Dash Gauge Adapters?

[l008com]

My boat has a pair of 3.33" gauge slots on the dashboard. One has the speedometer, the other is a blank. I bought a depth finder, and it needs to be mounted in a 2" hole. So my first thought was to just drill a 2" hole in the blank, and stick it in there. I'm still looking into that but I suspect it's not going to work. It looks like the blank is actually made of frosted glass, not plastic. So if that doesn't work, is there a place you can buy adapters?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Yes - teleflex sells blank inserts for unused gauge holes. Buy one of those and drill whatever size you need.

 

[l008com]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Got a link?

 

[l008com]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Pinggggggg

I've still been unable to find what I need. My current hole is 3.3" in diameter. I need to fit a 2" gauge. The only teleflex blanks I've been able to google up were 2" themselves.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

So make one. Any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes has small sheets of acrylic (plastic). Using a hole saw or circle cutter, cut a plate slightly bigger than the hole. then cut another one that just fits the 3.3 inch hole. Glue the two pieces together. The smaller plate now centers the larger one. Since the circle cutter made an exact center point, use the circle cutter to cut the 2-inch hole for the gauge. Now paint or trim the adapter any way you like. Cost -- maybe two bucks. Circle cutter cost -- about five bucks. Time -- about one hour. Talent required -- almost none.

 

[l008com]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Is this acrylic the same as plexi glass? And what kind of cutter are you talking about? Do you have a links to what you're talking about?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

A circle cutter is a metal arm which has a drill bit on one end. The other end has a cutting bit that can be adjusted along the length of the horizontal arm to form any size plug you want. Just ask the dude at Home Depot or Lowes for a circle cutter. DO NOT LET THEM SELL YOU A HOLE SAW. While they would work you would need two of them (one for each size plug you are making). Besides, they would be much more expensive. Yes - acrylic is plastic. It is usually located in the same area as the short pieces of metal rods, angles, aluminum sheets, etc.

Here is a circle cutter and while it sells for $35 bucks, Harbor Frieight and discount stores have them for much less.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2000799/4010/Circle-Cutter-Large.aspx

 

[l008com]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Does it actually attach to a drill? Or do you do it by hand?

 

[l008com]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Harbor freight does indeed have one for $5, and lowes has the plexi for $4. Any specific suggestions for what glue to use? And apparently it works best in a drill press. I don't have one but I might be able to borrow a friend's

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dash Gauge Adapters?

Yes -- like most drills, hole saws and circle cutters they must spin so a drill is necessary. If you have access to a drill press even better. Run the drill/press VERY SLOWLY and use very little down pressure. Let the cutter do the work. When you have the two pieces cut, use any 5 minute two part epoxy to join the two parts. Then use the circle cutter a third time to cut the exact hole size you need for the gauge. Remember also that when setting up the circle cutter, the distance from the center of the drill bit to the outer edge of the cutter bit is 1/2 the diameter of the hole size you want. Want a 2-inch diameter plug you set the cutter for 1-inch spread

For those of you following this thread who need to also add holes for additional gauges, you can use a HOLE SAW of the proper size for the gauge although a circle cutter will work for you as well.