Photography by Tim Suddard
We needed a clean, clever mount for some switches inside our 1965 Mustang vintage racer. We wanted a raised platform tilted towards the driver–something easy to see and reach when strapped into the driver’s seat.
We started with a Ron Francis Express Series Switch Panel (part No. SP-70 and a retail price of $149.95). This 8x3-inch panel contains six old-school toggle switches–five are maintained on/off with one momentary on/off switch for the starter.
Corresponding lights indicate whether the circuit is on or off. Adhesive labels are included.
While a separate enclosure is available, we decided to build our own–something angled towards the driver that would neatly fit between the gauge panel and glovebox. This placement would also cover the rather unattractive hole caused by the radio’s removal.
Building an enclosure like this is a fairly straight-forward job. We started by transferring our measurements to a piece of thin-gauge aluminum.
We then cut out the box using tin snips. Air or electric shears would work well, too.
To form our box, we used a sheet metal brake for the longer sides. We used some small pieces of angle iron clamped in a vise for the smaller sides.
Then we could cut out a space for the switch panel and rivet it in place.
We then mounted the box to the dashboard using screws–not rivets–in case we need to remove it later.
Now we have a simple switch panel for our Mustang. Soon we can wire the car.
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