Can the face and numbers on this Stewart Warner tach. be cleaned up a bit without ruining it, if so how? or leave well enough alone? Thanks! It looks worse/darker in person........................
I've used Q-tips and rubbing alchohol before. Now that being said some gauges (motometer comes to mind) that will flake at the edges so use the utmost care while cleaning it. A buddy and I were just discussing the possible use of CLR. Works for restoring color and removing rust on cars why not gauges? He was trying to clean a speedo face of a particularly rare pre-war bicycle speedo so he wasn't willing to try it. JohnnyA
I'd drill the rivets off from the backside to get the face loose, then try soaking in CLR. No guarantee that it won't also hurt the paint, but it would be worth a try to me. If the paint gets ruined, it's not much loss. Many places can rescreen the face if it is ruined. You could even have it converted to 8,000 at that time if you'd like with not much problem. Looks like the rest of the mechanism will need rebuilding from all the rust. If it does work, you might consider clear-coating the face to keep the rust off again.
after a buddy recommended it, I started using distilled water to clean my gauges. It cleans them pretty well and doesn't take much paint with it unless its extremely sun-beaten. it also doesn't leave water spots or other residue. Just get a cap full and go to town with a q-tip or cotton ball since you have the tach apart already.
I used metal rescue and it removed the rust and did not effect the paint except where the rust had already damaged the paint. Q tips and a gentle hand will clean it up Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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