Any advice for removing those crimped-on chrome bezels on Stewart Warner gauges? Thank you in advance.
VERY slowly and carefully. Take a small-bladed screwdriver and hammer a slight curve into the blade. Work your way around the lip a little at a time. Then get a slightly larger bladed screwdriver and do the same. Eventually you will be able to pull the ring off, just barely. Don't go more than you have to. The object is to gently stretch the bezel without putting a noticable gouge in it. After you have this bezel off, have you thought about getting it back on? That's even harder to do. The pro's use a special roller fixture, and they've told me the old bezels crack about half the time. And if the gauge is pre 80's the chrome is likely to crack if the br*** doesn't. A lot of times they use post 80's stainless bezels (same profile and size) that can be polished so they don't have to worry about the chrome.
Where you at in the North East ? There used to be a place in Reading , PA, Reading Speedometer , American speedometer or something like that on the Warren Street byp***, right near where Rt 183 connects, but it's been a long time since I used them. They had a machine that would unroll the lip and re-roll it, I used them on VDO gages all the time but it's been many years. Hope it helps.
If you have no luck in the Northeast Mo-Ma in Albuquerque, NM has the correct equipment to roll off the bezel, repair the gauge and reinstall it. 505-766-6661
Go slow, thats about it. I ruined planty before figuring out just how to do it. Yes, getting them on is harder Mark
One of those hardware store paint can openers works great. Juat file end a little thinner. Go slow . I made a die from regular steel pipe at same store. A little of that self sticking felt on money side (front) and about 20 degree angle on back side to help bring lip back down even. Worked perfect in a small vice turned sideways .
Just done it on my gas gauge - sticking needle. Like everyone said, go very carefully with thin screwdrivers. If you do not distort the front edge, it should just about push back on and due to front loading into the dash hole (with a good tight fit) it will not need to be rolled back over. Worked perfectly and did not show on mine but go steady!
YES! there is a guy on ebay who sells both the bezel and lense for a 2 5/8" stewart warner gauge and a 5" version too for tachs and speedos. Just bought one from frim today. He supposably will provide clear instructions too on how to install the bezel and gl***. Thanks
5 year old thread, maybe some new info to add? Anybody have anything new as to the removal and replacement of S/W bezels? Thanks!
They make a tool for it, I don't own one and never have but I have seen a tool in a gauge place before. I have always used a little screw driver like Alchemy suggests.
Once you get the lip started, a small phillips with a good point works great. You can use the point of the phillips to get the lip into one of the 'cuts' in the head, then twist the phillips and the 'cut' will pry the lip off the gauge. It creates a lot less damage.
My good friend Pat Swanson (SW Gauge restorer) showed me his method. He took a plastic cutting board and drilled different size holes in it so the gauges fit sniggly face down. He then used a tool used for shucking oysters to slowly and carfuly pull the crimped edge up. He has the bezel off the gauge in less then 5 minutes
Pat told me about the oyster shucker once, but I've never bought one yet. Been quite a while since I've removed a bezel. I'll get one before I try it again.
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