Without me blowing a ton of cash to get the whole thing restored, I took it upon myself to undertake the task. Knowing this, the crew at Autoinstruments.com has developed repair and calibration techniques to make your factory gauges work as well as expensive aftermarket units, and without cluttering the area under your dash. But like I said, this gauge cluster was getting a paint job - it was time for a wipe down with acetone and tape for paint. Recognizing that every individual's motoring journey is unique, we seek to give form to both untold as well as celebrated facets of the automotive world. A good used gauge can cost more than $200, and it might need the same repair. This totally works on just about anything (even paint if rust stains are coming through) as long as it's not pitted. To get the surface rust off the receiver, I used some Very Fine steel wool and some WD-40. Mark Simpson visits Bob Wilson, owner of RJ Restorations, to see first-hand the processes Wilson uses to build award winning restored classic cars. WE CAN ALSO CONVERT YOUR FUEL GAUGE TO OIL PRESSURE! Brass rivets usually hold the older ones in - for that style use a flat file to remove the rivets. It needed a lot of cleaning and in the end I decided to paint it new again rather than leaving it metal. The face of my set was really rusted out. Nothing beats a brand new speedometer and tachometer fresh out of the box but that's not always an option. Restore Old Deck - Flip Over the Joists. 1095 followers oldnewparts (26136 oldnewparts's feedback score is 26136) 99.5% oldnewparts has 99.5% Positive Feedback. Continue on to reading this issue and look for links to the latest issues, straight to your inbox, as soon as they’re released! The newer ones are easy, they are just aluminum with bent over edges. Using old tools in the workshop is an amazing experience. I fallowed it up with a tiny set of needle nose pliers. She shined up amazing. But like I said, this gauge cluster was getting a paint job - it was time for a wipe down with acetone and tape for paint. Seattle Speedometer, Bob’s Speedometer and Palo Alto Speedometer all use silk screening, also called screen printing, for gauge face restoration. My gauge face is made of plastic and was pretty beat up. A few spiders tried to bite me, so I scurried them off to find new homes. Old New Parts. I took a DA with 3000 grit to it, just to clean up the haze. The ink is pushed through the material onto the gauge surface. The good news is that they are fairly easy to diagnose and repair. Wax; Bench test (after restoration, to ensure gauge works and polarization phase) ‘Advanced Repair’ is dependent on needs and spare parts stock. Side Refine Panel. When tools are properly restored, they are often just as good if not better than many products made today, and the history that accompanies them is so inspiring. As much as we like wrenching on our own cars, there are just some parts of an old Mopar that it makes sense to let somebody else repair. The Old's gauge set was pulled apart to determine what was and wasn’t working. ­­­ I was very lucky to have this cluster lying around, but sometimes you have to dig a little bit deeper. The new face was fitted and glued using a two-part epoxy. if you have trouble restoring them, i have a 99gtx hull i've decided to strip out and i "think" the gauges are clear, i haven't really looked at the hood in a month, i'll have to check them tho to be sure and i'd let them go pretty cheap. When you own a classic car, sometimes their parts are out of date to the point of being obsolete. Next, simply put the gauges back in their placement within the cluster. This is why when it was time to restore the dash gauges on our project Timber wolf Super Bee, we needed a little help. Fortunately, the guys at Autoinstruments.com specialize in just the kind of repairs and restoration our gauge cluster needed. TACHMAN CAN RESTORE YOUR 1970-72 CHEVELLE, MONTE CARLO OR EL CAMINO CLUSTER IN WHITE, NO DECALS, PRINTED ON THE DIAL. Step 3 - Interior and exterior surfaces of the case and ring are cleaned and repainted at our paint station. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/repair-restore-vintage-gauge-cluster This is where being patient comes into play. The total cost for a finished project depends on several factors. Because of their size, these seem to come apart easier that the small gauges. I used a kit I got at home depot from Ryobi on my air tool. I removed some of the deck boards to discover some of the 2x12s are rotting at the top and there are huge cracks running along the top edge of each joist. Time for assembly...start one piece at a time and make sure not to get any stray bits in the gauge set that will drive you crazy later. To get the right ohm range for the sender and a new temp gauge that might actually be accurate, I found myself rummaging through my parts hoard. The two screws come out and allow the gauge to drop out of the case. GAUGE MARKS™ are not only accurate in detail, but also made of the finest materials available. DEAR TIM: I’ve got a nine-year-old treated lumber deck on my home that’s showing worrying signs of decay. Since we wanted to keep a factory look to our project Super Bee, but wanted to brighten up the dash a little, we opted for factory gauges with white faces to replace the factory black gauges. You should only have to do one side before being able to work out the internals - it comes apart pretty easy if you take your time.  If working with a glass faced cluster, be very very careful not to break it. Here’s what you’ll need to restore it: Q-tips A magic eraser. An old car prep trick is to use chrome polish or Nevr Dull to remove rust. Step 2 - Gauge is completely disassembled and evaluated. I love using old tools previously owned by a maker whose skill level I will likely never reach. Fuel gauges are very delicate and it doesn’t take much for them to stop working. Be sure not to take your time, it can be very easy to damage the underlying gauge. First, carefully remove the face plates. You can see the two holes in the back with the jagged edges on the mechanism. After the chrome was off I could see how messy the old gauge set really was. The restoration of your gauges requires knowledge, experience, skills … That's why you see so many Mopars with aftermarket gauges hanging under the dash, because when the factory instruments stop working most of us don't have the ability or knowledge to repair them. Save this seller. We sell wiring harnesses,gauges and power window kits for the aftermarket installer.Our products cater to the Street Rod enthusiast. I coulda spent the time to start at 600 and remove all scratches, but for me the heavier ones are kinda the charm of having an old car. Gauges may become inaccurate through age and use, but automotive gauge repair services keep them running smoothly and correctly. In addition to repairing and reconditioning gauge clusters for better aesthetic appearance, the guys at Autoinstruments.com have the tools and calibrated test equipment to get your factory gauges working better than they did when new. This is a relatively simple method for restoring the faceplates of instruments and gauges for your project, whether you need to do one or all the gauges. Properly restored gauges and lenses can be easily overlooked when doing a complete restoration, but with a little time, effort and the right parts, your gauges can be made like new. Each line, digit, and letter are precision cut from UV resistant 4mil premium vinyl, then aligned and prepared by hand. It appears to be in good shape but a person who fixes model trains thought it would be no good due to the pin holes being too difficult to clean. In fact, factory tachs can be off by 1,000 rpm or more. Contact seller. 25 Do’s and Don’ts of Harbor Freight Tools, The 10 Simplest Repairs You Ought to Do Yourself, Code Breakers: Saving Time & Money Using a Code Scanner, More Than Meets the Eye with DUB IR™ Tint, Yes, I would like to receive emails from Nitto Tire and Driving Line, I’d like to receive Driving Line’s twice-monthly eNewsletter, Sign me up for a quarterly digital magazine subscription. Once you have the instrument cluster removed from you Mustang and on the bench your ready to get started. D & M Restoration has complete in-house printing facilities and do all our own darkroom and computer layout, making it possible to reprint almost any antique, classic or vintage automobile instrument face. The biggest challenge about this sort of retrofit is finding gauges that sweep the same way as the originals. Taking your time makes all the difference! The trick is to rub very, very gently, with a lot of WD-40 on the surface. We can set you up to make your car stand out from the crowd. Sure, we've repaired wiring, even replaced gauges on some of our dashes, but when it comes to dash restoration, and more importantly, gauge and gauge face restoration, the task is more of an art than a mechanical skill. We invite you to get behind the wheel with us, it's certain to be an interesting drive. A new OEM Gauge can cost over $350. Normally I'd just use a voltage drop to get them to work, but I am using a mustang tank and sender in my project and the temp gauge was straight broken. Most factory gauges, especially tachometers, are notoriously inaccurate. After the DA, I followed it up with a buffing wheel with plastic polish rouge. If you need an automotive gauge repaired, these helpful tips will assist you. I did have to use the stock resister that went with the '61 clusters in order to power the gauges.   It makes them work correctly. Cheers and get some! When the screening process was first developed people actually used silk. Custom color schemes, white face gauges, MPH changes, red-line alterations, volt meter conversions, custom logo’s etc. tachman can restore your 1970-72 non tach cluster with clock or clock delete! Driving Line® Accelerating Automotive Passion™ by providing a fresh angle of what fuels us. After getting all the parts in the retaining ring, it's time to reseal it. What our motorcycle gauge restoration service is all about. Also, since none of our factory instruments seemed to work properly, the entire cluster would need to be refurbished, and the oil pressure, water temperature, and tachometer would need to be repaired and recalibrated. Restorers can now restore their original gauges with excellent results. 10 Favorite Custom Trucks from the 2021 Lone Star Throwdown, For the Love of Vintage: A First Timer’s ’49 Bow Tie, Jax: Alpha Motors creates the first factory “Safari” EV, Go Alternative Off-Roading With The Bargain Porsche Cayenne 4x4 SUV, Sign up for more restomod content to add horsepower to your inbox. I found myself in this predicament with my "new" old gauge set for my current Chevy project. Camaro and Trans Am gauges can be restored to factory fresh appearance. I determined that the oil gauge still worked by hooking it up to a manual hard-line gauge… trust them the most. Spun up the Speedo after lubing the gears with a little oil and it was smooth as can be - that left me with the gas and oil guages to retrofit. restoring old O gauge track (not rusty) Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 8, 2004 7:08 PM I have a lot of Lionel O gauge track that is about 40 years old. Sure, we've repaired wiring, even replaced gauges on some of our dashes, but when it comes to dash restoration, and more importantly, gauge and gauge … Before you can restore the instrument gauge cluster in your Mustang you will most likely have to remove it from the car, if so then you may want to view the article “How to Replace a Mustang instrument Bezel” which demonstrates how to remove the gauge cluster. The gas gauge didn’t have enough swing for me, so I decided to adjust it to the new face. Our clients come from many backgrounds, with many different goals in mind. How hard can it be right? FUEL SENDING UNITS: Instrument Specialties can rebuild & restore your original fuel tank sending unit to function flawlessly. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to the  Terms of Use. Category. This totally works on just about anything (even paint if rust stains are coming through) as long as it's not pitted. A reamer. Strong stuff.  After gluing, tape and set aside. You can also see I trimmed off the bottom of the panel. Replacing old instruments with new (NOS) gauges is becoming almost impossible or very expensive. One of the items that we just don't have the patience, tools, or parts to repair ourselves is the instrument panel on our dashboard. If we restore your existing gauge, your HOURS on the gauge remain consistent with boat use. Many older gauge needles fade from damaging environmental factors including exposure to direct sunlight. This is a fine old gun, and was made back when they took some pride in their work. If your restoration project deviates from total originality and you desire to customize it, this is a good opportunity to add logos like was originally done with the Buick script in Photo 2. That frees up money for other boat projects! Flickr user linux-works discovered, after buying some old audio equipment on eBay, that a simple wash with soap and water didn't do much to help the old, faded, plastic knobs. Vehicles Covered:We repair and restore speedometers for most cars and trucks 1920 through early 1990's. Perfect? I used my favorite body hammer for this one. Continue on to the site and look for links to the latest articles, as soon as they are released. It’s important to point this out because you could ruin the stain and shine if you use your cleaners the wrong way. I did this because the old one was interfering with the gauge movement...sometimes you've got to get creative. Step 1 - Old gauges are received for refurbishment. There are two main parts in a fuel gauge system. Using a proper fluorescent paint is the only way to properly restore your gauge indicator needles. All. We also have designed most of our own testing and calibration equipment to ensure the highest accuracy possible, giving you instruments that, in […] Tiny screwdriver through the back and the needle moves. Gauge Repair and Restoration for Antique, Hot Rod and Classic Vehicles Bob's Speedometer has been in business since 1929 - for over 85 years, and is one of the world's leading gauge restoration and repair shops! While every car maker doesn’t use the exact same fuel gauge system, most use the same concept to read the fuel level in your gas tank. Mounting threads are also cleaned. First, I took it all apart, to allow cleaning and refinishing. This means that they will work properly, but also look the part! D&M Restoration restores and rebuilds your entire instrument cluster for your antique, classic or vintage automobile to its original appearance.We repair and restore each gauge, including the speedometer, tachometer and clock, making all instruments work and look like new. They can also provide restoration for classic gauges, or upgrade your older gauge to include modern innovations for accuracy and appearance. 7-step polishing process on gauge face (if needed) to minimize crazing and restore clarity. I had a gauge set out of a '61 Ford unibody we used as a parts car a year ago. The guage's I'm retrofitting for this custom are from a 1947 Oldsmobile. HOURS OF USE. Your information will be collected and used in accordance with our  Privacy Policy, Instrument Gauge Restoration - Simply Dashing. Here are the Ford gauges (left) next to the Olds gauges (right), you can see how their sweep matches.  A trip to your local junkyard will still yield gauges out of some 60s-70s cars that work fine. For about a 1/4 the cost of a USED gauge, we can make your gauge look fresh again. A drill-mounted buffing wheel (you can find them at most hardware stores) An old car prep trick is to use chrome polish or Nevr Dull to remove rust. New gauges, controls and rigging go with a new console installation. They can also change the face color of the gauges to make them easier to see or for a custom look unique to your car. This gives it a longer throw on the gauge... at least that's how this application works. Using a non-fluorescent paint will result in your gauge needles appearing dark or black at night and make your gauges difficult to read. Follow along as we show you how the crew at Autoinstruments.com performs their magic. I started on one end, gently prying up the chrome bezel that wraps around to the back of the cluster. Now time for the fun stuff... let’s start with the gas gauge! Whether its the daily driver, a show car, or a fun restoration project, we’re here to help. Basic Service: We re-calibrate the speedometer to original factory operating specifications and clean the internal works. There are two different ways to reproduce a gauge face. Here at CB750faces.com, we restore motorcycle gauges into pristine condition. Gently pry away the retainer tabs on the bezel, as with the small gauges and give it a twist, like opening a jar. I pulled the gauges out of the '61 truck cluster. Each project brought to the Classy Gauges garage is unique. Pipemakers use a mix of stains and waxes to give the wood its color and shine.
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