After Market dash gauges
 

During the slow process of bringing ol' Dudley the 64 Long stepper back to life, I'm reworking the oiling system and thinking about some mounted temp, oil pressure, and voltage gauges. I'd appreciate your opinions on any good brands that you know of. I've looked at Equus, Jeggs, and today I hit upon Autometer brand products. Tks

Re: After Market dash gauges
 

I would go with Autometer gauges, will you be retaining the stock instrument cluster?

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Yup, not wanting to punch holes or modify the original cluster or any part of the dash. I'd like to just add them on somewhere so as I could get better readings than those red lights. In fact, the original water temp gauge might even work fine. I'll know about that after I get the engine to fire. But since I've got the oil pump apart to redo and just came up with one of those spiffy, aluminum, spin on oil filter adapters, at least an oil pressure gauge would be in order.

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I know you don't want to punch any holes but an ideal place to mount the oil pressure and voltmeter gauges is to the right of the cluster next to the ashtray. That's where GMC installed optional oil pressure, ammeter or volt meters.

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Here's what I did with mine.

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Check out the SpeedHut Gauges. Lots of style options, good mechanics, reasonable price. NewVintage makes some nice gauges too! And they are willing to make custom gauges at a reasonable price as well.

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Thank you all for the suggestions, brand names, and the pix Mr. Driller! BTW, what is that large gauge on the right side of your dash cluster? OK then, so pending some more suggestions guess I'll head back to my drawing board with this little project and see what I might come up with. You've given me lots of things to think about. I kinda like the option of dash mounting next to the ashtray as it would look clean and built in not added on,, but....mostly it scares me. It's kinda like getting that first tatoo. Once you start, there is no turning back to undo it should it not come out right.:ahhhh:

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That's just an over the counter Sun Tach.

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Hey Foley, how have you been? I just thought you may be interested to know that if you want a stock look, that some aftermarket guages can be re-faced to look pretty much original. I bought a 20 dollar reface decal kit for 55-59 GMCs from "The Filling Station" and rebuild the original guages that I knew worked in my truck. I ordered a gas guage and a water temp guage from Amazon, el-cheapo Sunpro brand. I needed them with what I think was called a 270* sweep, but the temp guage had to have 180* straight up vertical. I wanted to go to an electric water temp too. Hopefully I can get a couple of pics to post again here if you are interested.

I forgot to take a pic before I removed the lense from the new guage in the first pic and the second one is after re-assembly and testing to see if I screwed it up doing that work to it with a heat gun. I had to shorten the needle and mix some paint to match too obviously.

Later---DAC

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All good information Doug. Thanks for the pictures and yes, I'd be interested to see anything that you have over there in SD regarding gauges and dash stuff.

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Hello Bob.

My memory was 180* off on the guage description I told you above. I didn't want 270* sweep guages, I wanted what they were calling "short sweep".

You're welcome for the pics. Here's a little more info on how I did the guages in my '55 last January. I took the pics tonite.

The Temp and Fuel guages are new aftermarket "Sunpro" that I refaced along with the working original guages. I changed the entire face plate on the fuel guage from a non-working original one as the shape of the new one wouldn't work. I probably should have stuck with a mechanical temp guage then it would have matched the rest of them better. I also had to use original crimp rings on the new guages to make the bezel rings fit. I don't want to get to long winded to hi-jack your thread so here are a couple of pics.

DAC

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Hey Dac would you like some spare gauges for your 55. I have some from a 56.

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Hey Barry, thanks, but I have this setup the way I like it for now so no changes are planned. Just having fun driving it!

The way Rockdriller did his looks great and how he built the mounting panel to appear like it was designed with the dash really makes it all tie together.

DAC

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I liked the set up that Rockdriller did and looking at your pictures Doug, I can see some real nice detail work there. Very nice. All this gives me (and others I hope) some real good information and lots of ideas for gauge placement.

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Yeah DAC, that is a great alternative!

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Thanks, Bob, I was just showing that new guages can be made to kind of match original ones. Thanks for the compliment!

Everyone around here seems to like the dash overhaul which was in pretty sad shape before this. Best of all I have less than $100 in this dash project, including buying the guages, decals and materials.

Maybe the rest of the truck will look a little better someday--LOL!

DAC

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Thank-you too Funky61, you posted while I was doing the before and after pics!

DAC

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Hey Dac I like that you seem practical. You do what works. And what seems to be honest to the feeling of the trucks when new. Barry

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I sure appreciate that, Barry! This truck was abandon since '97 and was heading for scrap in '09 when I got it. I had no budget for it with my other trucks so it was be practical or not get to drive it. Driving these trucks with respect to the way they were new is the how to make them a time machine for me. They would lose that feeling if modernized too much. I am definitely not a resto purist, but probably would be if I had the budget. I believe in putting miles on them!

DAC

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Well this thread has been hijacked!!! I don't think Bob will mind . That's what I like about this group. There are a few purist , nuts and bolts guys. And it like that. But the most seem interested in the feel of the trucks. How they were when the were common. The sound and feel mean something to them. My grandfather closed his eyes when he heard a confederate Air Force B17 fly over his shop a few times this summer. He said he felt like he was 18 and fighting in the pacific in ww2. He felt young for a moment and I saw it. That's what's important. The spirit of these old rigs. The sound ,the feel. Every one loves the sound of the old b17. The model t or A. The quiet 90 hp ford v8 or the old jimmy sixes. It's the feelings they bring back. Keep it honest. Keep them real. Keep them running. Barry

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In the old tractor world Barry, we call it stack music. Ah yes, "The spirit of these ol' rigs". Amen

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Barry, no way to say it any better than that! That's why I keep bugging you folks even though I don't own one of these GMCs right now. This site is the only one I have ever run into that seems to have a real interest in GMC trucks!There is the pre-59 GMC site too but it's not as appealing as this site and they way it works is antique to say the least.

Most sites are mainly filled with dropping them clear on to the ground with all kinds of late model gadgets and even converting GMCs to look like Chevys.

By the way I dig old warbirds too, especially the B-17. Several years ago my wife took me out to our airport for Father's Day to see the CAF's "Sentimental Journey", a beautiful polished fuselage B-17G. Wish I could have come up with the $450 it cost to get a ride in it. A pic of Mt. Rushmore from the side gunner window with the 50 cal. would have been awesome!

Sorry I hi-jacked your thread Bob, but one thing lead to another----I hope more folks will chime in to help on your guage ideas. "Stack Music"---I will remember that one! Yes the spirit and the trip back into time is where it's at for me with all my old junk, from my lawn tractors to my trucks!

DAC

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Did you buy your guages yet, Bob? Hope to revive your thread since I hijacked and then killed it!

DAC

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Hijacking doesn't bother me, it was good stuff. But ok, a little followup on the gauge question. I checked out all of your suggestions and settled on an Autometer brand oil pressure gauge. I really liked the products that Speedhut" offers and you can literally design your own gauge with them. So...Autometer because it was reasonable priced and offered a nice gauge with the black face, white nums, and a white dial which will match the stock cluster. And...........after much finger nail chewing, and sitting in the truck looking at the dash for bout nine hours. What?? Well ok, maybe not nine hours but probably at least three. Ok, ok, it seemed like three, I thought it was three, so maybe not three but one and a half for sure, yup I know it was one and a half I'll bet, and after all that contemplation what I came up with was tentative agreement with Bigblocks suggestion of mounting two gauges in the dash tween the factory cluster and the ashtray. Oil pressure and probably an amp gauge instead of volts. I've always thought the amp reading made more sense. So as to know what the charging system is doing right then and there. I don't know if that's electrically correct, but it's what I been thinking all these years. I plan to get a build thread going before too long to show the history of the truck and the reeel slow progress I've been making to get the engine ready to run after all these years.

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My preference is a voltmeter over an amp gauge, look at all cars and trucks built in the past 35 plus years have voltmeters, amp gauges went out in the early 70's. Even so GMC offered the optional Sun Bat-O-Meter on 60-66 trucks which is nothing but a voltmeter.

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Here is what I did with my dash, in case it inspires anyone. Purists may want to look away. I just cut the original gauge cluster out and kept the bezel, then cut out a new face from oak, stained it, clear coated it, and put my gauges in it. I have already changed my mind on this slightly, as I originally intented for this wood gauge panel to match the bed wood, now I am going to take the gauges out, and cover the face with the same leather as the bench seat, which will also be a very dark brown (when I get around to upholstering the bench seat).

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So far you've done a real nice job with the entire cluster!

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That's funny Boss. I'm doing just the opposite. I just coved my bezel in leather and I just removed it to put in mahogany which is the same as my bed wood. Did you not like your wood look?

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This is what I did to my 65 custom I left in the stock gauges and added a 3 3/4" tach & clock in the dash. Under the middle of the the dash I used Motor-meter 3 pod w/temp, oil ,voltage the 3 pod is mechanical the stock gauges are electric...Vernski:thumbsup:

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"Patiently" waiting for the build thread, Mr. Foley;-)= I have always preferred black background with light lettering on gauge faces. They seem easier to read for me.

That looks great! What brand are the gauges? I like the idea of having it match the seat since it is all interior related.

Beautiful! Nice work. What is the steering wheel from?

DAC

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Hi GMCDAC that is a Chevy custom wheel, I was looking at a Impala wheel but they cost to much so I went with this one...Vernski

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I decided to go with leather because I want it to match the seat. The wood looks great, I just don't have any other wood in the interior. I am also going to put leather inserts in the door panels, in the recessed areas around the handles and arm rests. The gauges are New Vintage 1940 Series. Did anyone notice the boost gauge in the middle? :bigdance:

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I surely did notic the Boost Gauge and the quality work you did on the entire panel. Looks very professional. What are the three small indicator lights below the Boost Gauge. Looks like one green and two reds?

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Thank you, I take a lot of pride in my GMC. I can't wait to get my supercharger up and running on that engine. The indicators are amber for left and right turn signals, and a blue one in the center for high beam indication.

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Buzzing around the picture albums this evening, I found myself staring at another great looking instrument cluster. If you wanna look, go to page 8 of the albums, "1963 Father & Son Restoration" by Jachinator. Pix # 16,17, 19, and 20. WOW!

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That is a sharp dash for sure, although personally I'm not a fan of polished metal. I am even about 90% sure I'm going to take my stainless trim rings and have them brush finished, to take the shine off of them.

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Your cluster looks nice - I'm installing a tachometer and vacuum gauge in my 1965 Suburban since it's sitting idle waiting for it's rebuild 351E. Using the 1960's Ford F600 truck tach and vacuum gauges (Stewart Warner) which fit neatly inside the 2 large blank gauge spaces on the GMC plastic dash. Used a 3 3/8" hole saw for the opening and a die burr for the finish work. Gauges match the GMC factory gauges nicely. Anyone know the tachometer cable end design that goes in the cam driven tach drive? Would anyone have an extra tach cable? The SW tach takes a .104/.105 square end. THANKS! Have a GREAT NEW YEAR!

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Hope everyone is safe and sound after New Years Eve - weather is really cold/snowy in Iowa - question: does anyone know the length and the drive fixture size that fits the cam tach drive assembly? I'm using a 3000 rpm F600 mechanical tach in the dash of my 1965 suburban with a 351 E. Can't seem to locate a original cable - anyone help me. THANKS!

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I can't be very specific to the GMC V-6 setup but we used to use cable driven tach drive distributors in our circle track racecars. We would just hit the junkyard and find speedometer cables that would be the right length for our needs. I still have one of those distributors so to refresh my memory I screwed it onto the speedometer cable on my '70 GMC and it fit fine, cable size and screw fitting size.

DAC

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That's a great looking wheel and dash, thanks for the info! I hear you on using what is affordable!

DAC