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Launching new instrument package-looking for input
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These are on-sale now, go to the last page and order up,
We expect to deliver all pre-orders 02/01/2011 Here are some updated images, as promised: The 68 Series: http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/19...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/28...600x600Q85.jpg 1969 Series http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/32...600x600Q85.jpg More hotrod/street rod, the Woodward Series http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/33...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg Eventually we will stock these in the 1940, 1967 Performance and Redline Series of gauges, and of course, we can alwas build a custom set Mark Mark We just got the green light to kick off this program that has been on the back burner for a couple of months. We want your input into the features you want in this particular package. Ideally, if we had a base package that would be great on its own, plus have the flexability to anticipate custom needs, we can have a great product at a great price. This is kind of how we approach all of our projects-actually find out what the customer wants. The intent for the volume product is a set of 5" 3-in-1 gauges (see below) My personal feeling is that the look is much more balanced than some of what is out on the market today. These will be able to be mounted in the stock dash in 67-69 Camaros, or any other vehicle that you have the room in. The mounting hole is 4-3/8 and the OD is 4-3/4. It will have a fully programmable speedometer, tach, pressure, temp and 0-90 ohm fuel gauge. What else do you need? Warning lamps, turn signals? shift lamps? What RPM range are you looking for? Realistically, 8K is probably good for most, but if you guys want 10K let me know. Speedo range? 140, 200? We can do through the dial or perimiter lighting-which do you prefer? Style-this is what we are really good at, what style are you looking for? OEM-era look? Super modern? retro? What colors are you looking for? One product will never be for everyone, but if we can do domething that has the basis everyone wants, we can easily change graphics, pointers, etc as needed. Below is the basic setup we were going to start with, a 69-ish looking graphic, looks period, mint green graphics on a black background. But, its not what I think, its what you think that is important, so let us know what you want! Thanks Mark http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/45...600x600Q85.jpg |
I think most people here would like something more race inspired than hot rod, or retro looking. Most cars on this website have auto meter sport comp type gauges I'd go for more of that look.
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Thats kind of the point, there seems to be only a couple of players in the market and why settle for what everyone else has? I see plenty of cars that are simply awesome, until you get to the dash. With a limited amount of choices, everyone defaults to what everyone else has. the dash is the final frontier in completing a car, we are trying to step it up and bring some real style to the market. Mark |
Wow, I love them. I like the classic look. That is why the CIs are currently on my consideration list, along with having my OE ones rebuilt to modern standards.
Carte blanche? Hell yeah turn signals. My #1 mark against the CIs. Idiot lights? Low fuel (1/8th tank?) would be cool. Maybe just lights for volt/oil/temp to use senders? I'd guess programmable would be asking too much (money). Programmable shift light and MPH light (like a speedminder) would be nice to have. They can be small LEDs. That 140 looks ok. I'd fear 200 would be too condensed. I'd have to see. http://www.ozfbody.com/images/Spdwar.jpg |
I hear you Scott, pricing will be VERY competitive, complete kit for under $500.00. We don't have a ton of overhead, so our prices are prety good, and we make all of our gauges at our shop here in Detroit.
We used to rebuild and retrofit instruments, but when it cost a customer $1500-$3K to do a full blown custom retrofit, it didn't make alot of sense. That is why we started building instruments that have the feel of an era. Get the period look, without the hit in the wallet. Mark |
great design
Ok
If i had a 69 camaro again these would be it !! Love the less is more packaging..NOT 6 INDIVIDUAL GAUGES BUT TWO. EYES on the dash and its all right there. alot of FUEL INJECTION engine in these cars now..check engine light built in would be great. If you want to stir things up get this set up rendered with different face types..kinda like a silver face with black numbers to compete with the comp autometerish deal . i think until some of these guys see the face options rendered you wont know what sets them off..be alot of guessing. Good luck and your product looks great !!! Tom |
Thanks Tom
We will probably have a few different styles. Trying to nail down content and positioning of components right now. Maybe we need to figue out how many warning lamps in each gauge. Maybe 4, 2 turn signals, hi beam and 2 warning lamps? Mark |
I like the idea of a classic look for my 68 with modern internals. Since I'd be looking at replacing my current setup, I'd need high beam and directional indicators. Warning light would suffice for volts. A built in programmable shift light would be great. I'd like to minimize extra gauge mounting. I like the picture you show of the classic look.
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I like the "all in two" approach to the 67/68 dashes.. nice and simple.
Classic Instruments makes on like this with the speedo/tach on one side and a "four pack" of gauges on the other side. On their version the speed is large and the tack is a small sweeper at the bottom. I think a better idea would be to the the tack LARGE and the speedo just a small sweeper at the bottom. Or even have the speedo just be a small digital readout at the bottom. Tack is important, while MPH is just something you need to know to make sure you don't get a ticket. Did that make sense? As for warning lights my dream list would be: turn sigs, high beam, check engine and a very bright oil pressure warning light. Nice stuff! |
I think that the trick here is getting the right number/colors onto the PC board and then having icons that are generic, but meaningful at the same time. Turn signals will dedicate a gauge to a side, but that's life. If you don't need a certain function (like shift lamp) just don't hook it up, you won't see it until its on anyway. We use a dead front which conceals the lamps when off. I (probably myself) will come up with something to share.
Appreciate the input Mark Here is a custom set we did a while ago, came out pretty nice, kept the original theme of the car, with just turn signals and high beam. http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/43...600x600Q85.jpg |
I like the direction you are going with these Mark. In regards to the set shown at the top of the thread, maybe a higher number on the speedo (160-180-200?) and turn indicator lamps, two warning lamps that can be used for the builders/owners discretion.
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With the magic of MS Paint, this was a simple thought.
I'm personally good with simple colors, although little icons are fine. So a green light is as good as an arrow for turn signals. Each small gauge gets a red light, low gas and the others could be simple lights on senders. On the tach a yellow SES, blue light for high beams and red shift where the ODO is on the speedo is good enough for me. Is this doable? I have no idea, you're the electronics genius! |
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Thanks Mark |
An 8,000 rpm tach is plenty.
Can the smaller gauges be turned around so the markings are along the edge of the gauge? It seems you might be made to make them bigger that way. As for lights, I'd say turn signals, high beam, maybe parking brake warning, maybe shift light as an option. While I like the "all in two" concept, I'm not a fan of either set of gauges - the first seem too retro, the second set just doesn't do it for me, though I can't say why. |
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just wanted to echo some of the comments that resonated with me and throw in a couple of my own.
+1 for TACH with a small digital MPH. lots of motor cycles do this and I've always thought this was a good idea for custom car dashes. 1 big tach in the middle with speedo incorporated and then add whatever other gauges you need on either side. I'm sure you don't want to make that radical of a change for this project but something to think about. - I agree you don't need a volt meter, just an idiot light. I get that it balances things out but maybe use the space for all the other suggestions that have come up. - I also agree that 8k for the tach is plenty. I do not like the idea of buying a 10k tach when I know my car should never be above 6500 - 7000... - I think the CEL (check engine light) is a great call for all the guys running LS engines - I want a 160 MPH speedo! :D just because... I agree 200 is ridiculous (for almost everyone) but 160 feels just aspirational enough :cool: -design wise I'm in the more modern camp |
I love the first set of gauges. I like the classic look, myself. My personal options would be the 140 mph speedometer, 8K tach, turn signals (arrows), high beam indicator, check engine, and low fuel. If you can capture those features in the first set of gauges you posted, you'll be receiving my credit card number when I get to the interior portion of my build. Great loking product! :thumbsup:
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Love them
I really like the classic style, too. I'm an old early mustang builder and the big round gauges look good. The one thing I have never liked about the gen1 Camaros is the gauges. These are GREAT!
Now that I own a '55 Chevy I have been trying to figure out what to do about the instruments. I just do NOT like the Autometer 5-gauge cluster some people are using. The Classic Instrument cluster is one of my preferred choices, but I have really given a lot of thought to trying to set up a series of gauges that would look good. Looking forward to see what else you come up with. |
Thanks again everyone, we now have a few things to consider in this stage of development.
From what I can tell, we need to have at least 2 styles, retro and modern, plus we can always do a custom set for a customer. I am going to see if we can get 4 warning lamps per gauge, then there is plenty of flexibility in what needs to be monitored. I will work on some layouts for the components and get it over to the engineers tomorrow. The think I like best about this set is the balanced look, the competition to this package looks really heavy and hard to read on the speedo/tach and the quad gauge looks lost, visually I think the 3-1s will be easier to read . Anything else, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again, this really helps Mark |
Are the lights going to be LED's?? Will you be able to change the color of the lights? I wouldn't mind the green colored lights for a retro look but would also be fine with some bright LED's. Keep the updates coming. I'm looking forward to something that will go in the stock position and is friendly on the wallet.
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We will use white LEDs on the PCB and change backlighting and warning lamp colors by screening the translucent color on the back of the dials. So you can get any color you want, custom work won't be free, but at least with a good starting point it will make it much less expensive than starting from scratch. I should know a little more in a day or so, we are planning on launmching these in March. Mark |
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These are just what I was looking for, where were these 6 months ago? Pic of current gauges attached. Cars been on the road 3 weeks I can aready see a change in it's future. :rolleyes: I am running a console with gauge package in my 68 Camaro with LS1 so for my purpose would just need speedo & tacho. |
Roger,
No problem, those look like autometer or SW gauges, we can re-face those pretty easily. Do you have a pic of how you mounted them? What do your console gauge look like? it would be nice to have them all match. I like to do all of the gauges in one file, on top of each other so that all of the elements are the same size and line up properly. Yours look pretty good, just need some tweaks to really make them look right. Mark |
A minor point but the 68 stock housing already has the high beam indicator. I like the possibilities here!
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Hi Mark,
I really like your gauges! Question...are you going to have any sizes to replace a 2 5/8" autometer? I only see 2 1/16"... If not, how hard is it to replace a black autometer bezel with a chrome one? Thanks, Jason PS. I'm originally from NW Ohio and used to work in Toledo...I hope the snow isn't too bad! |
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What I really don't like about these gauges is the lack of turn signal (these are the leds at top of each binnacle, very hard to see in daylight). The high beam indicator is top LED between binnacles and Check Engine Light is bottom red one between binnacles. I would much prefer an OE look with inbuilt turn signals, low fuel light would be nice. Happy with 8k tach, but 140mph would be better than current 120mph. cheers Roger |
Jason,
We have been toying around with the 2-5/8" size idea for a while, the issue is is would cost about $8K to tool up the can, bezel, lenses, and light mask. So that means to recoup the cost we would have to sell about 850 sets in one year, which is quite a few for us. We have refaced Autometers in the past for 2-5/8. As for replacing the bezel, no problem, you can do it yourself, the only problem is where to get the bezels. Roger, Sounds like yu need a new speedo to get to 140. Backlighting, no problem. So I assume the dials are backlit and the pointers are not? It looks like a designer could help out those console gauges too, get a better, more cohesive look to your setup. Mark |
BUMP!!! Making sure there is progress.
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Thanks for the bump
I should have some updates tomorrow (saturday) with some images of the direction we are going. Here is a sneak peek: Mark http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg |
I really like those Mark. ^^^^^ I could really clean up my second gen camaro dash with those.:thumbsup:
What diameter are you making these? |
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More to come tomorrow Mark |
I like what your doing here and am anxious to see more. I'm trying to decide what guages to run myself and don't really wanta go the "pro comp" direction again. Keep us posted on these!
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(water temp is low, lol) |
Gauges
I have to get my hands on a set of these for my 68 camaro. I have been looking for a set like this for a long time. I need the 0-90 ohms sending unit, 10k square wave speedo, just turn signals and high beams. Other vendors have different sending units and conversion kits to get the speedo to work correctly. These are exactly what I want right out of the box.
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yes we are planning on a 0-90 ohm sender for GM vehicles. As for the 10K sq wave sender, not sure why anyone would need an adapter to make an electronic speedo work. That is a standard hall effect pulse and should work on any electronic speedometer. As for 10K I assume you mean 10K per mile. Ours will take up to 150,000 pulses per mile, which is close to what the VSS puts out from the driveshaft on most late model GM stuff. Mark |
Ok,
Here are some updates. We will do custom graphics, pointers, etc on these but we will launch with 3 styles. One style will match our Woodward Series (a 30s style deco set) and the two shown below. We will also be manufacturing these as private label for one other company with different graphics more for the street rod crowd. The first style is based off of some input from earlier in the thread. We were running some tests with some metal ink and found that we can achieve an aluminum look with the printing process. That led us back to our original concept from about a year ago, more of a 67-68 look, but modernized a bit. More of an OEM look. We wanted the set to look right in an original car, or something updated. I think the set, even in its rough form can pass pretty well for modern or period. Enough words, here are the pics: http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg Below is the rough of the lit appearance. Warning lamps are place holders, but I think we have the main needs covered. Not sure if we should go red/white all red, red/blue on the lighting, we wil have to do some mock-ups. They will be backlit, through the dial lighting. http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg The 2nd style, I think will be available in white or black face. Normal perimiter lighting and the warning lamps may be optional, it all depends on complexity. More of a "value" set that has good looks and function, more for the race look crowd. http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/45...600x600Q85.jpg When will these be available? We should have functional prototypes in about a month. From there we have about a 6 week test cycle that we have to go through and our European CE certification to do. We have to to temperature, vibration, humidity and shock testing as well as functional tests. I hope to have them available by mid May. We will be showing some mock-ups at the Hot Rod and restoration show next month, hopefully get some of our dealers on board. We are also working on a 6 gauge set with a similar theme, for some who have different vahicles but do not want this layout. Mark |
I really like the new designs. Personally, I'd still want seperate matching gauges for all the vitals. Larger and easier to read. Cramming all those readings into a tiny package isn't ideal but I realized there is a market for it. I'd build them both ways.:thumbsup:
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Looks great, I'll keep watching and bumping this thread. LOL This will be on my list for purchasing this spring.
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great design
Mark
LOVE YOUR GAUGES ..Designs look great..I dont have a camaro but the styles on those all in 2 gauge sets are SHARP . :thumbsup: Tom |
Mark,
Nice guages and design! As far as the color, do you have the ability to include green as an option? I'm thinking of the green that matches the factory guages of my 67 Camaro. |
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