gauge panel

Hi Folks,

Has any one replaced their universal "gauge panel"?

On our "88 E 34 it has been glassed in the corners and now that has given away and cracked all across the bottom and it just hangs there.
To push the start buttons must lift the lazaret hatch and hold the back of buttons. While engine is being rebuilt it is a good time to do something about this too.

I was thinking about making one out of wood... we have some super good teak & other extic woods here in Nicaragua with good woodworkers too.

Any ideas other than replace with a Novatron panel?

Nica Ralph

You didn't say the gauges didn't work?

If the gauges work, why not carefully remove the gauges etc, and either cut it out of aluminum, or out of acrylic, and put it back together?

Guy

You might be outside the normal shipping reach for a piece of epoxy/cloth panel from: http://www.mcmaster.com/
Look under Plastics and then under fiberglass sheet, about 3/16 or 1/4 inch thick.
If not, these are one of my main sources for plastics.

Thinking quite a ways "outside the box"... if there if is a scrapped-out frp boat nearby, maybe you could find a flat panel of the right rough size and saw it out an thereby achieve the same new engine guage panel piece...
Or, maybe a salvaged flat piece off of a broken FRP shower stall, that some builder/remodeler threw out.
(...just a thought).

Loren

engine panel

ralph
the engine panel on dalliance e74 35II was coming apart. i made a new panel by gluing 2 pieces of 1/4"lexan with super glue. the back piece was clear and the front piece was black. i then measured and carefully drilled all the necessary holes with a hole saw from the front. after drilling the holes i removed the protective covering. while i was at it i modified the panel with some switches for the blower, running lights, spreader lights and mast head. i hope this helps

happy sailing

greg

dalliance 74 35II # 325
wilmington,ca

just brittle...

The Gauges work... it is the black plastic that has broken and has become brittle.