let's say i was building a 47 ford to be an eraly custom.and i wanted aftermarket gauges what would i run?please post pics and reccomendatios!thanks
Stewart Warners have been around forever and finding some period correct ones aren't hard, just expensive. I'm interested in seeing what everyone else has to post up, too.
I like to recommend our 1940 series. Has the original 1939 issue military graphics, but they are brand new and actually work. Mark Here they are with our bomber bezels:
If you want REAL authentic, that era car would run winged Stewart Warners. Production ran from about 1948 until 1954. And no, the new Stewart Warner Wings are not exactly the same.
Stewart Warner had 3 different gauges available in this 1947 catalog. The wing design has been a long time favorite. My favorite is the 2 19/32 variety. I have a 2" set also for use in a stock 32 dash tunnel which is probably the least desirable of the 3 and the cheapest to find. I hit a homerun on a rainy Hershey day buying 3 NOS 2 19/32 gauges for 15 bucks including the gas gauge. These gauges have gotten very pricey since then. A gas gauge can be hard to find because not many race cars used one.
In a custom from that era trick dash would not have been an issue. What I have seen in some of the older magazines and a boat fender body was the little auxilary panel under the dash with S&Ws in it.
Not a lot of choices back then. It was Stewart Warner, adapting stock dashes/gauges or using industrial equipment issue. I hope all of you will share my appreciation of the fact they DIDN'T have the Dolphin line of gauges available back then. Can you just imagine the Hirohata Merc with a full compliment of Dolphins across the dash Frank
I'm running a full set of S/W's in my rod, and they look pretty nice; mine aren't period correct, but they are still very classy in my opinion. Black faced, polished outer shells, and off-white letters/numbers. I'm partial to them.
I recently shipped over a set of the 1940 series gauges above. I can only add that the pictures do not do them justice. In the flesh the quality and domed bezel look superb. Very happy with them.
A '41 dashboard detailed with striping, laminated knobs, and a small aux panel mounted below with S/W gauges would look clean and pretty traditional. It bolts right in too.
Yes i agree the Stewart Warner Winged -48-54 is great Gauges in Hot Rod and Kustoms .They must have made many of them this years.
The original winged gauges would be the best choice in my opinion. The range and sweep are applicable to any hot rod and the look is very clean. We restore a lot of them.
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