Tips for drilling s13 dash for gauges.

[e30gangsta]

hey guys I am planning to install a set of defi gauges that I bought from camryonbronze into my Silvia's dash. And I am curious if anyone has any tips on how to get a clean cut. I plan to use painters tape to cover the holes, then draw on it to align my holes, drill a pilot hole. Then use the hole saw in reverse at first. (Someone online said that's a good way to start cutting into the hole?)

Below is the look I am going for, if you guys have any other tips or tricks to pull this off I would greatly appreciate it. I just don't want to ruin/destroy my mint rhd dash. thanks.

thanks!

http://speed.academy/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Nissan-S13-project-interior-006.jpg

[brndck]

sounds like you've got it pretty well figured out already

if you really wanna go the extra mile, get a trashed/cracked dash and test drill on that first

[e30gangsta]

sounds like you've got it pretty well figured out already

if you really wanna go the extra mile, get a trashed/cracked dash and test drill on that first

Yeah that's not a bad idea. Im going to look around or hitup a junkyard with my drill to see how it goes.

[jumpman2334]

not sure if your referencing this thread specifically, but it looks like youre on the right track!
https://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/fabrication-tools-tricks-trade/88144-best-way-make-hole-my-dash.html

id be mostly concerned about the hole saw being too aggressive and taking extra material with it. it looks like the concern is addressed.

[slider2828]

Truthfully, I tried.... very similar method. My dash was 100% mind and just started cracking..... where the holes were drilled.

I dunno I truthfully the vinyl is SO brittle and the underlying foam as well... Its risky no matter what... sorry to say....

[Shift_grip]

Hopefully this goes without saying, but be sure to use a straight edge to align the holes.

[nick_d_240sx]

Why do you want to put gauges so far out of your line of sight?

[da_crew10]

Why do you want to put gauges so far out of your line of sight?

:picardfp:

Looks rad!

[jumpman2334]

Why do you want to put gauges so far out of your line of sight?

gotta do it for the gram bro.

[Kamycakes]

Do the 3 holes instead of 4. Imo looks better, dash will be stronger in this place and it will be easier to do because of one less hole to drill :D
Oh and you can still use your oem ventilator duct behind the gauges.

Basically when it comes to drilling holes with a saw you have to do it VERY FAST. Other than that you will just mess the dash surface around the holes.

What i did is i made a smaller hole (54mm for example) with a saw and then made it bigger up to 60mm with a dremel tool.
It is more time consuming but a safer method for sure.

[e30gangsta]

Car is running on a standalone, all of the engine protection parameters are on anyways. I bought the gauges before switching to an ems. So yeah I guess you can say its for the gram bro lol

[240sxTuck]

If i were you, i would drill the hole about half the size you want, and use a dremel with a sanding head to finish it. Reduces the risk of cracks, and you can still get a clean finish. I did that to my B-pillar panels in my s13 to run s14 seatbelts.

[andisan]

I remember doing it on my brothers civic

I cut the top layer off and exposed the bare plastic of the dash and then just used the right size hole saw on the plastic of the the bare dash, so you won’t rip material off
Also I left the hole a little smaller then the gauge so it’s a snug fit

I would do an angle adaptor to it so you can have a good view of them from the driver side




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[feito]

Why do you want to put gauges so far out of your line of sight?

Lots of things I'll never get. This one of them.

[CamryOnBronze]

Oh and you can still use your oem ventilator duct behind the gauges.

My car (the one in the example OP posted) was still able to use the ducting to keep the heat fully functional. I had to grind down a portion of the duct ever so slightly for the Defi Link Meter II gauges to clear, but didn't grind all the way through the ducting. Defi gauges are fairly slim so that might be why.

Why do you want to put gauges so far out of your line of sight?

I've never understood this argument. I had zero issues seeing my gauges in this location. Maybe it's because I never did any racing or anything like that, but it really wasn't difficult to see them at all. Not to mention Defi gauges have a red light that flashes and an alarm that sounds if anything is at a dangerous level. It's not nearly as much of an issue as people make it out to be.

gotta do it for the gram bro.

I think people ran gauges in this location long before Instagram existed, haha.


NOW, all of this being said, I regret drilling into my mint dash. No issues with the drilling process or cracks forming down the road, but I wish I had not done that to my clean factory dash. e30gangsta, I think you are all set to go- just like we talked about on Instagram. I wouldn't stress!