With
the performance potential of this Camaro, stock instruments
and warning lights simply won’t cut it. Instead,
a full complement of AutoMeter® gauges was installed. The
stock instrument panel pods proved to be ideal for
the AutoMeter 5-inch, 11,000 RPM, recall electronic
tachometer and the 5-inch, 200 MPH speedometer. Several
small tabs were added to the rear of each pod to facilitate
the mounting. These big instruments add a racing, no-nonsense
look to the dash.
Installing
the five AutoMeter 2-5/8-inch gauges took considerably
more effort. To hold the oil pressure, water temperature,
boost, voltage, and fuel gauges, Rick “Speed” Lefever
handcrafted a steel panel to fit the dash opening where
the radio and heater controls were originally mounted.
Also fitted to this panel is a center vent for the
air conditioning. If you’re wondering where the
radio or sound system will be mounted, there won’t
be one. The sweet sounds of the engine, the tires on
the pavement, the whoosh of the turbochargers, the
rumble of the exhaust, and the wind rushing by are
the best music you can hear in this machine!
Creating
the center instrument panel for the dash is a story
in creativity, metalworking, and welding. Speed began
with round steel tubing of the correct diameter to
accept the gauges. He then cut short pieces of the
tubing at an angle to match the slope of the dash.
Next, he carefully hammered a bell-mouth opening at
the end of each tube, resembling the stacks on a racing
fuel injection system, only angled. Five matching diameter
holes were then cut in a flat panel of steel and the
bell-mouthed tubes were welded and blended to it. The
finished panel was then welded into the dash.
Don’t
be surprised if some enterprising aftermarket supplier
starts offering a replica of this instrument panel
in either metal or plastic. It is one of the key things
people ask about when they see this Camaro.
Completing the driver information is an AutoMeter RPM-activated shift light
positioned atop the dash. This shift light can be programmed for different
RPM shift points for each gear. This beats watching the tach, especially in
this car where things will happen very quickly, indeed! |
