Mazda FD RX7 Cluster With Speedhut Gauges

This is my first FD cluster I have done. A FD cluster is different from most clusters since each gauge has its own opening in the facia. All of the other clusters I have done have one large lens that the gauges sit behind. Keep in mind that I use the term “gauges” loosely. OEM gauges are not like aftermarket gauges where each is in its own separate chassis. OEM gauges are simply just the faces(dial) and needles(pointer) slapped onto one large plastic housing with the electronics/mechanics underneath the faces. Then typically a black facia over the front of the dials to divide them and make them look like separate gauges. Then of course the clear lens over the front. So the unique design of the FD cluster allows for more of a “drop in” of aftermarket gauges. The OEM sizes are somewhat close to the size of aftermarket gauges, but not near exact enough for me. Unfortunately this customer sent me a carbon fiber facia, so I couldn’t really modify it to fit the gauges how I would have preferred. Ideally I would fill or enlarge the OEM gauge openings to fit the aftermarket gauges exactly. I would then re-texture the whole facia and give it back the OEM look/finish. I just finished another FD cluster where I did exactly this… so stay tuned for that post. In the meantime, enjoy some images from this carbon fiber facia cluster.

S14 Cluster Build

Just another S14 cluster build… well, not so fast. This just isn’t any old customer. It’s Peter Tarach, editor in chief of Modified Magazine. Peter and I have known each other for several years now. I help him, he helps me… it’s a good relationship! So naturally when he asked about a cluster for his track S14 I was more than happy to oblige. However, this cluster wasn’t just going in the car, it was going to have its own little write-up in an issue of Modified Magazine. Now as I typed this a few months back, it appeared that Modified Magazine was going to be closing their doors… and they did. I’m not sure what that means for getting this cluster featured in maybe whatever magazine Peter works for next, but that’s not what it’s all about. It’s not even about the money. It’s about seeing how satisfied people are when they receive one of my products. It’s an honor for me to have one of my clusters or interior pieces residing in a customer’s dashboard. Whether they are a well known drifter, a 16-year old kid with his very first ride or in this case, Peter Tarach. So I wish the best of luck to Peter and his new ventures… along with the rest of the staff at Modified Magazine.

I guess it’s time to get down to business. The first thing I ask any potential cluster customer is what they want in it. I have to make sure everything is going to fit comfortably. I refuse to cram things in. It has to look natural with an adequate amount of spacing between gauges. In this case Peter already had a Stack race display that he wanted retrofitted into the cluster. “Cool” I said, those things are sick and have an ultra-clean style to them. He also wanted his 45mm Omori boost gauge and 52mm AEM wideband mounted in there. Naturally this threw up a red flag for me. Not only were the gauges different brands, but they were different sizes. This really “gets my goat”. So I politely suggested to him that we ditch those two gauges and replace them with a couple Speedhut gauges. After all, this is going to be in Modified Magazine. I can’t have a mish mosh of equipment floating around in there, LOL. I suggested Speedhut for a couple reasons. For one, I’m a Speedhut dealer and am very familiar with them. I could just order them up and he would not need to worry about it. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for him since I just told the guy that I didn’t really want to use the gauges he just sent me. Second of all, Speedhut gauges are completely customizable. Which meant I could match the look and illumination of the Stack display. Peter, being the good guy that he is, agreed to all of this. Not to mention that Speedhut was kind enough to hook us up on the gauges in exchange for the obvious exposure they would receive in the magazine article. Now that we were set on the equipment, it was up to me to make it all come together inside of an S14 cluster.

In case you didn’t already know, I prefer to retrofit the aftermarket equipment into the OEM cluster housing. It ensures that the cluster will simply bolt back into the dashboard just like it came out. But most importantly, it maintains a nice OEM style with the flair of the aftermarket equipment inside of it. I also try to reuse the OEM cluster lens… I think it helps finish off the look. I offer an optional 7-step polishing process to restore the lens back to new. So first thing is to gut the OEM cluster housing. This is the cluster in stock form:

OEM lens removed. As you can see it’s in need of some love:

OEM cluster surround removed. This piece will need to get trimmed/gutted to perfection in order for this to all come together… more on that later:

Back half of the OEM cluster that houses the actual gauge faces, electronics and circuitry on the back:

Everything removed from the back half:

Now that disassembly is complete, it’s time to start modifying everything in order to accept the new gauge plate. I use a 3/4″ piece of MDF for the plate. This allows me plenty of thickness to flush the gauges… which I feel gives a much more finished look over simply surface mounting them. The OEM cluster surround needs to be opened up to remove the horizontal flat section where the OEM gauge faces use to reside. This means grinding/sanding perfectly right up the surround wall. It also needs to be perfect on the backside so the new gauge plate butts right up against it without any gaps or weird undulations.

My tool of choice when modify virtually any plastic is a die-grinder. I use a burr type bit to rough cut the majority of the plastic away:

Next I use a 1-1/2″ drum sander on the die-grinder to rough sand it down to match the exact contour of the interior wall of the cluster surround:

Close-up of the precision sanding:

Next up is to modify the back half of the cluster. Not only will this allow the new aftermarket gauges to physically fit, but it also serves to “sandwich” the new gauge plate between it and the front cluster surround. First thing is to grind all of the nubs and high spots off the back of it:

Grinding off the extra plastic on the back allows me to easily run it through my scroll saw. The saw is used to rough-cut away the horizontal flat section… thus leaving just the wall:

Next I use the same drum sander used earlier to finish off the rough spots. It doesn’t have to be perfect since it will never be seen, but there’s no need for it to look like a hack-job:

As discussed earlier, I use a 3/4″ thick piece of MDF for the main gauge plate:

It butts up against the back of the surround nice and flat since I took the time to make sure the surround was sanded carefully and true:

As seen in the image below, the 3/4″ thick gauge plate is far too thick for the back half of the cluster to snap back on. So I simply use a router to make a rabbet cut around the perimeter of the plate:

With the rear half of the cluster modified, it’s time to move on to the main plate. The Stack display is installer friendly in that it has a thin lip all the way around the perimeter for it to surface mount into a plate. However, I wanted to go one step further and flush mount it into the new gauge plate. First thing is getting it marked out. As you can see in the image below, I got lucky that it barely fits height wise within the S14 cluster surround:

The inner line gets cut out with a jig saw, then the flush portion is created again with a rabbet bit. However, the lower corners are too tight to use the rabbet bit. So I hand carved/shaped the flushed ledge in those areas:

As mentioned earlier, we agreed on the 52mm Speedhut Revolution series gauges to flank each side of the Stack display:

Also added in flush turn signal indicators and eventually a Stack shift light off to the right side:

I’m constantly test fitting things as I go… this is one of those times:

This after an initial coat of SEM Satin Black Chip Guard. It typically takes several coats to get a texture I’m satisfied with. I love this stuff!

After six coats and some dry time, I test fit everything to make sure I’m still on track:

Last thing on the list, before I can call this complete, is to polish the OEM lens. I start off with wet sanding the inside and outside with 1200, 1500 then finish with 2000 grit. I then polish the inside and outside with four stages of polish. This is after the wet sanding to get all of the deeper scratches out:

The finished product ready for service!

S13 Cluster and Shroud Combo

This customer wanted a little bit of flare without going overboard. I did a full Speedhut gauge setup with flip-flop color scheme. He needed to squeeze two other gauges somewhere so I closed off the small vents and lower switch areas on the cluster shroud. Then flushed in a 2-1/16″ Speedhut gauge on each side.

Customer’s S14 Gauge Cluster and HVAC Panel… Utilizing Speedhut Gauges

Just completed some more S14 interior work last night. A customer of mine bought a complete set of Speedhut Revolution gauges from me and had me retrofit four of them into the cluster and the other three flushed mounted into the vent area on the HVAC panel.

My First Cluster That Isn’t a S13 Cluster

Just finished up a customers S14 cluster. It’s hard to believe, that up until this point, I had never done anything but S13 clusters… someone finally stepped up. I think people were afraid to have me do one since I didn’t have any examples of a S14 cluster to show. Come on people, this is me we’re talking about! So onto the cluster:

S14 Cluster

Flushed Gauges

Autometer Pro-Comp Gauges (2) 3-3/8″ and (2) 2-5/8″

Turn Signal Indicators

Polished Front Glass

Customer’s S13 Cluster, Cluster Shroud and HUD Steering Column Shroud

Just finished up a pretty baller setup for a guy over in Australia. To start off, he had me make a cluster utilizing Blitz gauges: (1) 60mm in the center and (2) 52mm flanking each side. I also tossed in a pair of the Harley Davidson turn signal indicators. There will also be three more 52mm Blitz gauges in my center vent setup I do, but I haven’t finished that yet.

He still needed a classy location for his fuel gauge and Pivot push button start. The gauge he chose was a digital Autometer. It’s actually a very versatile fuel gauge that I would recommend for the Nissans… it’s completely programmable! However, it’s ugly as sin. So I disassembled the gauge and painted all the white text inside black. I then used a piece of smoked plexi over the front and rear mounted it behind the cluster shroud on the left side. I then flush mounted the Pivot start button on the right side. First I had to remove the OEM switches in those locations then fill and smooth the area. This left me with a perfectly flat area to drill my new holes in. I’ll simply post up some finished pics, but you can follow the link below if you would like to take a gander at the build process.

S13 Cluster, Shroud and HUD Build!!!

Last was the HUD… my standard fabrication that I perform to mold the Defi VSD-X into the top half of the steering column shroud.

I also finished off the bottom half so the top and bottom would have the same texture/finish.

It’s About Time

Ever since I fabricated my gauge cluster/HUD and all of the other goodies, my inbox gets flooded with people wanting me to fabricate one for them.  I get phone calls and emails from all over the country.  However, once I tell them how much it’s going to cost them, all communications come to a halt.  Maybe they think I just sit around all day with nothing better to do, and that I should make one for the price of a Subway sandwich!?!  And it’s not like I’m quoting them some uber high price just because it’s custom.  Actually, it’s quite the opposite.  I know most 240 owners don’t have money.  So I virtually cut my custom labor shop rate in half.  Because it’s not like I do this exact type of work daily at my shop… so I give them a deal.  You figure If I have 6 hours into making the gauge cluster, then that’s 6 hours @ $55/hr….. so $330.  I usually quote around $150 – $200 for the cluster…. not bad if you ask me.  However, I never get a single prospect to go through with it…….. until now!  A guy I met last year, Mr. Sangwa(awesome guy by-the-way), dropped his S13 hatch off today to let me do my thing.  We’re talking full cluster, HUD, vent gauges, fuel gauge in the center console, JDM digital climate control swap, clean up his engine bay, double DIN Alpine w/navigation….. I think that’s about it.  So congrats to him for being the first recipient of a Broadfield Cluster.  And I thank him for trusting me with his car.

Recap # 1: Defi Gauge Cluster, Center Vent Pod and HUD 6/6/2007 Part 1

Preview of the end result,

Part 1:  Gauge Cluster

This project was a fairly quick one I did back in the middle of 2007.  I simply wanted something cooler than the OEM 240sx gauge cluster.  I had no idea at the time that it would garner so much attention from not only 240 owners, but I have also seen it posted on many other automobile forums.  So I am greatly humbled that others appreciate my hard work.  With all of the customization I do, whether it’s for my car or for my job, I like the OEM’ish look.  I want someone who knows nothing about cars to think nothing was done in my interior…. or maybe think that it’s an upgraded OEM option.  So onto the cluster.  First off the gauges:  I chose the brand Defi because, well, they are Defi!  They are of the utmost quality, they are the exact look I like, I have used them in previous cars, I like how the gauges are all linked together to a central control unit and I really like the brushed aluminum trim ring they use.  Another plus was that they came in various sizes:  52mm, 60mm, 80mm and 115mm.  Of course there are only a couple different ones that come in the two larger sizes….. so I was limited to what I got to choose for my two larger gauges.  I went with the black face because of my tradition of holding to the OEM’ish look….. especially since they had green illumination.   Blue illumination or white face gauges would of just looked out of place.  The only downfall to this entire gauge cluster idea is that Defi does not make a speedometer.  And since this car is daily driven in everything but snow and salt, I needed a speedometer.  I could of crammed a digital one in with only a small rectangular window to display the speed, but then it would of looked crammed in there.  I wanted a nice simple but not overly bare cluster.  So I got a hair-brain idea to use the Defi HUD and retrofit it into the OEM HUD housing.  I was able to find the OEM HUD housing for next to nothing… cool!  So I ordered everything up only to find out that the Defi HUD that displays on the windshield had been discontinued….not cool!  However, there was a new one that displayed onto its own back plate made of simple plexi-glass.  Sweet, I’ll take it and simply buy the old HUD film and display it on the windshield like I originally planned.  Well, not so fast…… more on this in part 2

Building the cluster was pretty straight forward.  I simply hacked up an old cluster to begin with.  I wanted to maintain the OEM mounts, black interior surround and the OEM clear plastic front.  The only part of the OEM cluster that had to be cut to perfection was the black surround, as this was going to be butt up against the back plate.  So in order for it to look as good as OEM , it had to be perfect.  Once that was cut, I made a back plate out of 1/4″ hardboard.  I cut the holes for the gauges and turn signals.  The gauges were to be flushed in to give a smoother look…. so those holes also had to be perfect.  To be perfectly honest with you, I HAD to flush them in.  The two big 80mm gauges would of hit the clear plastic OEM face had I not flushed them in.  So sometimes things just work out for the better even when you don’t plan on it.   For the turn signals I took the OEM arrow and mounted it underneath a piece of PVC to form the housing,  I then hacked out the white plastic area that the OEM bulbs twist into.  I glued these onto the back of the PVC and I instantly had turn signal housings where the bulb could be easily replaced.

The white housing back of the cluster just had to be hacked up good enough to clear for the back of the new gauges.  It didn’t need to be pretty.

The new plate that the gauges are mounted in needed to be finished in an OEM look.  So I used two of my favorite products.  I used SEM Texture Coat to get the texture I wanted.  Depending on how far away you spray it, you can get varied results with the amount of texture.  For the finishing coat, I used SEM Landau Black.

All that’s left is to glue the plate in, snap the back white housing on and attach the OEM clear front plastic.  Part 2:  HUD, coming soon!