My Ranchero Resurrection

[Ford Blue blood]

Nice work John.  I like your overall design, it works very well.

[KYBlueOval]

Progress has been slow as of late. Life got in the way, and some of what was done relied on others , that were very slow. Cardboard cutouts show the shape of the side panels, that will be remade in a plastic material that will be upholstered. I purchased 1/2" Engine Turned Stainless Steel to use on the Instrument Cluster and Console. A friend wrote the program for a Laser to cut the SS to match the layout that has already been established. By design, the program left both pieces about a 1/2 "Fat" all around which was later trimmed by hand to fit.
Being a very small job for the laser company, it took weeks to get to the front of the production line. But all is good. It all worked as it should. I have the program, if someone wanted to use it for the instrument cluster.The Speedometer and Tach are 3 1/8" Dia, the small gauges are 2 1/16" Dia.. I have the console program as well, if anyone is interested.
Someone on the Forum, mentioned that the dash ash try was not centered. With the console installed it would look better moved, so it was moved. The AC vents, above the ash tray, were evenly spaced, so the decision was made to center the ash tray on the AC Vents, which in turn centered it on the console.
There was a hole on the left side of the Glove Box opening for a light. That was moved to the right side, as what little glove box there will be, will be on the right side of the box.
Next step is to Lead the seams of the Left and Right "Wings" of the dash. A friend of a friend is doing it. Way past my skills!
I'll post a photo when that is finished.

[lalessi1]

John, your console is unbelievable!

[Jeff Norwell]

Outstanding John... L O V E  the engine turn technique and the complete overall layout!

[KYBlueOval]

Thanks for the compliments. FYI.......the hardest part of the console was finding cup holders that would work. What you see are SS cup holders for a poker table. Some times you have to think outside the box! These cup holders are a perfect fit for a 12 oz. Coke can etc., or a standard size bottle of water, and cheap to boot!
The lip on the cup holders was turned down a few thousandths so they did not touch. There is a support piece under that space between the cup holders, to keep everything flat and prevent  the SS from bending.
John

[hiball3985]

Looks awesome. Moving the ashtray to center it is some extreme detail 

[RICH MUISE]

Outstanding, John. This is a first class build. Did you finally get the pic posting figured out? Great to see pics.

[djfordmanjack]

looking great John.
I think it was me ( probably among others) complaining about the off center ashtray. factory location looks awkward as it doesn't match the speaker grill nor the radio. It is probably on the to do list on my Del Rio project, if I don't use the  59 dash I have. your installation makes me want to use the t bird center console, which I have one somewhere. Your efforts are coming out superbly clean !

[KYBlueOval]

Gunter, thanks for the comments. Let me clarify the ash tray position. It is not centered on the speaker. It was centered on the two AC vents just above it, that are equally spaced in that narrow band. If I centered the vents on the speaker, they would look odd. So the choice was made to do it as you see in the photos, and it works well with the console in place. It is not perfect, but it works for me. When I get the console back in I'll take a couple of photos and show you how  all the parts to the puzzle work together.
John

[KYBlueOval]

One other item I've been working on is Tie Downs for the Ranchero bed. I didn't want  permanent tie downs but rather something I could install as needed. Here is what I came up with. In the photos below, you'll see a 1/2" SS bolt, that has had the head cut down on a lathe and the center drilled and tapped. Four of these will be mounted in the bed as you'll see in the photos. The height of these tie downs was dictated by the one that mounts in the left rear. Limited space for a wrench, much less my hand. A SS button head goes into the cut down bolt when there is no tie down needed. When I need a tie down, the button head is removed and the SS Ring  ( Marine item ) is installed. To strengthen the panel they go into,a round disc was made from 13 ga. steel, and a caged nut was secured to the disc. The disc was then glued in place with 3M Panel Bond. A bolt was used to pull the disc up tight to let the panel bond set up, but keep the caged nut loose.
When the cut down SS bolt is installed after painting, the caged nut will allow the cut down bolt to be positioned and tightened, so that the four numbered SS rings are vertical in each location.

[djfordmanjack]

nice, great idea !

[KYBlueOval]

The following photos show the "Dog Leg" seams at the ends of the dash leaded in. They are not completely finished at this point, but you'll get the idea of the finished look.  Getting this accomplished is a function of Who You Know, not What You Know. I'm very lucky to have gotten this done, as finding someone today, that knows how to work lead is rare.
You'll also see that although, the ash tray has been moved, it does not line up  perfectly with the speaker, but rather with the pair of AC Vents just above, where the Heater, Radio and Clock were located. The ash tray also lines up with the console when it is in place.

[djfordmanjack]

that looks real tidy !! It is on the to do list, if I am ever going to use the 57 dash in my Del Rio project.
seeing how clean all of your interior is going to be, did you ever think about filling in the speaker grill ?

[KYBlueOval]

Yes, I have given that some thought, and it might just happen. I don't plan to use  a speaker there. Like I said, it might happen.

[gasman826]

PIC of one of my previous dash versions with the speaker delete.  Unfortunately, it doesn't show with the steering wheel and glare.  One less potential rattle and thing to clean.