MOONEY M20E RECOVERS FROM UNUSUAL ATTITUDE WITH GYRO FAILURE IN NIGHT IMC DEPARTING IGQ.

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I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM IGQ TO 1C2. I FILED AND RECEIVED A VOID CLRNC TO DEPART BTWN XA07-XA12Z. THIS WAS LESS THAN 10 MINS FROM THE TIME IT WAS ISSUED. I QUICKLY PREFLTED THE ACFT; STARTED THE ENG; TAXIED TO THE RWY AND PERFORMED A FAST PROP AND MAGNETO CHK. I DEPARTED RWY 27 AT XA12Z AND CALLED CHICAGO APCH ON CLBOUT AND HDG 220 DEGS TO CGT. WHILE I MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH CHICAGO APCH; I NOTICED THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR SHOWING A BANK IN EXCESS OF 50 DEGS; WHILE THE HDG INDICATOR APPEARED TO BE SPINNING. I TRIED TO ROLL WINGS LEVEL WITH THE TURN COORDINATOR; BUT FOUND MYSELF LOSING ALT QUICKLY. I RECOVERED FROM THE UNUSUAL ATTITUDES WHILE TRYING TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROB. I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER BELOW THE CLOUD DECK AND ASKED CHICAGO APCH FOR HDG AND DISTANCE TO LANSING ARPT. I REMAINED VFR AND LANDED. I FEEL SEVERAL FACTORS LED TO THIS: 1) MY ACCEPTING A CLRNC WHICH LEFT ME LITTLE TIME TO PREPARE THE ACFT AND MYSELF FOR A FLT IN NIGHT IMC. 2) THE ACFT WAS PROBABLY RUNNING FOR 5 MINS OR SO AFTER SITTING OUTSIDE FOR 2 DAYS IN 40 DEG DAMP WX. THIS DIDN'T ALLOW ENOUGH TIME FOR THE GYROS TO COMPLETELY SPIN UP. THE ATTITUDE AND HDG GYROS ARE OLDER UNITS WITH MANY YRS AND HRS OF SVC; THESE WILL BE OVERHAULED. 3) THE VACUUM LEVEL HAS NOT BEEN CHKED RECENTLY. THE ACFT IS EQUIPPED WITH A 'LOW VAC' LIGHT ONLY. THE MECH SAID THESE ARE HISTORICALLY UNRELIABLE. I INTEND TO INSTALL A VACUUM GAUGE TO ELIMINATE THE UNCERTAINTY OF VACUUM LEVEL; AND HAVE THE VACUUM REGULATOR ADJUSTED. 4) PARTIAL PANEL PROCS. ALL MY INITIAL AND RECURRENT PARTIAL PANEL TRAINING HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED USING SUCTION CUP STYLE COVERS OVER THE ATTITUDE AND HDG INDICATOR. IN THIS ACTUAL EVENT; I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO IGNORE THE ERRONEOUS INFO PRESENTED BY THESE INSTS. I FOUND MYSELF OVERCORRECTING AND MY INST SCAN DIMINISHED AND WAS MORE FIXATION THAN SCAN. I WISH THERE WAS AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD OF REDUCING VACUUM TO CREATE A REALISTIC PARTIAL PANEL TRAINING ENVIRONMENT. THIS WILL HELP TRAIN PLTS TO MODIFY THEIR INST SCAN AND 'TUNE OUT' THE FAILED GYROS. 5) I FOUND MY THOUGHT PROCESSES AND INST SCAN DECLINED WITH THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SIT. WHEN FACED WITH UNUSUAL ATTITUDES 2000 FT OR LESS AGL; DECISION MAKING ABILITY SUFFERS AND THOUGHT PROCESSES NARROW; AND BECOME FOCUSED ON ONE ASPECT OF THE SIT. WHEN FACED WITH UNUSUAL ATTITUDES 2000 FT OR LESS AGL; DECISION MAKING ABILITY SUFFERS AND THOUGHT PROCESSES NARROW; AND BECOME FOCUSED ON ONE ASPECT OF THE SIT INSTEAD OF ANALYZING AND EVALUATING THE WHOLE SIT. THIS TYPE OF TRAINING IS CERTAINLY DIFFICULT TO SIMULATED. PRACTICING UNUSUAL ATTITUDES UNDER A HOOD WITH AN INSTRUCTOR CANNOT CREATE THE FEAR AND ALARM NEEDED TO ENLIGHTEN THE PLT ON THE MECHS OF THE HUMAN MIND. IN ADDITION TO THE ACFT ITEMS LISTED ABOVE; I AM GOING TO WORK WITH MY INSTRUCTOR ON GYRO FAILURE AND OTHER INFLT EMERS. HOPEFULLY MY EXPERIENCES WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT TO OTHERS TO CONTINUE TRAINING AND REMAIN PROFICIENT IN NORMAL AND EMER FLT PROCS.