Gauge questions

[RetroC10Sport]

A friend has offered me a 1973-75 tach cluster with vacuum gauge and tach/fuel gauge for a whole lot cheaper than one can be found on ebay.

If you don't know me by now, my motto is "find something simple and complicate it!"

First question is: it has an ammeter, how difficult would this be to change over to a voltmeter?

Second question is: I want to update things a little. Any ideas on how to make this backlit like newer gauges? Like maybe getting some sheet plastic and trying to have the faces printed off somehow?

 

[Old77]

A friend has offered me a 1973-75 tach cluster with vacuum gauge and tach/fuel gauge for a whole lot cheaper than one can be found on ebay.

If you don't know me by now, my motto is "find something simple and complicate it!"

First question is: it has an ammeter, how difficult would this be to change over to a voltmeter?

Second question is: I want to update things a little. Any ideas on how to make this backlit like newer gauges? Like maybe getting some sheet plastic and trying to have the faces printed off somehow?

Not sure about the voltmeter question, but....

for the gauge illumination, You can probably have the faces reprinted off by like a vinyl guy onto some new backing of some sort then use LEDs to illuminate them. I'd have to see the gauges to really give it thorough thought but that's my first instinct.

 

[skysurfer]

To actually convert that ammeter to read volts isn't practical. You would have to solder in a resister, calibrate the spring rate, there's magnets involved, in other words... a total pain in the ass.

LMC offers a voltmeter guage for fifty bucks that appears to be a drop-in replacement. The beauty of your project is you're not trying to convert an entire vehicle over, just the gauge cluster. If the vehicle came with an ammeter system you would have to rewire it from a pass-through system (ammeters read flow) to a stand alone system (wired to ignition on/off) that reads volts.

 

[Mr Clean]

Like this?

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[Old77]

those are nice lookin gauges! Are those going in your blazer?

 

[RetroC10Sport]

they are nice, but I've never been a fan of white face gauges. However, I may end up using them for templates to transfer to the plastic.

 

[Mr Clean]

Old77 No.., they were bought for my 82LWB, and I never ended up using them, I went with after market gauges.

They won't work for my Blazer because I'm going with a custom dash, and 5" Auto-meter gauges.

Retro...It looks a lot better at night with the red LED lights lighting it up.

 

[85k10383]

I like them a lot! Where did you get the vinyl done? Would they do it again?

 

[nxtlevl]

those are nice lookin gauges!

X2...

 

[Mr Clean]

Hate to see them sit on the shelf, anyone interested? not sure if the tach works, I never hooked them up.

 

[crazy4offroad]

I like em alot, I would buy them from you but I worry a higher rpm cam might damage the tach. What are you lookin to get out of them?

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Hate to see them sit on the shelf, anyone interested? not sure if the tach works, I never hooked them up.

hmmmm...what kind of price are you looking for?

 

[crazy4offroad]

HAHAHA! A good'n!!!
Truthfully I couldnt get it till after the 1st of the year whatever the price.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

HAHAHA! A good'n!!!
Truthfully I couldnt get it till after the 1st of the year whatever the price.

Neither could I...But you are definitely first in line for them.

 

[Old77]

If I didn't have my digitals I'd definitely jump at it. IMO, those look really nice!