Rather than continue on hijacking an old thread, I started a new one. (Please contain your excitement.) As a point of reference, here's the old one: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...h-installation
To pick up where we left off, the challenge is to get the right size hole for the speedo and tach. These are "vintage" gauges. Keep in mind that I'm covering the aluminum with a wood veneer so there won't be the vinyl cushion folded into the opening. Here's the problem:
This is what the pre-cut dash looks like (as if you never saw this before...)
You can see that the gauge is bigger than the pre-cut hole, but not as big as the alternate cuts on the dash.
The pre-cut hole is 3 1/2 inches.
The cardboard cutout in the box is 3 7/8. That should be the right size for the hole in the dash. Maybe a little bigger, but not much. John (Phileas_fogg) suggests 3.9, and that's pretty darn close.
OK, nothing new so far. Here's the real issue. Left to my own devices, I'd probably work on the opening with the dremel tool, but there's probably a better way that someone else has tried. John (Phileas_fogg) suggested a hole cutter in the other thread, but the setup (i.e. centering) for that would be problematic given that I already have an opening, and I'm only trying to expand it. The hole cutter would be ideal for a blank dash.
Your thoughts? My goal is to get the cut right on the first try. Thanks for your input!