Merle Coggins Posted April 6, 2008 Report Posted April 6, 2008 A little progress report form this weekend. My Girlfriend is out of town this weekend so I could spend some quality time with my other girl. I got my gauges back from my friend with the vinyl sign business. Se did an awesome job on them. Before... AFter... installed and hooked up. I also finished getting my lights installed and wired up. It's actually looking more and more like a truck again. I also got the seat frames cleaned and painted with Rustoleum. Now I can install the seat kits that I got from Roberts last year. Maybe that'll be next weekend's project. Merle Quote
MBF Posted April 6, 2008 Report Posted April 6, 2008 Those guages look great as does the rest of the truck. Please keep the pics coming. Mike Quote
grey beard Posted April 7, 2008 Report Posted April 7, 2008 Hi Merle, Any chance you may have a source for those vinyl gauge and speedo faces available to the rest of us? Thanks, Quote
Merle Coggins Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Posted April 7, 2008 She actually still has my original gauge face plates. I gave her the face plates and a set of complete gauge assemblies from a gauge set that I got from Reg Evans. The complete assemblies were to be used as a guide to make the decals since mine were nearly not legible in some places. At the time I told her there was no rush, so she kept putting it off until this spring when I asked here how it was coming along. She made up the decals and redid the gauge assemblies for me. Then just before I came to get them, and drop off another project for her, she found the gauge face plates in another envelope. She's going to redo those for me too. I asked here how much I owed for her work, and as usual she laughed and said it would be about $1 Million. I've never been able to pay her for anything she's made for me. When I pick up the other pieces I may have to insist on paying her for these because I know she has some time into them. I will also check to see what it might cost if I were to bring her more. It would then be a matter of disassembling your gauges and sending me the face plates. I'd have her put on the new decals and then send them back to you. Like I said, I'll talk to here about it when I go to pick up my other things. I'll let you all know after that if it'll be feasible. Merle Quote
1940Mopar Posted April 8, 2008 Report Posted April 8, 2008 I'm definitely interested in how this comes out and how much she would charge for this service. I've got a 1940 dodge cluster begging for the same treatment. Keep us posted. thanks Quote
Bouncy B Posted April 8, 2008 Report Posted April 8, 2008 Merle, I'd be interested too. That seems like a great way to redo the gauges and speedo, especially if anyone has ever priced gauge restoration. One of things I love about this forum is that people figure out unconventional ways to tackle a problem. There is more than one way to skin a cat and this forum has some of the best catskinners I've ever been around! Richard Quote
Jim Roach Posted April 8, 2008 Report Posted April 8, 2008 Merle, Add me to that list. I'm sure as more members read this it will get pretty long. I'm #3! Thanks, Jim Roach Quote
Jim Shepard Posted April 9, 2008 Report Posted April 9, 2008 I'm interested in re-doing my faceplates too. Also, where'd you get the key fob? Quote
Merle Coggins Posted April 9, 2008 Author Report Posted April 9, 2008 Also, where'd you get the key fob? Ebay Quote
Guest Don Miller Posted April 10, 2008 Report Posted April 10, 2008 Looks like I'm #5 on the list. Quote
Young Ed Posted April 11, 2008 Report Posted April 11, 2008 Merle I'm curious how you got the speedo needle back in the correct spot. Quote
Merle Coggins Posted April 11, 2008 Author Report Posted April 11, 2008 Merle I'm curious how you got the speedo needle back in the correct spot. Trial and error. Actually I set the needle on the spindle loosly and found where it would stop, then adjusted it several times until it was close enough. Quote
Young Ed Posted April 11, 2008 Report Posted April 11, 2008 The 39-47 trucks have a plastic ring with the needle around the outside of that. 1in10000 trucks doesn't have the plastic ring shriveled up from sun and laying in the bottom. My speedo reads 40 at 55 with my self installed speedo needle. Quote
Mario Loya B1B Posted April 11, 2008 Report Posted April 11, 2008 Also, where'd you get the key fob? Ebay Quote
Merle Coggins Posted May 15, 2008 Author Report Posted May 15, 2008 Just to update you all regarding my gauge referbisment. I was out at my friend's sign shop the other day and I was telling her about the rave reviews that she got from you guys. I then asked her what it would cost to do more. She though about it for a moment and then figured that it would probably be around $40-$50. But, she also said that she wasn't interested in doing a bunch of them. These little things aren't cost effective for her business and she will only do them for friends and family. She mostly does larger car, truck, and trailer wraps, or other vehicle signage. She also does banners and other signs for business. Here's her web site http://www.blastgraphicsllc.com/index.html If you have a similar vinyl sign/vehicle graphics business in your area it might be worth a trip in there with your gauges to see if they can do a similar thing to yours. I'm sorry I can't help you guys out more. I would have loved to be able to tell you to send my your gauges and I'd have her fix you up. But I'd rather keep our friendship in tact. On a similar note, I also found this site for a source of the eyelets that hold the front bezels to the gauge housings. http://www.eleathersupply.com/fasteners.shtml I used the 1/4" Nickel Finish eyelets. A package of 100 eyelets with the setting tools was about $12 plus shipping. I had to drill out the holes about 1/32" bigger (with a step drill bit) for the eyelets to fit, but it looks like the original when done. Good luck with your gauge restorations. Merle Quote
Reg Evans Posted May 15, 2008 Report Posted May 15, 2008 Merle, My brother has a small sign shop in Florida. I'll see what he'd charge for several dozen sets. I use to reface old car gauges back in the late 70's. It might be fun to start up again. My mail order business thru Hemmings and swap meets was..........hold on........."DASH GLASS" Quote
Merle Coggins Posted May 15, 2008 Author Report Posted May 15, 2008 There you go Reg. Supplemental income for your "early" retirement. Just think of all the "patterns" you have to work with in your yard. Quote
Jim Shepard Posted May 16, 2008 Report Posted May 16, 2008 Merle (or anyone else out there who knows...), what is the "process" they use? Do they photograph it and then somehow transfer the image to vinyl? Quote
Merle Coggins Posted May 16, 2008 Author Report Posted May 16, 2008 She may have started with a picture of it, or she just drew it up. Either way she does up the art work on her 'puter then prints it out, with a special printer, onto the vinyl material. Then it's applied and smoothed out. She does some awesome work. She does a lot of design work from scratch for many of her customers. Merle Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.