While having gauges directly in front of the driver is ideal, the Thunderbird dash doesn't allow for good placement of auxiliary gauges.
I saved some pieces from a 58 TBird I had in the seventies, the previous owner did a great job of adding gauges to the glove box door and replaced the clock with a tach. While not the best spot for monitoring gauges when driving, I could easily read them during warm-up and when stopped in traffic. And your motorhead buddies couldn't help but watch the gauges while in the car. Additionally, the Oil and Gen lights remained functional in tandem with the gauges, I think having both is a benefit.
Aesthetically, this installation fit nicely, it looked built in, closely resembling what the factory might have done, didn't appear as an afterthought for deficiencies from the assembly line. If any maintenance was needed, open the door and all the wiring and lights were accessible, though use of the glove box compartment became limited. If anyone with a 59 or 60 considers doing this, today there are white faced gauges available that would coordinate nicely white dashes for those years.
Attached are some photos. I don't advocate cutting your original door, but my experience is that plenty of extra doors appear at swap meets and on-line if you look for them.
I saved some pieces from a 58 TBird I had in the seventies, the previous owner did a great job of adding gauges to the glove box door and replaced the clock with a tach. While not the best spot for monitoring gauges when driving, I could easily read them during warm-up and when stopped in traffic. And your motorhead buddies couldn't help but watch the gauges while in the car. Additionally, the Oil and Gen lights remained functional in tandem with the gauges, I think having both is a benefit.
Aesthetically, this installation fit nicely, it looked built in, closely resembling what the factory might have done, didn't appear as an afterthought for deficiencies from the assembly line. If any maintenance was needed, open the door and all the wiring and lights were accessible, though use of the glove box compartment became limited. If anyone with a 59 or 60 considers doing this, today there are white faced gauges available that would coordinate nicely white dashes for those years.
Attached are some photos. I don't advocate cutting your original door, but my experience is that plenty of extra doors appear at swap meets and on-line if you look for them.
Comment