't know the real name, hope you know what i mean) or an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel would make it quicker.
as to welding it up, you might have to hit up a local welding or fab shop. i don't know if the local muffler shop would be able to pull off nice clean tig welds on thin aluminium.

 

Never thought id say this but Dan FTW! LOL + reps!

 

thanks dan, i will be giving it a shot next week i think

 

thanks larry
and be sure to get some pics for us. pics=good

 

alright so..big question is...aluminum or sheet metal?

 

if the welding is a big concern, or you plan to paint it i'd go with sheet steel. otherwise aluminium, diamond plate and old flattened out empty beer cans both bring a different sort of "classiness" to the cab

 

I have never seen a muffler shop that can weld aluminum.

Aluminized exhaust pipe is welded just like mild steel.

I'd say sheet metal of the steel variety is ur best bet. Don't need special cutting wheel/sanding/grinding disks for it.

 

Agreed!...

 

ya agreed, will take some pics and keep everyone posted throughout this process. i am working the cab first, then once the truck is done and have all the electrical kinks worked out to work with the carb and not the efi, ill build up the motor. i have the wiring harness still in there with the 5.4 computer. but worried fi remove the entire wiring harness ill loose all the interior lights, headlights, brakes, etc. i am thinking i might rewire them all myself, but would rather not to be quite honest. so that step one. new dash, new gauges and the wiring.

 

new questions..need some links to some info pertaining to wiring harness removal. if i take out the entire wiring harness, i loose all power to everything. is there a way to do this , or a step by step online somewhere. cant find a forum on it yet. i can just take each wire i need, i.e. blinkers and head lights, run them about a foot or two back and cut the wires and run them manually up. but is there a way to remove the most of the harness and keep the basics like main power to the headlights, brake lights, interior lights speakers, etc. i dont do electronics very well, and of coarse at first glance it seems impossible. but istarted tracing some wires and i figure if i just cut open the harness and keep my basic wiring, could this work?

 

Yup there is a way..... grab and yank