[s-cars] Re: Boost gauge for cluster installation

[Marc Swanson]

> > Nice shift knob BTW, the only burl one I have seen. Was this part of 
> > the same project as well?
> >
> 
> I bought the shift knob from here:
> 
> <http://tinyurl.com/2w4oq>
> 
> It is for a VW Beetle.  The Beetle has some strange way to connect up 
> the shift knob.  It comes like this:
> 
> <http://www.atomicham.com/car/images/knob.jpg>


Very innnnnnnteresting.  That is indeed a beautiful piece and the leater
is looking a bit worn on my shift knob.  Time to dig out the shovel
again and go get my wallet?

> I don't, but, here is what I did:
> 
> 1) Get some high-quality craft plywood of the thickness desired for the 
> panel
> 2) Glue press the burl onto the plywood
> 3) Cut it to size

what do you use to keep the laminate from splintering?  Funny that I
jumped straight to metalworking without working very much with wood...
Regular jigsaw work ok?


> 4) Cut out the hole for the gauge
> 4) Stain -- This step took the longest.  I used a combination of three 
> stains until I finally got it right.  I wish I could tell you what to 
> do here, but, I just tried and tried until something came out.  Use the 
> scrap wood that was left after cutting the panel to shape.
> 5) I purchased a small can of lacquer and just poured it over the cut 
> and stained panel.  I did this a couple of times and it gave it that 
> THICK lacquered look of the rest of the panels.
> 6) I attached some stainless steel strips onto the back and bent them 
> to hold it in the correct position and drilled holes in the end of the 
> strips to screw into where the screws held the ashtray in position.
> 7) Use the light power from the ashtray to provide the light power for 
> the gauge
> 8) The VDO Cockpit White gauge is fairly close to the stock gauges; 
> however, it is not backlit like the stock gauges, it is lit from the 
> edge.  I put red tape around the bulb, and the color matches the stock 
> "red" backlighting, but, is lit from the side.

Any tips on where to pick up the materials I will need (especially the
laminate)?

Thanks!

-- 
-Marc Swanson-
95.5 //S6 Avant
87 4ktq
88 90q
www.mswanson.com/audi