i bought a 65 Mustang tank/sending unit at the swapmeet yesterday for my 66 Chevy P/U, and I want to get an aftermarket guage for it. The guy i got it from wasnt sure what the OHMs were for the sending unit. Also I messed up the old aftermarket gauge i had for my old tank, do I need to wire the new gauge into a regulator or inline fuse? Any help is appreciated thanks, Brandon
The power to the gauge depends if it is aftermarket (12 volts) or an OEM from the manufacture used the voltage limiter to hold it around 5 volts. If you are buying an aftermarket fuel gauge the right sending unit should be with it.
I'm into the same thing, except that i bought a new 1965 mustang tank and sender from Rock Auto. Any idea if those are 12 volt? I would assume so?
Not with an original Ford gauge. The power goes through the instrument voltage regulator (IVR). The original was mechanical points on a bimetal strip. It supplied 12 volts intermittently, averaging 5.7 volts. The instruments respond slowly so you don't notice the pulsing, but a good analog voltage meter will. Modern solid state replacements are constant voltage. Most aftermarket gauges are calibrated for constant 12 volts, depends on the manufacturer. Not sure how the sending unit would hold up to constant 12V.
Instead of going with an aftermarket gauge, you can buy one of these which can be used to program any gauge with any sending unit. A perfect solution to putting a ford sending unit in a chevy. http://www.technoversions.com/MeterMatchHome.html
Great info from both of you. I'm surprised that unit is under $50. I'll consider that. It's especially cool if you find some rare gauge that would be cool for a project. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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