Covans Classic gauges***BUYER BEWARE**

Read this before spending any money with this company!
I wanted all Autometer gauges for the Silverado. I decided on Covans Classic with all large Autometer phantoms ($1000). I contacted Covans and they assured me the quality was top of the line and if I wasn't satisfied they would take them back. When the gauges came in I was satisfied with the gauges. Very nice. But the panel ($250) to mount them is was junk! A cheap looking piece of plastic. The fit is a joke, it was very flimsy, and the gauges point at your waist. Much lower quality than the factory piece. So I called Covans about returning them and they wouldn't because I had opened the gauges. I emailed the owner and customer support about this and neither ever responded. I saw the owner at his booth at Super Chevy and discussed this with him. Of course he never saw the email but was familiar with the problems and showed me the new design of that panel. It was a little better. He said he would swap it for mine if I would send mine back and it looked ok. I sent it back over 1 month ago and still no panel. No one at Covans will return my call or send me a panel. Very poor product and even worse service!
Covan's Classic Automotive Specialties Shopping Cart - Product description

Wow, that is to bad I had considered the same set up for my '86 but now not so sure.

Here is the email I sent them twice with no response.


I have a problem with your gauge panel package 130-73-50011 for my 86 Silverado. The auto meter gauges are great. The problem is with the black plastic panel. The quality of this piece is VERY LOW!!!!!! It is nowhere near the quality of the factory panel. It is flimsy, the cuts are bad, the fit is terrible and they point right at your waist. My eyes are not in my waist. They need to angle toward your head like the factory ones do. The fit around the dash (a new pad from GM) is way off. This is a very nice restored truck and this panel sticks out like a sore thumb. I have talked to some people who have installed this piece and they had the same problem and reported it back to you so I know you are aware of this problem. I find it hard to believe you sell this piece at top shelf prices with this level of quality. For a grand in gauges you expect so much more. The strength, fit, look and function should be far above the factory piece for that price. People buy this package to have Auto Meter gauges in a factory looking panel. Yours looks like a cheap piece of plastic. The panel needs to be thick, strong plastic with a brushed aluminum face just like the truck came with.

So far, I have not made this problem public and if you have a fair solution I will not. But, rest assured, if I am stuck with this problem it will be public.

Haneline has a nice looking engine turned that I was also considering.

I looked at the Haneline setup when I was shopping around. If I'm remembering right 72 is the newest panel they offer. Trust me, before I spent a grand on this setup I shopped it. I never got to see the Covans setup in person. If I had it would not have even been considered. They would have been turned down on quality alone. This customer service garbage is just insult to injury.

Sorry you havin' this trouble. I looked at Covan's too, but wasn't happy about the price. I cut corners on my install, and hacked up my OEM bezel to fit the gauges as a temp solution. I'm still hunting for a panel that's perfect, but not rushing to buy anything.

As bad as I think my hack-job looks, I still get complimented on my gauges. Good luck!

Here is my setup. I dont remember the exact total but I damn sure dont have anywhere near a grand in it. Its just a billet overlay with the same gauges you are showing. I know what you mean about the gauges pointing a little downwards. It gets annoying sometimes. Autometer has some rings that help point them upwards a little but I dont know how good they will look with the black plastic showing between the ring on the gauge and the insert.
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/d...2/IMG_0160.jpg
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/d...2/IMG_0159.jpg

The problem with using angled gauge bezels is they require every gauge hole to be enlarged, are a larger diameter than the gauges rims causing crowding & coverage of your nice billet panel engraved lines, etc. Is there any way to recess your entire exsisting panels deeper into the dash & angleing them back at the same time?

LS182 that's a sweet set up I was planning on going the same route, but do you have any issue with how much reflection you get on it being polished? Did you do the Tweed on the dashpad?Great job. I contacted haneline they do made it for our trucks but their website catalog don't show them. Instead of an beveled ring, I wonder if you could shim the whole billet plate? I think the issue after looking at your is the gages are for a flat mount and our trucks dash is slanted down, so 1/4 to 1/2 spacers could changes the angle?

Don't mean to jack the thread, but while we are on gages for these trucks anyone seen a pillar gage pod for the 73-87 trucks?

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Originally Posted by LS1GMCTruck

The problem with using angled gauge bezels is they require every gauge hole to be enlarged, are a larger diameter than the gauges rims causing crowding & coverage of your nice billet panel engraved lines, etc. Is there any way to recess your entire exsisting panels deeper into the dash & angleing them back at the same time?

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I would have to look at it a little closer but maybe we could remove some material from the middle part on up of the cluster and maybe that would make the gauges face up a little more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarleyDave

LS182 that's a sweet set up I was planning on going the same route, but do you have any issue with how much reflection you get on it being polished? Did you do the Tweed on the dashpad?Great job. I contacted haneline they do made it for our trucks but their website catalog don't show them. Instead of an beveled ring, I wonder if you could shim the whole billet plate? I think the issue after looking at your is the gages are for a flat mount and our trucks dash is slanted down, so 1/4 to 1/2 spacers could changes the angle?

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Thanks! No issue with glare, maybe because they do face a little downward. When I bought the truck it already had the tweed interior in it. Like I replied to LS1GMCTruck maybe we can remove some material from the cluster instead of shimming because shims would probably leave too much of a gap between the dash and cluster. Thanks again for the comps!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarleyDave

Don't mean to jack the thread, but while we are on gages for these trucks anyone seen a pillar gage pod for the 73-87 trucks?

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Nope. Had to cut & drill mine to half-way fit one for my AFR gauge. I'll try to remember to take a pic of that this evening. Not a professional install, but it works for me.

I'm hoping to be able to modify a stock bezel & fab an insert-like bezel similar to the polished bezel above. I don't have a sheet metal bender nor cutter, so my idea will be in my head for a minute. This idea seems simple enough to do, and would certainly solve the problem for our trucks.

:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ls182

Like I replied to LS1GMCTruck maybe we can remove some material from the cluster instead of shimming because shims would probably leave too much of a gap between the dash and cluster. Thanks again for the comps!

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That's actually a part of the idea I have. Since I don't have the equipment, maybe I'll share with ya. :)

Still no call, email or panel from Covans. I called several times yesterday. Their main line #770-667-7684 goes to a message saying their mailbox is full.

I was thinking that was one of their first panels?

I'm not sure where to go with these clowns. The owner told me to send my panel back and he would send me the new style on the same day. I sent t back 5 weeks ago and NOTHING from Covans. No call, email or panel. I hope these crooks are not gong out of business before I get my panel or preferably my money back. If you saw the panel you could see how they might go out of business. Last week I called or emailed every day. Most of the time you either get their voice mail or their mailbox is full and you cant even leave a message. 2 weeks ado I got them to answer 3 times and every time they said they would either send my panel out or call me back that day. NOTHING yet. What can I do about these thieves?

if you paid with a cashiers check, credit, bank card or paypal you can dispute the charges.

I finally got my new panel. It took almost 7 weeks. After all those lies from the owner (Alan) and his employees they finally sent the new style. I called and emailed every day for 2 weeks. They are yet to return any email or phone message. I finally got someone to answer the phone, go get one out of the warehouse and send it to me. I told her the whole story but she didn't care in the least. She offered no explanation for all the problems or the lies.
The new panel is slightly better by design. The gauges don't point at my waist anymore. They point where they should but all the other problems are the same. It is still a flimsy piece of plastic. It measures the same thickness as a quarter. After some cutting and bracing I think they will look fine. Not $1000 worth, but acceptable.
The bottom line is this...This is a low quality and overpriced product. But by far the worst people I had to deal with on this truck. Anytime you deal with a business or people without ethics or a moral compass, you will be sorry. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. :mad:

Did you concider theses with the insert below?
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_zm_158.jpg
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_sp_146.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NITROUS

Did you concider theses with the insert below?
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_zm_158.jpg
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_sp_146.jpg

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I looked into these but to me the digital looks a little dated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NITROUS

Did you concider theses with the insert below?
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_zm_158.jpg
http://www.dakotadigital.com/cartimages/prd_sp_146.jpg

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Yes I did. I like the dakota digital piece but that wasn't the look I wanted for this truck. I wanted this truck to look like Mr. Goodwrench built it. The Autometers have that performance factory look to them. And I love the look of the covans piece ......in their advertisements! In person is a different thing. I went to summit about buying just the panel from dakota and it wasn't available as a panel alone. All or nothing. I didn't search any further. That was after I had made my thousand dollar mistake!