Custom Dash for a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda

Posted by pikesan on Feb 9, 2013 in How-To & Tech | 0 comments

How to Build a Custom Dash for a Barracuda

My buddy Scott Hallner’s a hard working man! He found a 1967 Barracuda that I think alot of people would have passed on. It had what’s known as some, “rust issues”. OK, the car was rusty BAD! Check this out:

Scott did a pretty amazing job replacing body panels and a host of other body work & paint, then he got to work on updating nearly everything in the car to install a pretty nasty Dodge small block. See all of his work in his MyRideisMe.com Garage. Along the way, he turned his attention to dash. He’d already installed a Vintage Air system, so to finish it off, he made a completely custom dash. Here’s the finished product, then you can see how he did it below.

Making a Custom Dash and Gauge Cluster

1) The plastic cluster and trim were trashed so I started w/sheetmetal. A local HVAC shop bent my piece for free. A piece of cardboard was used to mock up the layout.

2) Making the gauge pods: Scott used exhaust scraps that were 3.5 and 3″ in diameter. 3.5″ is perfect for Auto Meter 3 5/8″ gauges. 3″ is a bit large for 2 5/8″ gauges, so I cut the tailpipe and shrunk it down to about 2 3/4″.

3) Holes were cut with a Dremel and die grinder. This took the most time of all. Take your time to trim the pods and cut the holes, especially if you’re trying to angle the gauges toward the driver’s seat.

4) Trimmed to fit the dash

5) Backside shows the welding

6) I made a matching piece for the glove box trim and finished off the small gaps with some filler.

7) In primer

8) Painted -  Top half is wrinkle paint, bottom is Summit base/clear

9) Dash painted hot rod black – then the Vintage Air system installed

Finished Custom Dash!
11) Gauges are Auto Meter Sport Comp II I went with all electric gauges.

I think it looks fantastic! (and even better in person) Scott’s inspired me to try something custom for my Falcon wagon project. It’s kind of a, if he can do it… so can I! Right? If you’ve put a custom dash in your hot rod, let me know! I can always use more inspiration. Thanks Scott!