New Dash Panel

Since nothing but the fuel gauge and the "COLD" idiot light worked on the original instrument panel, it was clearly time for a massive electrical project.  Instead of fixing the stock dash, I tore everything out and started from scratch, limited only by a budget of about $25.  The first step was to obtain a sheet of sturdy aluminum plate, which I found in a "Speed Limits Strictly Enforced" street sign.  After using up numerous metal-cutting blades cutting the proper shape with a saber saw, I started cutting holes for the many (junkyard-obtained) gauges, including a very cool early-60s Buick speedometer (which had to be mounted using painstakingly-cut plywood, several tubes of epoxy, and red LEDs for illumination).  Then I settled down for many all-night wire-stripping and -soldering sessions, using wire and switches scavenged from various discarded home appliances and electronics surplus stores.  Finally, the dash was finished.  The best thing about it (in addition to being able to determine my speed, engine RPM, turn signal status, etc.) was the horn setup:  A keyboard of five pushbuttons controlled five horns (VW, Ford, Cadillac, Chrysler, and a submarine-diving-alarm "Ahhh-OOOOgah" horn), which turned out to be very effective in tense traffic situations; even the most assholistic driver changes his behavior when he feels the voice of popular opinion is against him, making it very handy to seem like five angry drivers instead of one.  In this photo, you can see the bare dash panel on the lower right.  Note the mental-hospital-waiting-room green fabric of the '71 Caprice bench seat.