The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Gauge face colors on '51 GMC

Hi All,

Tried the "search" for this, but couldn't get an answer so I thought I'd throw it out there. I'm working on bringing a '51 GMC 100 back to life and it looks like I'll have to replace the temperature gauge. Figured I'd redo all the gauge faces while I'm in there. Looking in the various parts supplier catalogs I've got seems to indicate that the gauge faces for a '51 GMC 1/2 ton should be cream or tan with red needles. What I've got is brown with white needles. The parts suppliers apparently identify this as a '52 (although the pictures seem to show the ammeter with "D" and "C" instead of "-50" and "+50" like mine has). My speedo is also brown with a white needle. Is it possible that '52 gauge clusters would have been used in a '51 truck if it was made in March of '51? Did they use both colors at some time in '51? BTW, I'm positive that the truck is a '51 (got the original bill of sale from the dealership dated March '51). What gives here? In the mean time, I guess I'll go with the '52 temperature gauge and call it good.

David B

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq286/blastenpene/Work%20in%20Progress/51instrumentss500q5.jpg

I can't honestly answer your question but I did notice that the temp guage goes to 220 and the oil guage to 60lbs. Was that "standard" on the 51? Chev guages did not got that high in 1951....or I don't think so?

My 1952 Chev panel truck has brown face with white needle so maybe someone put 52 guages in your truck. I don't think GMC would have done it that early in the year?

I also noticed the speedometer goes to 80mph which is probably correct. I'm not sure about GMC but the chevy was 80 until 1952 when it went to 90mph.

A lot could have been changed out in the past 50 years.

Lets see what the experts say when they get here!!

It looks like someone may have used Chevy gauges in your truck. From the way the oil pressure gauge looks compared to the rest it might have been replaced just itself from something else if it is possible.

I don't know about your truck but those are the correct colors for the Canadian 51 GMC. Of course your oil pressure and temperature gauges are not original. I would think that the oil pressure gauge points to a newer full pressure motor.

The pressure gauge, I forgot to mention, is just like the one in my truck except mine is not that color.

The oil pressure gauge is correct. In '51 GMC was using a full pressure oiling 228 instead of the splasher 216 Chevy was using. This truck was bought new by my wife's great grandfather, who drove it from '51 until '76 when it got parked. No reason he would have changed of the guage cluster and speedo head. I'm pretty sure the temp gauge is correct, too. My catalogs show 220 temp for the replacement, just in tan instead of brown.

David Bush

Very interesting how all the "experts" who have no idea of the differences in a Chevy and GMC are chiming in.

GMCs did have higher oil pressure gauges, 60 vs. 30 psi. GMC amp gauges show 50 amps, Chevies show "D" and "C". GMC temp gauges show to 220, Chevies show to 212.

I don't know what years of GMC used the cream colored gauges.

Have you checked the ID plate for the correct year? The paperwork that you have may have been for another truck that you grandfather had. By chance, was your truck from Canada? They may have used a different color set of gauges.

This is what you can get from JIM CARTER'S I believe the transition year was late 1951, so the gauges for your truck may be the same ones that are used in the 1952 GMC.

It looks like Jim Carter's 52-53 gauge decals are like Classic Parts of America's Chevy/GMC decals. During those years, it seems that GMC and Chevy had the same brown background but different scales. The reproduction decal set seems to have both the GMC and Chevrolet scales for water temperature and oil pressure, but it does not have the correct scale for the GMC ammeter.

My apologies! I was thinking of the Canadian GMC with the 216 "splasher".

Hi All,

I think I've got the correct answer to this from another site - oldgmctrucks.com. Turns out that '51 was the transition year from cream colored gauge faces to brown. The brown gauges with white needles were used in late '51 production. The speedometer is particular to the late '51 in that it's an 80 MPH speedo as opposed to the 90 MPH brown speedo that they went to in '52. Looks like I'll replace my bad temp gauge with a '52 unit - don't know what I'll do if I need to reface the speedo. I'll worry about that later - plenty else to work on now.

Thanks to all for your input,

David Bush

Looks like I could use a gauge face kit for the '47-'51 Chevrolet, like this one from Classic Parts. Has the correct speedo facing (it appears) and all the right gauge faces with the exception of the +50 -50 Ammeter facing. Any comments or info regarding this interchange?

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq286/blastenpene/Work%20in%20Progress/4751Chevgaugefaces.jpg

Thanks,

David B