History What gauges fit the era? Late 50's til 61 or so..

Those of you that were there? Maybe you too Piero

Of course the more pics the better.

Obvious SW Curved gl*** would have been available. What about Greenline? Or the blueface ones? Were other gauges popular? What would you put in your showcar? What was on the dragstrip? I'm curious because A: I need gauges and B: I couldn't answer this question with any certainty. I want to be specific to pre 61 though. What do you got?

 

Big Logo SW's had curved gl*** in 55-56, but by 57-58 they were flat gl***. The Twin Blue line was made from at least March of 58 all the way up to May of 66 (gauges I've owned), but may be more a little before or after as well. I think the Greenline series was developed about mid 60's, but have no exact dates for that.

 

I ***ume these are for your coupe and that you may just need water/oil? If so Speedway has 2 5/8" Stewart Warners with the all white needle that should be fairly kosher for what you're doing. I'm not really sure when they were first introduced though.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Stewart-Warner-2-5-8-Mechanical-Water-Temp-Gauge,18064.html

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Stewart-Warner-Oil-Pressure-Gauge,19669.html

 

Those are front runners for me right now, I was actually asking this question with them in mind! I need two sets, one for inside and one for the firewall.

 

Those appear to be post-61' gentlemen.

 

Awesome, thanks. Why? How? What did the Black and white SW's from that era look like?

 

My all time favorite gauges are the Silver face Eelco... they are hard to come across and are pricey,, but one day i'll have a full set.. Black Eelcos are awesome too..

These are HAMBER Photos

 

Those are bad***.

 

A: They're for sale on a website with a shopping cart.
B: The part number is straight out of SW's new catalog.
C: The sweep doesn't start at 0 and there is no stop pin for the pointer.

If you are looking to fit your above mentioned time period, go with the Big Block logo 2 and 1/16. You could be equally correct with 2 and 5/8 Smoothies or even a Winged set. You would have been able to acquire any of those up to 61'. Might not have been new from a wholesaler, but who cares. The more important issue that I stress to my customers is using gauges that will reflect the range of your machine and fit the style of your build.

 

I can't tell you for sure when the Greenline gauges were introduced, but they were used in the consoles of both the 67 and 68 Shelby GT's. So I doubt they were introduced all that long before the mid-60's or so.

 

Morris I was curious if they made those back then too. You've cleared that up. Ok so..Gonna try and translate:

Big Block Logo Stewart Warner 2 1/16? Are these them?



Cant find smoothies? What are those? I'm intrigued..

Wings are cool. Here is what is available now, how are these visually different than the 50's ones?


I'm genuinely curious. If I have to I will restore some, but maybe for ONCE on this car I can just buy something nice and install it

 

This thread is relevant to my interests.

 

Those are the Big-Block, except for the vacuum gauge, that is small-block.

Today's 'Wings' gauges, are a mash-up of smooth bezel (smoothies) and 50s wing gauges. And they are nothing like real original wings gauges.

Smooth-bezel came in two sizes, 2-5/8" (curved lens) & 2" (flat lens). And came with chrome bezels, stainless bezel (rare), and br*** (under paint).

 

Sweet. Thanks AJ! Does anyone have any opinion on non-SW gauges offered in the 50's? Piero threw up the Eelco's, which rule.

 

AC made good aftermarket gauges from the 50s to the 80s at least. They look a bit like SW, but not as sharp. No other brand has been the sweetheart of hot rodders like Stewart Warner.

Mooneyes has a nice line up, check them out.

By the way, I don't recommend the new black faces SW gauges like in the Speedway link above. You will be disappointed. Get vintage ones if you like that look.

 

Above statements are true. I haven't had a set of Eelco's in the shop for some time, pleasant to see some. We restore all types of gauge clusters being put into various applications but for original speed equipment, the SW outweigh 10 fold. AC made some similar gauges during that period too. Please explain what you are building, that we might understand the style and parameters.

 

This is a great wealth of knowledge. I have learned a lot in just a few posts. This is the type of thread that has me hooked on the HAMB. I think the Eelco's win !!

 

Think indoor car show circa 59-60...gauges on the firewall, upholstery everywhere, etc...

Thanks for your input.

 

SW, Smith's, Intl' Harvester Truck, Mack Truck, AD Chevy pickup, prettymuch anything round.

 

$ Remember forgiveness is always easier than permission $

I like these (sorry for the blurry pic) but they don't come with any sort of light, any ideas for night driving?

 

I was looking at gauges on eBay for my '55 project today, but didn't bid on anything b/c I had the same question. Good thread! Thanks for the input guys!

 

Sun gauges too.. I think those were later.. Thats what I'm running mid to late 60's only cause they came with my dash..

 

I think MOON should get a mention... I cant remember when I first saw their gauges in stores and magazines but it certainly was readably available the early 60s

 

I'm thinking the big Sun's were available early/mid 60's and the 2 1/16" were released early/mid 70s?

 

You could be right I dont know the history on them.. They are pretty generic..

Moon ones are cool too

 

Sounds enigmatic. I am more concerned with the physical parameters: engine type, median oil pressure, cooling system pressure (boil over), charging system, positive/negative ground, maximum speed and rpm, etcetera. When I build a set of gauges I take great time and effort to ensure they are accurate and reliable as an interface between the vehicle and driver. If they do not reflect the parameters of the build they are of little value as an instrument. What you want cosmetically is up to you. There are any number of sizes and styles to choose from. Personally, I am a big fan of the Stewart Warner 5 inch smooth bezel tach and speedo paired with corresponding 5 inch quad gauge cluster or 2 5/8 smoothies. I'm actually building a high speed/rpm Marring and Company set in that style currently.

 

Some good time-period info on SW gauges here:
http://www.roadsters.com/sw/#intro

 

That's sounds awesome! You're p***ionate about what you do and that's rare. I think we may be on two different pages. My interests are purely cosmetic, to the point where I've made comfort and drivability sacrifices for the right "look". The car is a chopped and channeled 29 Ford coupe. The dash is out of a 54 ford but the cluster is not hooked up. I'm looking for a pair of oil and water gauges that would be available from 58-60 that I can run on my firewall and also in the dash... 2 pairs of the same thing. I'm thinking elsewhere too- Probably an ammeter in the trunk above the battery. I'm running a 59 Caddy engine, so the oil pressure will be around 12-40 psi and water temp should be around 190 normal. This thread may tie two worlds together though. Your profile says you restore gauges.. that's neat. Hopefully this thread connects you with someone that needs your services!

 

Thank you. I'm just here to try and disseminate what I think I know, in case I get hit by a bus or something.

What is your color scheme?