I'm thinking about adding gauges to my 1977 F250. It has factory gauges, but I'd like a voltmeter, in addition to the factory ammeter. I may even install a switch, so I can check voltage on each of the two batteries.

And I'd like a tachometer. It's an automatic, but I'd like to know how fast it's turning. It's an old work truck, not a hotrod, so a small tach would be fine.

I'm just thinking about the layout, given the 1973-79 cab interior. I thought about the area at the bottom of the dash, left of the steering column. One might use those angled mounting brackets they sell for 2" gauges.

I was looking in a J. C. Whitney for ideas, and saw those plastic mounts that let you put one or two gauges on the left A-pillar.

I think a column mounted tach would block my view of the speedo or other gauges.

I was just wondering what worked for others. Maybe those A-pillar things would work, if they were kept low as possible -- and the plastic pod had adequate back spacing for a small tach.

Suggestions?

 

Yeah, you could get all crazy like I did! I just received my last 2 guages yesterday to finish it up . . . now I just need time to wire it all in!




What I used previously was 3 pods screwed into my steering column as I moved to a floor shifter and didn't need to column to rotate anymore. They were placed just right so it didn't interfere with my view of the stock guages. If you're retaining your column shift this won't be an option.

I played around with the pillar mount guages but my problem was that the bases are usually meant to be on a flat surface so they'll flop and swivel on your pillar a bit. No companies are making an actuall pillar kit for our old trucks. The 3 guage metal bracket might be your best bet, mounted low to the left, under the light switch. Then you could mount your tach on the dash OR, if you don't have heat vents, an in dash tack mounts really well in the space right above your light/wiper switch. This is where my tach was mounted previously.

 

I took out the radio and put the gauges in its place. no radio but gauges look good.the tack on the dash there is a screw all ready there

 

i like it ivan, i might copy some of your design themes when i redo my dash, although i am thinking of going with the digital guage cluster, looks pretty cool in my minds eye

 

Guys,see what you think about this. There is a company,www.classicinstruments.com. They make tach,speedo by themselves,but they take the other gauges,volts,fuel,water,oil pressure and put all of them in a round gauge together. The F-100 has three square openings,and I am looking into putting the three round gauges into it.Seems like it would be alot less hassle than completely redoing the stock dash. Also take a look at site 198.77.81.220:11036 and see how ken did his stereo install

 

i get a site not found error when i try the second address

 

That digital voltmeter I am putting into my instrument cluster has a frequency mode. A simple divide by eight input circuit would do it... -Hmmmmm

Put a switch in for voltmeter or tach function... I get strange ideas!

 

The best gauge I ever added was a vacuum gauge, duct taped to the steering column back in 1982 and it tells me everthing I ever really needed to know. I did have to replace the duct tape a few years ago and replaced it with a stainless steel hose clamp for looks...? You would be amazed by what a vacuum guage can tell you about your driving habits. I don't think you can have enough gauges though...

 

When a 747 pilot climbs into your truck and looks confused then you know you did it right.

 

right on the amount of gauges are almost never ending so far i have installed tach,water temp,trans temp,oil temp,air mixture,vac gauge,volt meter,speedo,amp meter,oil pressure gauge,water pressure gauge,power steering temp gauge,fuel gauge and a shift light

 

And people thought I was nuts for my 10 guages. My shift light is on the way, I've got:

1. Tach
2. Speedo (meter . . . not swimsuit)
3. Oil Pressure
4. Water Temp
5. Fuel
6. Tranny Temp
7. Fuel Pressure
8. Air Pressure
9. Volt
10. Vacuum

I'll have 2 more when I get the Ranch control in and a boost guage + maybe nitrous guage down the road. But for now I've got more junk to look at than I know what to do with.

 

never thought of the fuel pressure or air pressure

 

Wow, ivanribic, that's quite a panel! Sure puts my old Cornbinder to shame.



Of course, it was easier with the International, because it already had 2" gauges; I just changed what I wanted to, then got a holesaw and added a gauge or two.

My F250 has a decent factory gauge panel. I just want to add a couple more gauges.



I was thinking of using the space at the bottom of the dash, to the left of the column. I can make the one toggle switch there go away. And there's an old CB mike clip that will vanish. But it's not exactly in line of sight for a driver.

I'm wondering if the A-pillar option is better, so long as the gauges are not too high and do not block too much of the driver's view. I don't want to block any of my existing gauges (something I'm thinking of when I consider a slightly smaller aftermarket steering wheel). Does anyone have an opinion on those pods that mount on the A-pillar?



I know I have a lot of work to do on this old beast, but one thing at a time; we'll get there eventually...

OK, what did I do wrong? There's an icon for inserting an image. I clicked, found it wanted a URL, so I put the images I wanted to insert into my gallery and put the URL of each image into the "insert" feature. But all I see is little red X's instead of pictures.

 

Oh, forgot about the Altimeter and yes I use it to see how close I am getting to the next pass coming up. Haven't got an accelerometer yet, don't think I need it with a 360?
Next?

 

If you need an accelerometer in your pickup truck, you'd better back out of the throttle a bit, especially in winter!

I have carried altimeters at times. They can be handy. Used 'em more for backpacking navigation than on the road, but I have used them in vehicles.

Actually, the more I hear about it here, the more I'm thinking maybe I should have a vacuum gauge. With all the vacuum connections we have on our vehicles, it would alert me if a hose dropped off and I got a vacuum leak. And of course, we know that driving by the vacuum gauge will save gas.

I'm still thinking about where to best mount gauges. I don't know what I did wrong in my attempt to insert images last night. But you can see those images in my gallery in the "dash & interior" folder. I have never tried those pods that go on the A-pillar. And I'm hesitant to mount anything on top of the dash, since there's padding there; it's not just a sheet of steel like my Cornbinder. (Besides, any good Redneck knows the dash is for piling things on - Mountain Dew cans, tools, rolls of tape, etc. )