Has anyone retro'd a vintage gauge cluster

[utfanatic]

I recently bought a 41 gauge cluster along with a truck load of other parts to update my ride. The gauges (some of them) might have worked with a SBC sending units and might not have. Anyways I've install early VDO gauges where the vintage gauges are located to give it a vintage look.

Anyone here done that?

-=robert=-

1941 Champion 3G Coupe

"Life's too short.. Eat your cake first"

Robert Kidwell - Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146

Proud new member of the SDC
My Stude Project

[utfanatic]

I'm replacing this vintage gauge



With this VDO gauge and so forth



As in my original question. Has anyone wanted to this or has done it.

[jmccarrol@hotmail.com]

A great article was covered by Hot Rod Mechanic (now out of business) in their July 1996 issue which I have. They took a 48 Ford dash cluster and installed VDO gauges. They got a computer design studio to almost duplicate the colored background for the gauges and you couldn't see the difference between old and new. Joe

[JBOYLE]

The latest issue of Turning Wheels has a piece on restoring original gauges by using a computer to scan the original, then a digital clean up then reprinting the numbers on clear decal paper.

BTW: depending on your car, VDO makes a very nice set of antique-looking gauges with white faces and old-style numbers.


63 Avanti R1 2788
1914 Stutz Bearcat
(George Barris replica)

Washington State

[utfanatic]

quote:Originally posted by jmccarrol@hotmail.com

A great article was covered by Hot Rod Mechanic (now out of business) in their July 1996 issue which I have. They took a 48 Ford dash cluster and installed VDO gauges. They got a computer design studio to almost duplicate the colored background for the gauges and you couldn't see the difference between old and new. Joe

That wold have been helpful info before I started mine. It took a while to figure out how to get the VDO gauges the right height position to look original.



As you can see the actual gauge inside the housing is quite small. I had to fabricate back plates to mount them into the 41 cluster.

I made the gauge faces out of an old "No Tresspassing" sign which was thin enought to match the original. Easy enought to cut with scissors.



I sprayed them with some flat white and drilled the exact hole patterns.



The VDO gauges will seperate into halves once the locking nut is removed from the back. I used the VDO face to make a pattern for the back plates that the new gauge will be mounted to.



Here's a pic of the backplates I made out of some sheet metal I got from Tractor Suppply.

The holes have to be pretty close to the ones on the VDO so the faces and needles line up right.




The holes where cleaned up with a dremel type tool.


Here they are mounted inside the 41 gauge cluster



Now the problem begins. The gauges won't fit inside the cluster without the needles rubbing. So I added spacers on the back and now they work like a charm.

Here they are inside the original cluster. I'm going to make some calibration marks on them since the original references are not quite the same.





I'm sure there could have been an easier way but it works for me. I'm going to paint some reference points on the speedo and gauges later.[8D] -=robert=-

1941 Champion 3G Coupe

"Life's too short.. Eat your cake first"

Robert Kidwell - Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146

Proud new member of the SDC
My Stude Project

[bams50]

Take a look at Gary Ash's great work in this area, on his website:

http://www.studegarage.com/instruments.htm

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[Dick Steinkamp]

Well done, Robert! [^]



Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[utfanatic]

quote:Originally posted by bams50

Take a look at Gary Ash's great work in this area, on his website:

http://www.studegarage.com/instruments.htm

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

Hey that would work perfect with my homeaid faceplates. I may give that a try soon. Thanks Bob.

[BobGlasscock]

Very nice work!! Thanks for the pic sequence.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[utfanatic]

quote:Originally posted by BobGlasscock

Very nice work!! Thanks for the pic sequence.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

Thanks Bob, one more thing I'm going to do to the cluster is add turning signal indicators on each side of the speedo. I have some green ones that I pulled from the old dash and should be easy enough to mount. I put a couple of bulbs in the cluster last night and was kind of disappointed with the brightness. I may pull the defusers out of the socket to see if that brightens things up a bit.

-=robert=-

[garyash]

I have water-slide decals to reproduce all of the markings on the 1941 car and M truck instruments, including the odometer wheels. The set is $15, postage paid. Email me if you want a set, with instructions.

Here's the finished product:


More info here:

http://www.studegarage.com/instruments.htm

I've been working on an inexpensive 0-14 volt voltmeter gauge to replace the -30 to +30 amp ammeter movement for people who convert to 12 volts. Not ready yet, but soon...

[img=left]http://www.studegarage.com/images/indy/gary_indycar25_vvsm.jpg[/img=left] Gary Ash
Dartmouth, Mass.
'32 Indy car replica (in progress)
'48 M5
'65 Wagonaire Commander
'63 Wagonaire Standard
web site at http://www.studegarage.com

[utfanatic]

quote:Originally posted by garyash

I have water-slide decals to reproduce all of the markings on the 1941 car and M truck instruments, including the odometer wheels. The set is $15, postage paid. Email me if you want a set, with instructions.

Here's the finished product:


More info here:

http://www.studegarage.com/instruments.htm

I've been working on an inexpensive 0-14 volt voltmeter gauge to replace the -30 to +30 amp ammeter movement for people who convert to 12 volts. Not ready yet, but soon...

[img=left]http://www.studegarage.com/images/indy/gary_indycar25_vvsm.jpg[/img=left] Gary Ash
Dartmouth, Mass.
'32 Indy car replica (in progress)
'48 M5
'65 Wagonaire Commander
'63 Wagonaire Standard
web site at http://www.studegarage.com

Thanks Gary, I'll be in contact. I've emailed several people that paid to have what I did to mine. VDO charges around $1000. Ouch. I talked with Larry Hutchinson over the phone and he sent his cluster off to have done with modern gauges. Gary with your decals it just put a nice finishing touch. Nice work. I may buy two sets. I scored a 41 cluster case off ebay the other day and may make another one. It was for an M5 I think. It has black stenciling on the glass.

At one time I wanted to put Dakota Digital gauges in it, but space stomped that idea. Thanks again Gary. I'll be in touch. -=robert=-

1941 Champion 3G Coupe

"Life's too short.. Eat your cake first"

Robert Kidwell - Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146

Proud new member of the SDC
My Stude Project

[gordr]

Very nice work, Robert! You now have the benefit of modern instruments that are compatible with modern sending units, while keeping the classic style of the original panel intact.

And at a rod show, you can now say, "No it didn't come out of a catalog. I did it myself." Priceless!

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands