The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Recommendations on Gauges

As part of the 6v to 12v conversion I’m doing for my 1955.1 Chevy 3100 I’ll be replacing the original 6v gauges with new 12c compatible gauges. I’m interested to hear the group’s recommendations on the best gauges presently out there. I do desire to mount the new gauges in their original position in the dash. I’m not absolutely set on buying new gauges that have the same appearance as the original. As always, products made/serviced in the USA are a plus if available. Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Dakota Digital makes nice gauges but be ready for sticker shock as they are pricey. John

I would NOT recommend New Vintage USA Woodward series gauges. They were in my truck when I bought it. The problem is that the radius of the markings of the smaller gauges in the "4 pack" does not match the swing of the needle. The only place you can accurately read these gauges is when the needle points to the middle of the gauge. On the voltage gauge that isn't important because the needle usually sits near the middle. Interpreting the readings of the oil pressure gauge at engine idle and the temp gauge at over 190 or under 160 was a guess until I temporarily installed a 4" calibrated oil pressure gauge and a mechanical under-dash temp gauge to calibrate my eyeballs.

Early models like mine do not have a "brights are on" indicator, but I understand that newer ones do and some have turn signal arrows..

On the up side, tech support is good and they replaced for free the temp sensor when I broke it while working on my truck. I really like the ability to tweak the speedometer/odometer "ticks per mile" to get the speedometer and odometer reading exact after you use the "drive the vehicle exactly 1 mile to set the speedometer" that is part of the setup.

Picture below is the Woodward series that I have.

Wow, Bill, that gauge makes me queasy just looking at it. It would drive me nuts.

Probably all you need to do is add a voltage reducer to the gas gauge. Temp and oil are "mechanical" (non electrical). Ammeter will be OK as is.
Cliock

Is there anything wrong with your current gauges? If not, then as Bartamos says they should work fine.

You could get a voltage reducer for the fuel gauge, or member Jon G has done a lot of testing on the fuel gauges and per his results, you can use a 6V gauge on 12V but after a while it will no longer function on 6V anymore. As long as you don't intend to ever go back it should also be fine.

You will want to replace all the bulbs in your gauges with appropriate 12V ones.

Thank you all.

During this 12V conversion. I don't know if you have a list in your mind of what needs done. Bulbs, bypass resistor, starter side terminal switch, coil...... turn signals.

My recommendation list for 12V conversion. None of it is difficult except on your body. None is real expensive. Worth the effort.

1. New universal pre wired fuse panel wiring harness. $200
2. Delco 10si alternator wired as "3 wire" using indicator light function. $55
3. Abandon the ammeter and use indicator light.
4. Abandon the inner fender terminal blocks.
5. We will help with any of this. It's all been done hundreds of times.

That would probably be a short trip Otto.

Sorry to be a bit late getting to this thread. Since it deals with an electrical conversion from 6V to 12V, I have moved the conversation to the Electrical Bay forum for further "on-topic" conversation.

Be nice folks.

Not hoping to sound like a wise guy but the best "Made in the USA" gauges out there might be the ones put in your truck originally. 12v won't bother the fuel gauge...if you want a voltage reducer that would be an okay thing if your truck has never been run on 12v. But please get an adjustable one if you do. There will be a period of time where your fuel gauge adjusts from 6v to 12v. As mentioned above once it adjusts to 12v you won't be able to go back to 6v. Please contact me if you need more information.

Moving on with the gauges, the ammeter won't care about voltage and your temp and oil pressure gauges were mechanical. I haven't made any for the 55 but I did post free printable gauge faces for the earlier trucks in the "Interiors" section as a sticky.

Here’s what I’ve done to date in preparing for the 12v conversion:
- acquired a new 1-wire alternator
- installed a new 12v coil with internal resistor (3 ohms)
- had my original starter rebuilt to 12v

Is there a particular brand of the universal pre-wired fuse panel that you would recommend purchasing?

What is the purpose of abandoning the ammeter in lieu of an indicator light?

👍🏻

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about the "best" replacement wiring. Feel free to search if you want to read more and sift through the discussions/arguments.

My recommendation: Speedway Motors 22 Circuit

I actually ordered one over the Black Friday weekend for my truck. I have used a number of different ones from different vendors as well as built my own from scratch and I believe that to be the best balance of price/quality/features.

Depending on what all you are installing, you could likely get away with the 12 circuit version, but for the ~$20 difference the 22 circuit is a lot of future proofing.

I believe that Speedway harness is the same one I recently purchased for the same thought process (22 vs. 12 circuit).

I'll echo that ... I used one 12 circuit kit once and ended up having to add "sub panels" etc as I discovered more and more things I "needed" (note the quotes). 22 circuit gives ya way more options down the road.