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Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc

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skamanfrank Posted a lot Posts: 2,689	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc skamanfrank @skamanfrank
	Apr 15, 2007 0:48:29 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Hi all, I'm thinking about knocking up a custom dash for the imp- hopefully it'll be a job I won't be able to balls up Anyways, at the moment, the dash is just...... Oil light, battery charge light, speedo, fuel, water temp, and I think that's it. I want to use Smiths gauges, so will they pretty much be a straight swap for the ones that are already there? Or will fettling be required? And will any smiths gauges be ok? Any recommended ones in particular? Also, I've seen electrical, and mechanical gauges for the same type of gauge. What's the difference exactly? Lastly (for now).... oil pressure gauge- how do I go about fitting a sender? I'm assuing there's some sort of sender/switch already as there is a light? and what about oil temp should i decide to fit one of those as well? What I want to have is oil pressure gauge, water temp, speedo, tacho, fuel gauge, indicator light, main beam light, oil light, battery light. The lights I'm going to get from Car Builder Solutions I think becuase they look quite nifty! Might even fit a vacuum gauge, just in case I need reminding how far down my right foot is! 'Course, if I decide to go for the uber gauged up look, might as well get an ammetre and volt metre in there as well! Any other recommendations other than smiths gauges? Need to be easliy obtainable second hand, and/or cheap! Haha, I love my "form over function" way of thinking
	Last Edit: Apr 15, 2007 0:57:18 GMT by skamanfrank

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briandamaged Guest	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etcbriandamaged @GUEST
	Apr 15, 2007 7:47:23 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Go for the 70's look....gauges everywhere, including an altimeter and old-fashioned Dymo-Tape labels under everything! TBH you'll probably need to stick with electrical gauges- mechanical oil pressure gauges work via capillary action so you'd need about 10' of tubing plumbed in from the sender unit up to the dash on a rear-engined car, would have thought that that would make them slow to respond and inaccurate.....someone may know better though.


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slater Club Retro Rides Member Posts: 6,390 Club RR Member Number: 78	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc slater @slater Club Retro Rides Member 78
	Apr 15, 2007 7:54:14 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	You don't want an ammeter. they are for dynamo'd cars. Unless you just want it to sit there and look pretty that is, which is a valid reason in my book!


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kP_Nuts Part of things Posts: 374	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc kP_Nuts @kp30
	Apr 15, 2007 8:24:21 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Best way i have found for oil temperature and pressure guages is to by a sandwich plate to go between the oil filter and it's housing these usually come with 2 ports (most people use these for oil coolers) so with some adaptors to fit your senders you'll be away.
	pillock said: Why people with welders shouldn't be allowed recreational drugs

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Lewis Posted hell of a lot Got 8 cylinders, uses 'em all... Posts: 7,625	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc Lewis @lewisk78
	Apr 15, 2007 9:41:15 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mechanical gauges are more accurate than their electronic equivalents. However, mechanical pressure gauges require a hose running to whatever you're measuring, increasing the chances of leaks (which is marginal), which you wouldn't usually notice until all your oil had evacuated via the hole in the engine bay somewhere and it was a bit late). The chance of this is pretty minimal though Non-electrical temperature gauges require a capillary hose, filled with nasty chemicals. These are bad and should be avoided. If you must use one, don't buy a capillary gauge that's had the hose removed, as then it's completely bust and not worth anything. They are NOT separatable from their hose. You don't want an ammeter, as mentioned, as well as the fact that it increases the chance of an electrical fire quite nicely ;D To retain an oil pressure light, along with a gauge, requires a T piece which you screw into either a spare takeoff port - or the existing oil warning lamp switch hole, if there is one - on your oil pump's cover, or fit an adaptor between pump and filter to provide this hole. You then screw the pressure switch for the light into the T piece, along with the line for the guage. Some examples The ones that have numbers all the way around are 'full face' or 'full sweep' whereas the sectioned gauges are partial faced types. I'd recommend - Oil temperature, Oil pressure, Water temperature, Revs/Speed, Vacuum, Volts and Fuel. Those cover all the bases and are about all you need Just eBay for "Smiths gauges" in "Cars parts and accessories" with the "title and description" box ticked
	Last Edit: Apr 15, 2007 9:49:12 GMT by Lewis

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skamanfrank Posted a lot Posts: 2,689	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc skamanfrank @skamanfrank
	Apr 15, 2007 10:47:12 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Excellent cheers peeps! Slater- I er, still have a dynamo! Must get round to that alternator conversion soon.....!! Definately liking the 70s-gauges-everywhere look, so that going to be the approach I take I think! Cheers for that Lewis, much appreciated. I think that list is a fairly good one to stick to. Hvae been trawling the bay for a while how, and watching at least 15 gauges at once (gets a bit confusing!) I think the main thing is going to be patience so I make sure I get gauges that match and get them fairly cheap!


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Lewis Posted hell of a lot Got 8 cylinders, uses 'em all... Posts: 7,625	Custom dash making- Smith gauges etc Lewis @lewisk78
	Apr 15, 2007 10:54:06 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Cool stuff Oh by the way - the black with chrome lip (the trim rings, that go around the outside of the gauge) gauges that you see in the Dollies (like the interior picturered) are actually completely chromed, with painted on black, so if you pick up a set of those you can remove the black paint to let the chrome shine through The trim rings can be removed easily anyway (twist off) and replaced with a suitable one, as some gauges have 'rounded' ones whereas others have the sharper edge, a la all pictured. Like you can see here - black paint removed on the rev counter (actually a Stag one, so came like that but the principal's the same) I think you should have a big MOFO rev counter as well though ;D


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