Cypress, in customizing your dash cluster external wiring for the led's you used in the CCU and console, did you have to drill holes in the circuit board to snake the wires through and also what gauge wire did you use?
I'm currently modifying the real dash at this moment. I need to see the gauges at night! Until I get all the parts to make a project like you did, I'm using the factory wiring with two T-5 wedge leds. They emit allot of light, especially if your use reflective tape, like that found on trailers in the bulb compartment and along the top of the line tunnel.
Your assumption about the puff of smoke when initially turning on the leds was correct. I smoked a wiring trace. Instead of fixing the trace, I soldered a wiring between the connector lug for the dash light power and the rheostat. Works great! Now I understand a comment you made about re-soldering all connections on a CCU for the ground connector for the entire cluster fell off in my hand. The cold solder joint broke loose and had to be re-done. I'll get pic's up in a few days of the finished-interm project.