Hey cowboy, this post may be kind of late, but it might be of interest. I just finished rewiring my entire truck with a chevy duty 12 circuit kit(its actually from American Autowire-a good one). I pulled the gauge panel(diff. design-its from a '65) and took it apart only to find nothing worth saving except for the big bezel around the outside. Using the piece of acrylic that covers the original panel as a guide, I cut a piece of 1/4 inch oak veneered plywood to serve as a new gauge mounting panel. I cut the shape with a band saw and the holes with a hole saw. The whole thing took me about two hours to cut, since I actually ended up cutting two panels--one to fit inside the bezel, and another as a backer plate to hold it in. My finished product really looked pro after I stained it and put in the gauges. I used Autometer performance series gauges. Unfortunately, the small size of the stock gauge bezel only allows for 5 gauges using a 3 3/8 inch speedometer - you'd have to mount a tach somewhere else. I might be mistaken though, the gauge bezels for the 60 to 63 trucks were a little bigger right? Just an idea. . . It sure beat dishing out $100 bucks for a billet panel.
TrustyRusty Russell Keyes
P.S. I just turned 18, so I now how the budget can get in the way and how time is also a restraint... Happy motoring!