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Put the Luster In Your Cluster: Re-hab for An Early Dash and Gauges

By Ed Zinke

This is just how beat up the dash bezel had become over time. Cracks around each mounting hole removed any chance of re-using the old unit, but with the quality parts now available why should you?

The new tachometer from OPGI.com replaces the clock in the original location. Notice how hard it is to read the gauge faces as compared to the tach face. This is due to actual dirt and aging of the plastic lense of the gauge cluster.

Considering the hood and dashboard are the two things you see most of your prized Chevelle as you cruise the scene, there is no reason in today‘s world of quality aftermarket products not to have the most pristine outlook possible. While paint solves the hood issue, restoring or upgrading your present dash and gauge cluster is a simple process that pays huge dividends.

Our project‘s dash insert and gauge cluster was trashed. While plans for the ‘64 Chevelle are to keep it close to stock appearance, I had to have a tachometer and desperately needed to upgrade the appearance of the 40-plus-year-old parts. You could hardly read the gauge face through the years of grunge that had accumulated. Faithful Chevelle owners: Trust me when I say this is an easy project, as the work you see here took all of two hours with plenty of breaks in between.

Before hitting the garage, I contacted Original Parts Group and secured an In-Dash tachometer that was an exact reproduction of GM‘s offering in 1964. Replacing the failing clock in the dash was a no-brainer, and the suggested retail price was a modest $278.98. The next step was a new Dash Bezel. This new piece put the gleam of chrome back on the bezel that had long since been polished off by the previous owner. We plunked down the suggested retail of $119.95, giving us the final part needed to head back to the barn for some wrench-turning therapy.

Removing the entire bezel assembly from the car was relatively simple matter of unplugging sending wires, removing the oil sender line, pulling off the radio control knobs and retaining nuts, and finally the removal of mounting-face Philips screws. Placing the bezel on a trusty worktable allowed the logical and straightforward disassembly of the gauge cluster and grouping of parts. The old clock was removed by two attaching screws, and the tach mounted in its place. Before reassembly, we cleaned and polished everything for that "just new" look.

This is the perfect weekend project if your dash is looking a bit weathered and you want to retain that stock appearance. All parts are readily available and certainly within the budget of most everyone‘s project. The results speak for themselves and are a welcome sight every time you climb behind the wheel.

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1. Removing the four mounting screws lets you separate that gauge cluster from the dash bezel. Be careful not to damage any of the grounding straps.

2. From the back, the four mounting bolts and grounding straps for the gauge cluster are visible. Note that this clock has been out of the dash before as evidenced by the pencil marking on the back.

3. Fold-over tabs hold the gauge cluster face to the unit. Carefully bending these tabs back allows you to complete disassembly of the cluster. To add a factory-style tach this step may not be necessary, but due to age and wear, our unit was in for a thorough cleaning.

4. Unscrew the two mounting screws on the factory clock. The OPG tach is a perfect-fit replacement.

5. The tach fits neatly in place. The speedometer and engine-information cluster, along with the housing, needed a little upkeep prior to reassembly. We carefully cleaned the entire area.

6. The plastic gauge lense was another matter. Through years of cleaning the face had received a lot of scratches and clouding. Plastic Polish, like that available from Mothers, was used with light pressure to bring the luster back. Take real care: So as not to affect the numbering scaled on the backside the unit is set on a piece of soft foam rubber.

7. A more rigorous cleaning was in order for the cluster faceplate. We used mild dish soap and water with a light touch to get 41 years of stuff off.

8. The improvement is drastic with the faceplate and lens back in place on the gauge cluster.

9. Reversing the disassembly process, the gauge cluster is positioned onto the new True Connections bezel. With the grounding straps back in place, the four mounting screws are inserted and tightened to snug only to avoid potential damage. The end result is one dramatic improvement that will give a clear view of engine vitals and miles of motoring smiles.

TOOL TIPS: Most all Chevelle owners know the trick behind disassembling the key lock assembly. A simple paper clip unfolded and inserted into the hole next to the key unlocks the tumbler mechanism from the rest of the unit. After fumbling for a while trying to remove the mounting nuts on the wiper and light switches, we found that snap ring pliers were the perfect tool. The pliers‘ tips are inserted into the two holes found on the mounting nuts. Only slight pressure was required to remove each. More important is that during reassembly there was virtually no risk of scratching our new bezel surface.