Gauge hole size?

[Yama-Bro]

Hi Guys,

Getting ready to cut the holes in my dash for my gauges & switches. How much extra do you figure into the hole size for the vinyl covering?

Thanks,

Frank

[edwardb]

Measure the thickness of the covering (whatever it is) with a micrometer, and add 2X that to the diameter of the gauge. Cut on the slightly small size for a snug fit. Most materials will compress a little.

[Fixit]

I'd recommend using a piece of scrap and making a test panel...

You'll get a feel for how the material cuts, what drills/hole saws/etc to use to achieve the final hole(s) you need, and then a little practice on upholstery. It really helped me after I did the final layout work, and then when I bit the bullet and cut the real thing!

TestPanel`01.png TestPanel`02.png

[phileas_fogg]

x2 on making a test panel. And measure every component you're going to install. I found that the blue indicator light was slightly larger than the green indicator lights. I drilled based on the blue, and my greens are just loose enough to bug me.


John

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm planning on using the FFR supplied material. I just dug it out of the box. It's pretty thick. Now I see why everyone dislikes this stuff. I measured about .045" compressed, although I could get it down to .030" if I really squeezed the calipers. I think if I went with .030" it would be an extremely tight fit. Unfortunately, FFR doesn't supply enough extra material to do any trial fits with the material.