1985 VW Gothwagen - FOR SALE

[stuboy]

keep up with it..

[whitevanman]

As a thought, depending on the size of the speedo head. A peice of drain pipe or similar could be let into the dash to give a you a 'pod like' fitting for very little outlay, use smaller pipe for the other instruments and possible some aftermarket warning lights.....

[Rocket88]

Ref hole in windscreen surround. Just dab a bit of sealant in there [sikkaflex for choice] but B&Q stuff will do the job. If your sceen is bigger than the surround [i.e it will lie on the lip with plenty of overhang,] you could replace it using a bed of Sikkaflex, and do away with the rubber altogether. Done this before, worked a treat, especially as the windscreen rubbers on the old Morris were made out of expensive unobtanium. You can salvage a windscreen rubber from a scrapper, section it, and use half of it as an outside trim. In effect, you end up with a bonded screen.

[cheguava]

Ref hole in windscreen surround. Just dab a bit of sealant in there [sikkaflex for choice] but B&Q stuff will do the job.

 

Key thing is to get Polyurethane sealant, NOT silicone. Guy at my local bodyshop supplier reckoned the "own brand" he sold came from the same factory as Sikkaflex - no way to verify that but at £6 a tube it went on and "went off" fine.

 

One tip - if you do put a screen in using it as a bond, you may need to do shaping etc. If it doesn't look quite right when it's set, you can do light shaping with wire wool soaked in panel wipe - panel wipe dissolves the sealant, but shouldn't take the paint off.

[vulgalour]

@windscreen knowledgable types: I sorted the screen out in a naughty way >.> The hole sort of disappeared when I was applying a very thin skim of filler to the surround and even though I sanded most of what I applied off, as one should with filler, the hole remained filled so that's how I'm leaving. Bonded screen not really an option as the hole for the windscreen isn't much smaller than the screen itself so it doesn't really sit on the lip easily, besides which I have a spare seal that I rescued from another Polo which is in tip top condition.

 

@whitevanman: That's a top idea, I like that! I was wondering how best to make a pod and was definitely overthinking it. Ideally, I'd use the mystery dial (I don't know what car it's from, possibly a Vauxhall?) to replace all the warning lights as it has, I think, all the ones I need built in. The old surround can then be populated with the normal VW switches, a discreet rev counter and a time clock because time clocks in cars are a novelty to me.

[vulgalour]

Decided that since the weather is overcast-but-dry and I'm feeling better that I'd do a bit of work on the car. Not done as much as I'd've liked but I learned from the last bout of sanding that I should pace myself so I don't make my wrist bad again.

 

First thing to do is get the cover off the car and assess what I can get up to. I noticed that the front of the car is getting a bit damp, probably down to some new holes in the car cover, and where the car is. Unfortunately, it does mean that mould is back again. I need to make some space in the house so I can take the front seats out and put them away somewhere dry, otherwise all my hard work recovering them will be undone. The seats need to come out to fit the new carpet anyway, so it's a job I will get around to.

 

Usefully, my housemate had the morning off work so he could help me remove the rear side windows. Two reasons for doing this, the first being to get the paint sorted a bit easier and the second to find out just how much of a gamble those Fiat pop-outs are.

 

I already knew I had to put a large fill in on the C pillar and had guessed the angle of the glass was close to the Polo B pillar. As it turns out, the B pillar will need reprofiling slightly, but it looks doable by someone with skill.

 

I also need to figure out what fixings are supposed to be used for the window hinges at this side as I'm not entirely sure and the glass didn't come with them, just the hinges themselves. I have the clip-latch for the other side and the rubber seal fits very well to the Polo window edges.

 

After I was happy with that, the glass got put away safe so that I could remove the headlining. In some places, the fabric of the headlining has rotted like it did on the old seat covers but I got it out intact enough to provide me with a pattern. All of the soundproofing we'd salvaged from a Ford Escort had come unglued and was sitting on top of the headlining not attached to anything.

 

Now the headlining is out I can paint the edges properly and drill holes for the roof bars. I think these two holes at the B and C pillars are the likely candidates for fixing the bars in as they line up with the holes on the bars themselves. Scary stuff drilling holes in the roof so I'm putting this one off for now.

 

 

I did notice before taking the headlining out that both interior B pillar trims are damaged, I'm not sure when this happened. I shall be on the lookout for a replacement pair. Passenger side is the worst of the two, the driver's side just has a crack in the plastic.

 

Next up, because I still wasn't sure of the weather's stability, was to mock up the spats to record and recheck the bits of the bodywork that need to be adjusted. These are simple cardboard mock-ups rather than anything refined, so the profiles aren't as I intend them to be finally, please bear that in mind.

 

This is a flat sheet of corrugated card from an orange box, the easiest way to cut it is by using a bread knife rather than scissors, at least for these basic shapes. The leading edge is rolled slightly to get it to blend into the line of the wing properly

 

 

The trailing end of the arch is not exactly as I expected or remembered, pinching in quite a way and meaning that if I let the card follow the line of it straight down it won't clear the tyre.

 

The other problem is that the vertical edge of the arch isn't vertical, it actually folds under towards the wheel. Since I plan to make a single piece spat that surface mounts to the arch this means I'll have to change the angle of the arch edge so the spat sits properly and doesn't rattle horribly all the time.

 

I'll get the arches modified first, the the rear valance and finally the spats made up to fit. The quarter bumpers on the back can be moved to accomodate accordingly and they too will be getting some finishing details eventually.

 

I took a break for a bit at this point and had some lunch and a bit of a think while I watched the weather. It looked like it was going to stay reliably dry so I hopped back outside and flatted the door shut, B pillar and rear window surround to match what I'd already done before masking up the edge of the red scoop ready for a fresh coat of paint.

 

I did find a small bit of rust when we removed the side window, but I haven't dealt with it yet, or painted over it. I'm gambling on how long the weather is stable and wanted to get this panel smooth and shiny without worrying about a small area I can blend in later.

 

The technique I'm using with the paint is a combination of advice I've got from the net and is really, really fast. The speed of the process is a necessity as I've found it shortens both the drying time and the time you have to work with the paint. Working on a patch about a foot square, apply the paint with a brush, dressing lightly in the opposite direction to application, then dress it again with a gloss roller to get as smooth a finish as possible. Quickly move to an adjacent patch until the whole panel is done. I broke this panel into small sections based on the body lines and I think the paint took me about 15 minutes to apply to this wholee area. This is before it's had chance to settle out.

 

By the time it's touch dry, it's a much smoother and more even, if slightly bobbly, finish than I was getting with brush or roller alone.

 

 

 

 

This is one coat in the new method on the panel to the left with I think 3 coats in the old method to the right. The difference is quite clear, and the new method requires a lot less work to flat back to smooth for the new coat or polishing.

 

Finally, because I had the time and weather in my favour, I got the first coat of paint on my wheel trims. These will be gloss black with red detailing. First job was to clean them and key them flat, some of them are more damaged than others, but none are beyond repair.

 

After the first coat of paint they look quite smart. Thankfully, the coach paint is really flexible so it stands up to a fair amount of abuse on plastic trim parts like this providing the preparation is done well enough.

 

Feeling rather happier about the project after today's exploits, feels like I'm moving forward with it again.

[triumph1300]

Although I'm not a fan of your "styling"choices I admire your determination to keep it going and keep modding it how you want it. Love reading the updates, I just haven't got the patience to do write ups like this! I love to see other peoples cars that are just so unique and not following a certain trend. I know I can talk because I have a matt black car, but its cheap, doesn't matter if I prang it and it needed painting anyway, I weren't following the crowd as that's boring. Look forward to seeing yours back on the road again!

[eddyramrod]

This is going to be quite a handsome beast when finished, I can see that now. You mention fitting whitewall tyres, have you got some lined up? My Granada wears Delta Majestics, from the USA where they love a whitewall and if you google the name, their website will tell you they make them in 155/13 which should be about right for your car. Any decent independant tyre shop should be able to import a set for you. As a guide price, mine (185/75/14, x5) cost me 375 euros plus fitting. That was in December 2010. Are you aiming for an on-road date?

[vulgalour]

@triumph: my ride, my way, to quote the blue forum

 

@eddy: I don't have an on-the-road date at the moment. I'd like to get him done and road legal before Christmas, but it all depends what happens on the jobs and money front really. I'm focusing instead on getting stuff done than getting him on the road and if I need a daily I'll just use the Princess instead for now. Whitewalls are something I'd like, but I'm not sure I could put up with the maintenance of them given how muddy the lane gets, I'd have to clean them every time I went anywhere! I can't remember what tyre size I'm on off the top of my head, but 155/13 sounds about right. There is a German company offering a trim-with-flap solution I like but it's not something I can use with the trims I've been painting, similar sort of price to a set of whitewalls normally though.

[eddyramrod]

Whitewalls are something I'd like, but I'm not sure I could put up with the maintenance of them

 

Trust me, very handy on whitewalls. Don't do flaps, there are all sorts of scare stories about them and some are possibly even true. But I see a car wearing a set almost daily, and they really don't look good enough. Have a pic of mine for inspiration.

[KruJoe]

Hey Victoria&Albert, I like the sound of your new painting technique. You're using coach paint, right? (Where can I read more on that?)

You say you're getting a bobbly, orange-peely finish after the gloss roller, is that a wooly, bobbly tool? How about trying a high density ("professional") foam roller... the Rustoleum / Tremclad boys swear by them for a more glassy finish straight out of the box. It cuts down on the flatting later. Just a thought...

[vulgalour]

Hey there, KrudJoe! To read more, you're probably best to go to the blue forum and trawl through the eleventy million and two pages of build thread, it's in there somewhere. I'm using a Wickes brand foam roller and they seem to be a bit hit and miss on the quality. Sometimes, they give me a great finish, sometimes it's a bit bobbly, but it's always much easier to flat back than the paintbrush technique I was previously using. Coach paint is hard work, but worth it. Dirt cheap and bulletproof with a depth of shine second to none, it even works well as a stopper filler thanks to it's smooth, oily texture. I'm wondering if my tin is perhaps getting a bit old now and that's contributing to the problem as it no longer seems quite as thin as when I bought it originally when it was just like I imagine painting with fresh engine oil would be. I could use thinners, of course, but the last time I did that I got it wrong and the paint was drying nearly before I'd got the paintbrush to the panel!

[vulgalour]

Yet more updatage, must be on a roll or something. With the old headlining carefully removed so that I could take a pattern from it, I laid it out in the living room to find out how much of my fabric it used up. this was the first headlining I'd ever made and while the finish was what I wanted, the fabric had not stood up well.

 

This is the tailgate end where the worst of the sun fading was, the UV rot having set in quite badly.

 

But not to worry. Earlier this year I purchased two pairs of horrible gold brocade curtains that I quite liked for their nastiness and shade. I wanted to find out how much of them I'd end up using, which as it happens was one and a bit so I've got plenty left over for other bits in the car like the door cards and boot panel that need redoing. It's going to be loud.

 

The fabric is a great quality, better than what I was using previously. The previous headlining could be done in one run, but this one couldn't, so I've cut the fabric into strips and I'll use the seams to hold the headlining wires that run across the roof and provide tension.

 

My only concern is how bright it is when the light hits it. I know from experience that the old formerly bright red headlining didn't reflect in my glass at all and wasn't dazzling, but this might be a bit much. I'm going to run with it anyway and see what happens, I can always spray it black if need be.

 

Putting this together is going to be a doddle, and since I have so much fabric left over I'm wondering whether or not to go the whole hog and have the headlining coffin pleated, like this:

 

I'm sticking this in here too because I found it when trying to find examples of coffin pleating and it's awesome.

[whitevanman]

Obscure taste.....but keep at it

[MikeKnight]

OH GOD IT'S HORRIBLE.

 

*grins*

 

First post. I'm volksangyl's bf.

 

He dragged me here. Blame him.

[michiel]

Welcome on behalf of the Dutch brigade, I do like your GT6 (think I came across the now defunct ad for it yesterday, very nice)!

 

Do also like all the creativity and odd choices in this thread.

[Rocket88]

Lead sled Polo, brilliant idea. Ref rear wheel spats, if you have clearance issues, flare the spat at the front end. Get a bit of good quality cardboard. and attach as you've done. Where you have clearance issues, get something [half a plastic lemonade bootle sectioned down the middle]. Now here comes the clever bit. Fibreglass the lemonade bottle to the outside of the cardboard, and then fibreglass the rest of the cardboard. When it's gone off, cut out the cardboard underneath the lemonade former, and you should be sorted. You can use the cardboard as a former, or just lay some more glass on top. You can make all sorts of shapes doing this, using all sorts of random stuff to make the shapes you want, including a groovy housing for your speedo.

[vulgalour]

OH GOD IT'S HORRIBLE.

 

Hello! Why MikeKnight? Also, can you remember exactly what you brother said about it when he saw the Polo parked outside the house?

 

@colc: Got it in one... sort of. Led sleds are a massive influence on my personal taste though I'm sure this won't end up a patch on a more conventional 50s Lincoln or Ford.

 

@whitevanman & Michiel: I put frogs in boxes for inspiration.

[MikeKnight]

OH GOD IT'S HORRIBLE.

 

Hello! Why MikeKnight? Also, can you remember exactly what you brother said about it when he saw the Polo parked outside the house?

 

MikeKnight because my name is Mike and I like Knights? It's just what I use on every car forum.

 

I believe my brother said, "What the hell is that parked up outside?"

[vulgalour]

Lead sled Polo, brilliant idea. Ref rear wheel spats, if you have clearance issues, flare the spat at the front end. Get a bit of good quality cardboard. and attach as you've done. Where you have clearance issues, get something [half a plastic lemonade bootle sectioned down the middle]. Now here comes the clever bit. Fibreglass the lemonade bottle to the outside of the cardboard, and then fibreglass the rest of the cardboard. When it's gone off, cut out the cardboard underneath the lemonade former, and you should be sorted. You can use the cardboard as a former, or just lay some more glass on top. You can make all sorts of shapes doing this, using all sorts of random stuff to make the shapes you want, including a groovy housing for your speedo.

 

I was so set on building these out of metal I'd not stopped to think about fibreglass, which I have limited experience with and never really had any great results. Makes more sense too, since I don't then have to modify the original tub, I can mould everything to fit the lines which means not having to cut up what is at the moment pretty sound bodywork. Thanks for the tip. Would it work for the new window apertures as well, or will I need to build some strength in for the hinges and the like with metal do you think?

[Rocket88]

`Rear window in fill. Use your original glass as a template, and lay the glass over it for a template. Is the new glass the same curvature as your old glass, if it is, if you lay up enough glass, it should do the job.

[vulgalour]

The glass I think is the same, if not it's so close as to not make any difference. Since the old windows have grinder burn anyway they're fit only for scrap so once again you've given me an excellent idea for fabbing up new panels that were going to set me back a fair bit that I can now make without the need to purchase a welder and sheet steel. I've done some hunting for fibreglass tutorials and it looks pretty straight forward, the only thing I'm not entirely sure of is bonding fibreglass to metal (which I have to do for the infill panels for the windows) without getting cracks appearing. Might have to turn the shed into a fibreglassing workshop, I'm not using it for anything else at the moment.

[Rocket88]

There is another dodge you could try for the infill panels. After you've made the first mould from the old glass, get a sheet of the thinnest steel you can find, and lay it over the mould. Use tape round the edges to force it to the right curvature, then f'glass over the steel, You then end up with a 'glass / steel / glass sandwich, which should be pretty strong.

[MikeKnight]

Sorry I can't help you more with this, volksangyl.

 

I know a lot about engines, a lot about gearboxes, a lot about car electrics, but absolutely nothing about bodywork.

 

It's described as an art and I'm heavy handed at the best of times.

[Rocket88]

Ref in fill panels. If your rear windows are double curvature [i.e top to bottom / front to rear, you may have trouble laying even thin steel over the top. If so, cut the steel into strips, making sure that the end of the strips co-incicide with where you want to put your window closure points. This will give you a secure anchoring point in your glass fibre sandwich.

[vulgalour]

19th July

Took the seats, door cards and carpets out of the car as well as all the random stuff I'd been storing in there, all of which are now stuffed into the spare room. This was in part so I could deal with the carpet as I've been planning to recycle the Lexus carpet I've been hoarding to replace the faded red carpet I'd fitted to replace the missing original carpet. I've also pulled the replacement soundproofing out and I'm wondering whether or not to invest in some Dynamat or similar when I put the interior back in.

 

 

On removing the carpet I spotted a new bit of damage in the floor well on the driver's side. I knew about a bulge in this floor pan from a previous owner putting a trolley jack under it and while it was fine for the last MoT, it's since split and rusted so I need to bash this flat and weld it up before it becomes a proper hole. Just as well I had reason to take the carpets out.

 

When I recommissioned the car I fitted a red carpet, an offcut of household stuff that should have done the trick. The carpet has stood up pretty well, but faded to violet on all the most exposed areas, strangely, so obviously not suitable for car use.

 

My original plan for replacement was to use the carpet I salvaged from Dad's Lexus as it seemed (without bothering to measure) to be more than enough for the job. Strangely, it was actually too small for what I wanted, even if I chop it about a bit. This is probably down to the differences in interior space between front and rear wheel drive cars.

 

Not only that, even if I trimmed a few corners off, the Lexus rug had holes in all the wrong places so I consigned it to the bin rather than trying to clean or salvage it and will now be looking out for a new plush, probably black (even though I don't really like black carpets) rug to fit in there instead.

 

I've kept the red carpet as a pattern for when I fit the new one. I don't want to fit a standard Polo carpet in as they're a bit rubbish for the finish I want.

 

20th July

Decided, when there was a break in the weather, to investigate the car and see what I can put together interior wise. I wasn't thrilled to discover there was a couple of pints of water to mop out of the floors and boot from the heavy rain last night, I'll have to keep an eye on this while the car isn't weathertight, at least I'd taken all the soft furnishings out the day before so they're safe and dry indoors.

 

After much consideration, and holding fabrics against seats and that sort of thing, I've come to the conclusion to make my door cards out of the same fabric as the headlining, but without additional decoration. I'm going to lightly pad them too just to give them a slightly more professional finish than my previous efforts. I found my old template and, when I held it up to the door, discovered it was the wrong shape in some places. I got the door cards stripped down and re-trialled them and found that they were the wrong shape in a different way. This was disappointing as it meant starting from scratch if I'm to get the finish I want.

 

Out with the paper, sellotape, scissors and a biro...

 

I've worked out where the old fixing holes for the door card are as I'm undecided on how I'll fit the new ones at the moment, and made a note of where the door strengthening bar is should I wish to fit an arm rest.

 

Eventually, I had a new paper template which I triple checked was the correct fit and made some fine adjustments to get it all to work. Unlike the previous efforts, this one fits properly behind the door release mechanism.

 

My plan is to build the new door card out of thick cardboard, a similar sort to mount board as used in picture frames. The previous hard board was quite heavy and not as flexible as I needed it to be, unlike the cardboard I plan to use. The old door cards highlighted where some extra strengthening will be required around things like the door pull and window winder spindle.

 

I'll be getting some polyester wadding sheet - I found some in my stocks I'd forgotten about, and Mum has some in her craft supplies - over the cardboard and then apply the gold brocade over that. The gold will be a good field for the black plastic trims which should help tone it down and by avoiding any fancy stitching work it should be bright, but not too distracting from the rest of the interior.

 

The original rear door cards I kept, so they will get recovered rather than me building new ones, as back seat passengers were finding it awkward to have no armrest in the back and it means they'll look smart and fit properly. The boot card, likewise, will be covered plainly with the original visible black fixing studs (I need two more of these) holding it all in place which should look good.

 

I'm lacking one or two items to get going on the interior, namely my roll of gaffer tape which I seem to have misplaced, so the current plans are on hold until that turns up. I turned my attention to the clocks.

 

I wanted to work out just what was missing from the Vauxhall dial and what needed transferring across from the Polo set. I'll be making a new dashboard binnacle which will feature the Vauxhall dial in the centre, a time clock to the left and a rev counter to the right, the various dash switches will migrate onto the dashboard itself and the radio will be relocated slightly higher than it was. I'll get some sketches up of this eventually, but I actually have a very clear idea in my head of how to rebuild the dashboard which uses a lot of the original stuff. I'll probably recover the top in a nice non-reflective slightly padded black vinyl to tie everything together and hide the added bits.

 

Going back to those dials, this is the back of them.

 

With the advice I've been offered, and now having looked at what's what, it does seem a lot less daunting to get the new dials set up. The key thing is to figure out which wires go to what so I can wire up the Vauxhall dial accordingly. The trickiest bits are likely to be setting up the temperature sender, fuel gauge and speedo, but I'm sure there's easy ways to do this which I shall find out in due time.

 

The only thing I'm not sure of is whether or not this dial illuminates as the numbers appear to be glow-in-the-dark types and I can't see any specific illumination for it. Obviously, I'd prefer this to be illuminated and I'm planning on all my dash lights to be green as it'll fit the interior theme and be easier to see at night than red or yellow.

 

At the moment, what I really want to do is spent time to get all the interior bits and pieces finished and ready to go back in, and to get some of the things like the custom dash sorted out while I'm in a position to not need the Polo on the road. Other plans are going to be getting the materials together to start making my own fibreglass panels, again due to some top advice I've received online, which will include the spats I keep banging on about, a rear valance and at least in part the new window surrounds. The fibreglass will also help me rebuild the dashboard and may well come in useful for other parts of the car I've not even thought about yet.

[vulgalour]

I decided to play with screwdrivers and see just how easy it would be to slot the Polo dials in the Vauxhall case. It did not go entirely accordingly to plan, unfortunately, and it's just as well I have that spare Polo cluster.

 

To get the bad news out of the way first, not only did I accidentally snap the needle on the Polo speedo, I then proceeded to accidentally snap the main spindle in such a way that I couldn't repair it. Great job there. I can get everything to line up, but I can't get the spindle to reglue or similar because of how fiddly it is, how unreliable a repair that would probably be, and because it just doesn't want to. In an ideal world, I'd get a new spindle put in, but I don't think that's an option.

 

Never mind, these things happen. If nothing else, it taught me how to dismantle the other dial to fit it into the case. Mostly, it involves unscrewing every screw and bolt on the back of the case and the black clip to the bottom left so everything can be lifted out of the cluster. It's pleasantly straightforward really.

 

Then it was time to strip down the Vauxhall dial. I wasn't sure how this went together, happily it was a straightforward matter of bending back the tabs on the chrome bezel and the front half of the case enough to split it into component parts and then unscrew the dials from the back. By having it stripped right down I can give all the innards a proper clean too.

 

This is the main dial lifted out.

 

Behind that there's the fuel and temperature gauges, beautifully made things and not much different in size to the Polo items. The black looking circles are the warning lights with indicator to the top left, choke or brake warning (it's a red filter) to the top right, oil to the bottom left and ignition/battery (marked IGN) to the bottom right. The filters really need cleaning to get the detritus out before I put new lights in.

 

The reverse of the face before I removed the speedo which is fixed with two tiny screws.

 

The dials all came out without any fuss or damage. Rather than reuse the old dials, I plan to use the Polo ones.

 

It's difficult to photograph how close a match the Polo gauges are to the Vauxhall ones in size, with the exception of the fascias on them. I'm expecting to have to trim a lot of the fascia material down to get everything to fit properly, but I'm hoping to keep the print on the Polo dials as they're not a bad match to the rest of the cluster.

 

 

The central circle - the bit with the numbers, it's the right size - will most likely be cut out completely, with the Polo dial showing through behind. This should be less fiddly than trying to enlarge the current odometer hole which is too short for the Polo odometer to display properly. It should also allow me to keep the Polo speedo needle intact and show the trip counter. It might even allow me to keep the KPH on the dial, if everything lines up. I can't think of a better way of doing this at the moment, so that's the current plan.

 

On the original Polo cluster there's a little bank of LEDs that serve as warning lights. I'm in two minds as to whether I should relocate them to the dashboard as they are on the old display, or if it would be better to install a handful of jewel lights as used on kit cars, with appropriate labelling beside or on them. At the very least I'll need a blue main beam light and a (probably yellow) choke light as indicator, brake, oil pressure and ignition/battery are all present on the Vauxhall cluster already. Alternatively, I could try and incorporate them into the Vauxhall display, but I'm not sure I could make it look as smart as the existing pressed in items.

 

 

The only other thing of note was me finding the gold curtain tie backs I've been keeping hold of to use as B-pillar grab handles. I don't know if I will, but I like the idea.

 

 

So... watch this space really because I've now decided to commit myself to making a custom dashboard.

[MikeKnight]

Don't worry, you've a long way to go before you break my record of snapping four MG water temp gauges in a row.

[PhilA]

You know

 

I would have a try at seeing how well of a match the Vauxhall speedo is to the Polo's output on the cable. It may actually be quite close, and if it's not, you can adjust the thing on the hairspring same as with a watch

 

Might pay to try that first, lest you hack the (really quite pretty deco) face of the old speedo up.

 

The curves for the fuel sender and temperature gauge will for sure be different, but you can make amends with those with a factor limiting resistance in a lot of cases. I ran a Rover temp sender to a Vauxhall gauge with a 470 Ohm resistor in line- bought it to normal scale and the deflection was about right.

 

Offhand, how about a multi-color light in that little dot in the top right? Yellow lights for choke, red for handbrake and blue for main beam? Those aren't often all on at once- well, handbrake and choke maybe but it'd just go orange, unless you do something a bit clever with a microcontroller

 

--Phil

[garycox]

Do you need a choke light?