CHT Gauge & Throttle Linkage

In addition to the triple multigauge I put in the dash, I also want to have a cylinder head temperature gauge (from Aircraft Spruce) in the "cockpit". To make the installation as tidy as possible, I decided to put it right under the dashboard inside the center console. The first step was to make a paper mockup and then trace the pattern onto some aluminum and cut it out on the band saw:

I folded the tabs with a hammer and a vice (maybe someday I'll have a pan brake):

Test fit - all is well:

I recently got a powder coating gun - this turned out to be one of the first parts I did. First spray the paint powder on (it uses a static electric charge to attract the particles to the metal part); second, put it in an oven to melt and cure the paint (I use an old kitchen oven); third, after 8 minutes, remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Doesn't it look pretty with the gauge in place?

And now, to install it in the car! The camera's flash kind of washed out the black vinyl in comparison: