Okay, after searching around I've found very little information on these gauges. Nothing here, that's for sure. Does anyone use them, know anything, or have some examples they can share? I know they were used a lot in European cars and racers. They were also found in Shelbys and the and even the GT40, not to mention various British motorscycles. But where else? Teach me all mighty gauge gurus! I want to learn more! S
A long time ago, I had a '64 MG Midget and it had really nice looking Smiths gauges in it. I think they were all mechanical. A '64 Midget had positive ground though, so the ammeter would have to be wired up backwards I guess to work right. I think the gauges in that car were the coolest thing on the car, and they worked great. You could watch the temp gauge climb within seconds every time you went uphill.
All "British Leyland"cars used Smiths gauges, Austin, MG ,Jaguar etc Some early Austin Healey's used a gold gauge that is totally cool . They are still available AFAIK but check out the breakes for old MG's , the 2" split oil press & water temp is really cool ,expensive but cool. They have the Stewart Warner look , & are usually very accurate.
Smiths were in all the English cars that we had out here in New Zealand when I was a kid - 1970's, 80's...Jags, Triumphs, MG's etc They are good gauges and were the ones to have back then.
scootermcrad, The place I work at Demon Tweeks sells Smiths' Gauges, if you need any wiring diaghrams or instructions(god forbid!) I can photocopy the info for you, if thats of any use.They also sell the senders and the voltage droppers that you need to run some of the gauges. Nick.
I purchased a full set last year for a high-end mustang build with a custom dash. Front side of the gauges look the same, the back part (case?) is made of plastic. They look great and seem to work well.
The 1960 MK2 Jag parts car we bought has cool Smiths gauges. They are going to be used in the Roofus Special.
We have converted some MG and Truimph Smiths gauges to modern internals, other than that, nopt many around. Probably try to find some on the mgexperience board. Jagers are cool too, but equally hard to find. You could probably get some newer gauges refaced to have the look. Mark
Awesome! Thank Nick! I'll keep that in mind! What a great response, already! Anyone know why or what influenced Shelby and Ford to use Smiths in their race cars in the late 50's, early 60's? By the way, on a side note. I noticed Smiths is producing gauges again with the EXACT same artwork and pointers as the originals. Just a fun tip, since we're on the subject.
The gauges were already in the cars. Big American engine in a small british sports car equals instant racecar.
WOW, Demon Tweeks, haven't heard that name in years. Glad to hear they still exist. When I first started rallying back in the mid 70's i ordered some stuff from them for my RS1600 Escort. Always had to have the Tweek of the Week! Always thought that was one of the best names i ever heard too. Nice play on words.
Still going strong!Quite a few people that work there have an interest in Hot Rods, only I'm the only one daft enough to be building one!!!! Nick.
On the subject of Smiths Guages,I myself believe they are second only to VDO when it comes to Quality. I have no idea of what the standard of quality of todays Smiths products is like with emphasis on Chinese manufacture by everyone. Jaeger is Smith in French. Jaeger was a snob name adopted by Smiths for use in the high end cars of the 50's and 60's such as Aston martin/lagonda, bentley, Rolls,Daimler ( i won't say jag although they had them because jag were a hi tech car sold at a lower price) and a quite a few European cars such as Facel Facelia.
Scoot,I was going to run them on my truck.... but alas, price dictated over reasoning..... They are the BEST looking and designed gauge ever imho .
Yeah, this new found love for old gauges is killing me. The prices of some of this stuff is through the ROOF! I agree with you though. Been staring at a lot of gauges lately and SMITHS rank high on my favorite "all business" looking gauges.
Harley-Davidson had SMITH distributor-drive (cable)tachometers come out in 1965. They stopped making dist. style engine in '69. I have a new one in the box from an old dealership saved for my '66 resto. Black face / white markings. Kit comes with all hardware: chrome bracket, distributor top cap, cable and housing, cad plated bolts and instuctions printed I believe in England.
scooter, Are they really that COOL? I suppose I've always just seen 'em in a lot of cars when I was young.I HOPE they're COOL as it I would kinda like to use some meself.I look at 'em quite often in work and think I've so much choice right here under my nose! Nick.
High priced as hell cause all the resto geeks want them. They sweep backwards and the temp gauges are in celzious instead of fair-en-heit !!!! >>>>. Oh yeah Shelby used em because they were in the cars when they came from AC-BRISTOL >>>>.
Some of the old gauges are really cool looking. I can't believe the modern gauge manufacturers don't use the art work and dials of these old style gauges. Ago
I think they're cool, but to each their own, I guess. I just like their somplicity and they seem to have found their way into the dashes of several VERY cool cars, over the years. I guess the first thing that I find attractive about them is that they're simple, which is appealing for what I'm building right now.
Smith's gauges have been a popular gauge in Australia for many years. You can still buy new or aussie ebay always has some. I run Smiths in my cars and have never had problems. Marty
scooter,I think your right, they are simple and get the job done! As for COOL cars, my bosses' old Ex-work/Ex Le Man AC Cobra race car is/was one COOl machine for sure and I'm sure that had Smiths' gauges in it. When I go to work tomorrow I'm gonna be taking a look at 'em again. Nick.
scooter, The Cobra is long gone, been sold a couple of years ago.Theres' other stuff, such as a Tipo 33 Alfa Romeo and a Chevron B16. The Chevron has an SBC in it, with 4 of them Weber carb things on it!!!! My Boss and his Father are both big into Historic car racing. Nick.
I've always liked the looks of the Smiths gauges. Like others have said, right up there with SW. I don't currently have any of the gauges but I do have a stack of original early 60's vintage stickers.
Went to a auction a few years ago, where they were selling off a large collection of vintage M/Cs and parts. Among the parts were 2 boxes of Smith gages. Thought the restorer guys were going to fight each other just trying to look in the boxes. In the end they were among the highest bidded items, right along with complete vintage Nortons, Beezers and such.
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