I have had this gauge cluster for at least 7 years now: ... and am finally ready to begin the process of refurbishing it, and giving it a suitable home in my '30 coupe. Ron at Williamson's Instruments spent quite a while answering my questions on the phone, and best he could guess this is off of about a '30 Chrysler. In order for him to be able to calibrate the fuel gauge correctly, I need to figure out if I can run this gauge cluster while keeping the stock A tank, which is my preference for a variety of reasons. After researching on here, it seems like the best-looking and also the easiest solution would be to run a '32 dash (like Brookeville #A136AUNI) in front of the stock tank, and then there will theoretically be enough clearance in between the dash panel and the tank to allow the gauge cluster to be mounted. Basically, an identical setup to this post here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ustom-model-a-dash-pics.236601/#post-10789186 I'd like to know if anyone else here has done this to mount an aftermarket cluster to an A while keeping the stock tank, and if so, could someone be so kind as to snap a picture of how much clearance there is between the dash and the tank, or give me a measurement of how much room I have to work with? Just so I can wrap my head around it. Also, this set up won't preclude me from running the Model A dash trim piece thing over the '32 panel, right? Or, would the solution be to weld the lower part of the '32 dash onto the A dash panel? Not sure if this makes sense, but the car has an old hot rod upholstery job I'd like to keep: Photo of the car in question, for attention:
Are you planning to continue to use the original Model A cowl/fuel tank? If so,: 1. What you see as the dash in your Model A is actually the gas tank, with the little Model A gauge cluster screwed onto the front, at the factory. 2. In order to use a gas gauge, rather than the site glass, you have to figure out how to get the fuel sender for the gauge into the Model A tank. I hope this helps.
You might find this useful, see post #5: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/electric-fuel-gage-sending-unit.935648
I think I will end up doing something similar to the amazingly detailed instructions in this thread and use the A gas gauge location to mount the sender: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/model-a-sending-unit-float.1257713/ I see your post in this thread also and your setup looks like what I am trying to achieve, mounting a new dash panel in front of the existing tank.
Thanks! Which dash did you use on your car? It has the appearance of the stock A dash/gas tank. If you have any other pictures of the whole assembly I'd be interested to see them.
I used a 28 chrysler instrument panel in a 32 dash on my Model A. The non standard panels give a lot of character to these cars. The big problem is that it may be impossible to get a sender to work in the A’s gas tank. Cutting out the bottom of the A tank has a lot of advantages. Fitting a tank just behind the seat is not difficult. A couple other neat looking panels that can be fitted to the 32dash, in an A
The greatest thread on instrument panels and dashboards on the H.A.M.B. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-mother-of-all-dash-gauge-threads.303543/
I cut the front off a second Model A tank, hung it from the valance bar and fabricated the sub dash, with 1din radio on the right and headlight, wiper and heater fan switches to left of column. Sorry, I don't think I have any other photos.
I agree, I actually like the looks of the standard A dash, but this one has some sentimental value to me and I think it will look absolutely perfect with this car. At first I wasn't even sure if these gauges could be repaired or how one would even go about doing so, but it sounds like it will be a walk in the park for Williamson's. I think the best solutions to the fuel sender problem are detailed in a few threads linked to above. When I go to attempt this conversion I'll document the results. Being a rumble seat car I am really trying to keep what storage space I have left, and the cowl tank really helps, although I understand the benefits to relocating this in most cases. Thanks! Looks great.
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