Cleaning up the dash bezel & Gauges

[mr. fix it]

While I have been waiting for rollers to arrive on the window guide rebuild I turned my attention to the dash bezel & gauges

They have been anything but less than average for a 50+ year old car

I managed to get the clock working by replacing the points contact surface
I carefully scraped clean the function of each gauge lettering as well as dismantling each gauge & sprucing the faces needles to restore the once bright orange colour and satin black faces
The trim pieces themselves are not factory satin black but victims of a previous rattle can spray paint to cover the corrosion common to these cars
( it suits the colour combo of the car so it will stay this way)
I also polished and repaired the lenses as best as possible
I used a fresh orange sharpie marker to enhance the needles

I can now read the gauges once again and currently all lights are functioning
Yay me!!!
Special thanks to my car buddy who helped lay under the dashboard to help clean up the rats nest that was created by one of the previous owners
We’re having fun getting the park brake light to work regularly
The switch at the pedal is problematic staying in alignment

I also installed a new radio system as previously posted
I’m pleased with the results so far

 

[BLUPORT]

I would love to do this to my Newport, but I'm not 100% sure on how the gauge cluster comes out yet, so I haven't touched it. Looks really good!

Nice accelerator pedal, by the way.

 

[mr. fix it]

I would love to do this to my Newport, but I'm not 100% sure on how the gauge cluster comes out yet, so I haven't touched it. Looks really good!

Nice accelerator pedal, by the way.

Thanks!
It gets a lot of comments on that silly thing
I just reinstalled it today
It fell off last year and time to put it back on

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Lookin' good Tom!

Are you familiar with the actual chrome/argent/semi-gloss black treatment the original bezels would have had? I bet you'd be able to do a great job with some nice aluminum paint, semi gloss black paint and then a high gloss silver paint pen to pick out the chrome edges of the bezels where they'd have been originally vacuum metalized chrome. When they're done nicely they really pop, even without the true chrome! Just a thought, as I have a great love for those particular dash setups as you know!

I did just that with my dash prior to restoring them. As I'm sure you know, restoring them involves having the pieces vacuum metalized as per what they'd have been originally and then re-doing the argent and semi-gloss black...

Anyhow - here's a pic of what I mean with the do it yourself version. It's just time invested.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

Thanks!
It gets a lot of comments on that silly thing
I just reinstalled it today
It fell off last year and time to put it back on

Yea my first thought was "What are we 12".

Ha Ha... don't worry I had one of those on my 1st Mini Bike... when I was 12.

 

[mr. fix it]

Lookin' good Tom!

Are you familiar with the actual chrome/argent/semi-gloss black treatment the original bezels would have had? I bet you'd be able to do a great job with some nice aluminum paint, semi gloss black paint and then a high gloss silver paint pen to pick out the chrome edges of the bezels where they'd have been originally vacuum metalized chrome. When they're done nicely they really pop, even without the true chrome! Just a thought, as I have a great love for those particular dash setups as you know!

I did just that with my dash prior to restoring them. As I'm sure you know, restoring them involves having the pieces vacuum metalized as per what they'd have been originally and then re-doing the argent and semi-gloss black...

Anyhow - here's a pic of what I mean with the do it yourself version. It's just time invested.

View attachment 280513

That’s a nice colour setup
The process would be very nice to do
I’d need better pieces to start with as mine are ok but at this point it’ would be like polishing a turd LOL!
I also never realized how offset the clock was until I started working on this

 

[mr. fix it]

View attachment 280514

Yea my first thought was "What are we 12".

Ha Ha... don't worry I had one of those on my 1st Mini Bike... when I was 12.

It was actually installed when I bought the car 6+ years ago and I left it as part of the character or the car & era it came from.
I did remove the de-nutter option off the steering wheel right away though

 

[CBODY67]

Everything looks really good! Congrats!

As I recall, that "thing" on the steering wheel was (at least in my part of the world) a "necker's knob". So that you could have your date sitting next to you, with your right arm around her and use your left arm to steer the car via the "necker's knob". More popular in the later '50s and earlier '60s, it seems.

Keep us posted on your progress,
CBODY67

 

[swisherred]

I would love to do this to my Newport, but I'm not 100% sure on how the gauge cluster comes out yet, so I haven't touched it. Looks really good!

Nice accelerator pedal, by the way.

I can walk you through it if you ever decide to. Its not that bad...tilyou try to take the main face off the gauges. It has melted plastic pins that hold it together...brittle. But done right it can come apart and be rejuvenated.

 

[cbarge]

I can walk you through it if you ever decide to. Its not that bad...tilyou try to take the main face off the gauges. It has melted plastic pins that hold it together...brittle. But done right it can come apart and be rejuvenated.

bEEN THERE..DONE THAT. LOVE DOING DASHES..

 

[cbarge]

On dashes where the chrome is gone or turned green I use a combination of Metal-foil and a silver sharpie..
before and after shown...

 

[mr. fix it]

Everything looks really good! Congrats!

As I recall, that "thing" on the steering wheel was (at least in my part of the world) a "necker's knob". So that you could have your date sitting next to you, with your right arm around her and use your left arm to steer the car via the "necker's knob". More popular in the later '50s and earlier '60s, it seems.

Keep us posted on your progress,
CBODY67

I've seen a number of period correct knobs but have a hard time spending for the look...

 

[mr. fix it]

I have some ideas now that I see a few responses here. Thanks!

 

[cbarge]

B body cluster before and after..