Challenger 180 Dash Modification

[wakefj]

I wanted to replace my 2" Hummingbird depth finder with something that also included a GPS, so I settled on the Raymarine Dragonfly. But where to mount it? After looking at aftermarket mounts, I took the road less traveled and made a new dash. I found some cellular PVC board at Home Depot that was easy to work with. I had a "practice dash" that I used to test router depths, drill bit sizing etc. so I didn't experiment on the finished product.

I moved the gauges around somewhat in the new dash for ergonomics. I already had a Hobbs hour meter but I added a clock from eBay that also displayed temperature and voltage. I found that Microsoft Visio was a great tool for designing templates as it will provide designs to the hundredth of an inch, which came in handy for the Carling Contura rocker switches. I also replaced the simple push-button start/stop switch with a rocker switch.

More pictures on the next post!

 

[wakefj]

More pictures... of the final steps of assembly.

 

[Chakane]

Fantastic work wakefj. Very nice job.

 

[LouDoo]

Moving this to the 4-tec boat section..........

 

[Zero]

bravo man looks very professional !

 

[JoeZ]

Looks excellent. How long did it take you to mock it up and create the new dash?

 

[Bonmotwang]

Nice job! Always wanted to do something like that.
My fish finder is in the cup holder.

My 2001 sportster doesn't have enough room to "mock up". One spot is the 2" empty gauge spot above the steering wheel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wakefj]

Thank you and to everyone with your kind comments!

It took about a week of evening time to complete. I made a mock-up on cardboard first to test the new layout. I then cut a "test dash" and tried every cut, drill bit and router tweak on the test dash before applying it to the final dash. I needed to route the rear of the dash in places as the clock buttons and the rocker switches could not accommodate the 1/2" thickness of the PVC material.

The cellular PVC board from Home Depot came in an 8' length for ~$21, so I had ample material to play with. I also used square head stainless screws with black plastic "dress caps" to mount the dash panel to the console, to deter anyone from taking the dash to get the GPS, which bolts through the back of the dash.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Nice job.. It looks good and it is what YOU want... What more could you ask for...

 

[KK40384]

Very nice job