After Market dash gauges

[Foley]

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

[GMCDAC]

Originally Posted by BarryGMC

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

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!

Originally Posted by Foley

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

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

[GMCDAC]

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

DAC

[Foley]

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.

[bigblockv6]

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.

[BossChevy62]

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).

[bigblockv6]

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

[BobC]

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?

[Vernski]

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

[GMCDAC]

Originally Posted by Foley

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.

"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.

Originally Posted by BossChevy62

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).

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

Originally Posted by Vernski

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

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

DAC