Electrical: Gas gauge 57 silver hawk

[Carlb87]

Hows it going guys? Im going to be working on my grandmas 57 silverhawk now the weather is getting better and 1 of the first things I was looking in to doing is fixing the gas gauge. I was just woundering if there is a need for a wiring diagram or is it just a simple power through a potentiometer through gauge set up. And if anyone knows where to find 1. Thanks

[StudeRich]

It is plenty simple, there is a hot (12V) when Ignition on, wire from the Ignition switch to the BOTTOM Term. of the Gauge (Dash Unit).

There is a wire to the Tank Unit on the Top Term. that gets a REGULATED amount of "Ground" (resistence) from the sender based on fuel level, so no actual "Power".

The important thing since New Dash Units are not available is finding a Stewart Warner (or other) Replacement (aftermarket) Fuel Gauge that matches the OHM rating of a Studebaker (SW) sending Unit. I believe they are 33 Ohms Empty and 240 Ohms Full.

If you Ground the Sender Wire at the tank, through the hole in the Trunk floor, you should get a "Full" reading, if not it is the wire or the Dash Unit that is defective.

[Carlb87]

Thanks for the help! Hopefully ill get into it this week.

[R_David]

You can by a rebuilt fuel gauge from Brent Hagen for $75. I bought one from him last year and it works like a champ! The fuel gauge for Hawk model years 1956-1961 is the same.

http://www.1956goldenhawk.com/hagen/

look under the "rebuilt parts" section on that page.

Also: make sure you have the shell of the gas gauge grounded when you are checking your gauge. I thought mine didn't work and it turned out that even though I had it hooked up right it wasn't grounded properly (since the dash is fiberglass and doesn't provide a ground).

Good luck!
-Ross