Teds Project Ke70 ~ The Blue Car

[lappy]

nice work guys that wallet looks awfully empty lol keep up the good work

[Teddy]

lol wallet is still full :P - more like time is at a nill value !

[lappy]

always not enough hours in a day

[Teddy]

Dearest Fan Club,

 

I thought it would be good to show you all what ive been SLOWLY hacking away at for the last few months.

 

As some of you know / don't know / I'm doing a completely re-vamped dash. Now, EG. you look at most fast 4 mags, and re vamped dash = retrim in leather in a different colour, colour the plastics, and if your keen, add in some different gauges with those tacky gauge pods into random positions over the dash. Not to mention the 5" tacho that stands out like a sore thumb.

 

I don't like this, well, to say the least, i hate that idea. My idea of doing something like this, is to be different, tasteful and practical; but looking 100% STOCK ! So, with that in mind, here is what i was planning on doing...

 

Lets start off with a Stock Ke70 (my white one yeaars ago) - Note the design, spacing and area around the Stock Radio

 

 

What i want to do, is extend the entire gauge cluster..

All the way to the left of the dashboard assembly - but in such a way that make it look STOCK. Making it look stock requires it to be very non-tacky, and to the finest details.

 

Now that we have that out of the way, Here is a pic of what have done to the surround. For anyone wondering, i didn't use any machines to do it.. was time consuming and fiddly, but not necessarily hard. I used a hacksaw blade (couldn't find the holder assembly, so all by hand :laff:) and some old sand paper dad had in the shed. Not to bad for a first try :P

 

 

Things i needed to remember, and integrate into the design, was how much space was needed around the extra gauge area for the perspex covering. In the next pic of so, you can see that ive had to remove a lip off the top of the air ducting, and use some spaces to make it sit back 2mm or so, to give more clearance. (ive had it ALL together, including test perspex window, and when i say theres no space left, i really mean.. there is NO space left :P) - The pics !

 

 

Its at this point i should say i had a gauges thread awhile ago.. in a nutshell, i purchased a 11K tacho, water temp, oil temp, oil press and volt gauges off ebay. They were the cheapest things on the market, and as soon as they got unwrapped, they got pulled apart :P

 

Remember above, how i said "yada yada 100% Stock?" - well, this means that even the gauge backing must be stock.. = every gauge i purchased got striped down, scanned onto the computer (Add about 15 hours work in here editing them) edited them all, and ended up with these...

 

 

To move things along a bit, i wont bother going into detail on how i made up the left hand side of new gauge cluster design - if you MUST know, its just 2mm cardboard cut & glued accordingly. Its strong, dw ;). Once i made that section, i joined it onto the end of the cluster. Note, i had to remove the left wall of the cluster. Joining these, and keeping them in position was a MOLE of a job. This is what it looks like...

 

 

Now, add the cover, and this is what you get...(outlined a carbon copy section in red, so you can see the lines)

 

 

Now, you can't see it, but on the new gauge section, the piece of car board that has the red line on it (see pic below)

fits Flush into with, in front of that air cont duct lip that i hacked down earlier. In the area thats left, which isn't much, thats where the plastic perspex window sits!

 

Heres a pic of the design of the perspex cover that fits over everything. Note, this is 1/2 the reason why i needed the spacers on that air duct above - the perspex, as well as described above. Ive still got to get a CSX cluster, and do some measurements for the digital clock hole, as well as a few holding tabs... Once thats all sused out, its off to get made by a bloke i know, who does perspec's stuff !

 

 

A few more points to add to all of that - I'm using retro needles from a jag XJ90 ? - thanks Volvo friend, X Warranty :laff: - they are so cool !!!... - the ones for the other gauges have like 1/2 size pointers, so its all matching!

 

 

Also, I'm getting some chrome rings from the UK to surround the gauges.. they wont be as high as that in the example pic, and will sit in alotmore more flush with the design. What you see here is what i got off the jag console... (just a slap together for an example pic, on a non-tacho (S / SE / CS) cluster) - Let it be noted that the temp gauge (bottom) will be removed, and replaced with a Stock looking Volt meter, and the fuel gauge will be moved up slightly, with the indicators being moved offsett to one another equally. Doing this to keep the sizing and spacement even between the chrome rings. (ooo i can't wait to get my rings :D)

 

 

I'm still making my mind up how exactly to mount the 3 gauges to the left (water, oil temp, oil press) - but ill get something down tap eventually. So far ive used 5x ke70 clusters, 1 integra, 1 jag, 1 ke55's as parts dashes.

 

Oh and the most important thing - how it will look when its finished. I'm sick of typing, and ill make it another nutchell story -> Like some Lexus's, when car is off, ENTIRE gauge assembly will be DEAD midnight black. When you turn the car to the on position, (past accessories), the chrome rings will illuminate up slowly (fader circuit), then after 3 seconds or so, the rest of it will illuminate up. Still makin decision on colours, but most of it will be WHITE with RED. Should look hot when its done, yo ;) - will all be LED's - will look like a lexus in the 80's.. liturally :laff:

 

Hope you guys like it.. Now, i hope you understand this is what i ment by different !

[Teddy]

Let it also be noted, that theres a custom console on the build, and a world first.. A KE70 WITH CUP HOLDERS !

 

ill do a story on that another time.

[Paul]

Let it also be noted, that theres a custom console on the build, and a world first.. A KE70 WITH CUP HOLDERS !

 

Make that second :laff:

 

Oh wait mines an AE71 so yeah first :laff:

 

*reminds me to finish my custom console*

 

Dash is looking sweet as so far, can't wait to see it all done. Definately far more unique than my plans for my project car.

[lappy]

wow all that pianstaking work keep up the good work

[Teddy]

Also ment to upload this before, but forgot.. Its the basic concept of how the interior retrim will go... (well, as far as seats go anyway)

[demuire]

Teddy: You're crazy. Absolutely crazy. And I love it :laff:

 

Something you might want to consider - red dash lights. I had them in my Lancer (changed from boring yellow ones to red ones), and I personally don't think red is a good colour for dash lights, because when the red warning lights come on, you don't notice them. Go for amber or blue or green or some other color.

[love ke70]

blue to match the car....

or green coz its sensationally cool!

:laff::D

 

anyways, this is jus awesome matt :laff:

keep it up fella

[driftke70]

get some of those 10000 mc red led's and you can drive with the added bonus of being blinded. can't go wrong with white leds

[Jason]

ull need light pipes for led to work proply...

[Corolla_Kid]

Hey mate i recently bought some of those led globes but i can't get them to work well enough in my car so if you wanted you could have them for a small sum. I've got 7 if that helps. There usually 10 bucks for 2 supercrap auto.

[Dan]

Mate, keep up the good work, your kesev is f@$king awesome.

[Medicine_Man]

Well, Today was the first day In a while where we got a decent days work in on the KE70 again. Started by getting the Front link pins of the swaybar in to the lower control arms. After that Matt cleaned up the castor bars with a wire wheel so I could paint them black. Once painted the were installed with the new bushes. After that Matt started cleaning up his Fuel and brake lines ready to go back in. While Matt was doing that I was dremeling out the hole for the clutch master, Still a bit off, But I can fix that next weekend when I have some more inspiration...