I've got my car torn apart for some winter dieting and was thinking about building a new dash since my cut down stock one with gauges weighs 25lbs. I don't however want to get into a complete rewire job so I am wondering if I can use the factory wiring and sending units to go with inexpensive aftermarket gauges and what brands do you guys recommend?

What year is your car?
THe pre '85.5 cars i have seen people re-use their gauges.
My car is a 87 and i was going to use the stock dash and save some money but it just didn't work out that way. The back of the stock gauge is horrifying. So i ended up getting some Autometer products. Really not all that expensive. I have a tach with a shift light and oil temp/pressure, volts, water temp, and a fuel gauge. The fuel gauge i bought can be used with the stock sender. If you want a speedo then they have one too that can be used with the stock speed sensor. I haven't been keeping track of my costs. Keeps me happier that way but i think i may have spent $300 on all the gauges. Plus maybe a bit for the extra bits. You will need a radiator hose adapter...got mine from ebay...here is the correct size....
www.ebay.com/itm/370555800483?ssPageName....l2649#ht_4010wt_986
Here is the fuel gauge that works with the stock sender
www.ebay.com/itm/290419927994?ssPageName....l2649#ht_3489wt_986
And here are some switches i got to run the car...
www.ebay.com/itm/330641542888?ssPageName...l2649#ht_1896wt_1219

And a pic of my work in progress....

What year is your car, Ron? Why do you want to keep the stock wiring? The fuses and stock wiring weigh a ton and you can get rid of most of it.

Using mil spec wire also allows you to use a much smaller gauge of wire for the same amperage (also lighter because it is smaller).

Big Dog

My car's a '86, early offset suspension with late dash. I was hoping to keep my stock dash to make the car look closer to its streetcar roots which is what attracts some people to the class. I do drag the car to local car shows to try and hook more suckers to 944 racing and if it looks simple to build it might get more people interested, however I'm at the point of taking winning more seriously like we talked about Jim(thanks again to you and Charlie for all the help!). I wanted to keep the stock wiring, or more specifically, the wires I still need because it's already there and it's free. I'm not against rewiring the whole car but also want to keep costs down. I want to be able to look a guy who wants to build his own car in the eyes and say it really is cheap and easy to build.

I was looking at building a dash like Tim's and I think I can do it cheap and easy with the right gauges and if I do my own welding/fabricating that I learned way back in 8th grade.

OK, so here is some homework for you to do.

1. Other than the engine harness, what other things do you want to keep? Headlights, tail lights, windshield wipers, turn signals, mirror adjustments, power seat, radio other things. I assume things like the brake lights (required) and the fuel pump (also required if you want to actually get the car onto the track).
2. What gauges do you want? What gauges do you actually need?

As for being easy and cheap to build a race car, it is, other than the cage. The issue is how far you want to go with car prep verses driver prep. As Charlie is fond of saying, get a basic race car and spend time and money on the driver to move up into the middle of the grid. Later, when/if the driver gets better and is ready (and wants) to move towards the pointy end of the grid, continue car prep to get a "no excuses" competitive car. A "basic" race car will not be good enough to get a good driver to the front against other good drivers with well prepared, well tested cars. That is just a fact of life in any form or racing.

So, set your goal for your racing first and then develop your build plan. Do you want to contend for the win or for third? There is a BIG difference. If you want to contend for the win, forget worrying about car show stuff and develop your car with that in mind. I, for one, do not believe that having a developed car will turn a new guy off. I think most will understand that getting out there is, relatively, cheap and easy. I think what is more important is that your car look clean and neat. That is what will attract guys. When they show interest, the different levels of car prep can be explained. So, do you want to contend for the win or for third??????

Big Dog