SO I decided I wanted to replace my non-working gauges & idiot lights with something that actually works.

What I had was a fuel gauge that was only good for a 5 gallon range (due to a UN-accurate sender from LMC), & nothing else working. Since I have over
$5k in the drive-line, & wanted a better idea of what was happening under the hood.

This is what I started with:



I looked at many different gauge sets & decided on Autometer American Platinum so they will match the current color, & because I could get a matching
fuel gauge & a calibrated sender that will work in the factory tank (with a $45 adapter). This way I could also keep the factory speedo.

I ordered a plate from Boese Eng. that bolts up behind the front bezel & assembled the gauges into it. It is designed to hold an autometer speedo, but I
was just going to make a bracket & use the OEM speedo.





But when I bolted it to the front plate, all of the gauges were too high & unreadable. Also, when I tried to install it into the dash, the two bottom outer mounting holes were blocked by the plate, which was blocking it from going all the way into the dash.




So I dropped that idea & decided on a different plan.

I disassembled the factory plate & realized the two original holes fit the autometer gauges with a very snug fit. So I decided to cut the lower idiot
light holes & install the gauges here.

Note.... It took me a few days before I got up the nerve to cut the original plate, but decided on this for a few reasons.

1. The truck is in no way original (My dad hacked this thing many times)
2. the factory gauges & lights will never be used again, & I hate dead holes!





WAIT... Now I have another problem! Check out the water gauge! Its not a match for the rest of the set! I didn't even notice it until I had them mounted where I wanted them. Now that they are lower, you can no longer see that it says WATER TEMP!

OK... Call Summit Racing. They put me on hold for about 10 minutes to check on what happened. They called Autometer direct, & was told that gauge should never have left the factory with that display. She then had someone hand-pick the new gauge for me & shipped it over-night. Gotta love Summit. Every time I have dealt with them I have been impressed.




So... Correct gauges now installed



Wired



& Installed!




Now I just have to plug the holes my dad drilled into the dash for the mini-gauges!

 

Almost forgot... Here is the Autometer fuel sender & adapter plate

 

Looks great, very nice job.

 

Very cool and nice work.

 

Looking good. Nice work.

 

As long as this thread has been brought back up, I might as well update it....

I have added a rotary switch & a couple of extra sensors to the temp gauge so I can also show trans temp as well as trans cooler temp. I found a factory **** for the switch so it looks factory.

Since I installed this, I have had maybe 50 different people look inside the truck & not a single one has noticed the gauges... EXACTLY what I wanted!

 

That's the best compliment!

 

Thanks so much Bluey for posting this thread. I'm about to embark on a set of replacement gauges for my '59 also. I'm looking at various gauges/designs. I like what you did, a lot!

 

Do you happen to have part numbers for the gauges?

 

A simple Google search will get you here so you can pick the ones you want

Gauges - American Platinum

I actually ordered mine from Summit

 

Thanks for the great idea. I just did this on my panel last week.

 

Those gauges look nice!

 

Thanks for this excellent thread. I was trying to verify a couple of things before I proceed with a similar plan. 1. Did you get any wiring diagrams from Summit or AutoMeter? I have a one wire GM alternator and not sure how to hook up new gauges. 2. Are the lights hooked up the same as the original lights? It looks like the lights in the speedo will remain original; how bright was it at night?

 

Each of the gauges has its own wiring & installation instructions. The type of alternator does not matter, since you are using a voltmeter that just hook up to any power wire that is on with the key. I hooked my lights up the the factory harness so they would dim with the light switch. At night, they look just like original gauges.

 

Thanks Cyclone for the quick response. You are a huge help.