Technical Dating SW Gauges

I have a mish-mash of SW gauges which I have collected over the years, and I'm trying to put together a set for my Hot Rod. I did a search for past threads on the subject here on the HAMB, and I read the info on roadsters.com. I looked up the date codes there, and I have some gauges from the 50's into 1980 according to the codes. And I looked at the page where they talk about the various styles of gauges made over the years. I think all of mine are the "small logo" type, which they say were introduced in the 60's. But I'm still confused. There seem to be two distinct styles of faces, and I have gauges with both types, from similar year date codes. Most of the gauges I have are like the one on the right, but I like the style on the left better. So were these two styles made concurrently, for years and years? Speedway and Summit still carry the style on the left.

Many of my gauges are new in the box, so some guidance as to when the different styles of boxes were used would help.

I think the black boxes are the oldest of the ones I have, and the blue ones are the newest. (One of the blue box gauges says made in Mexico.) The blue boxes have the "wings" logo on them, but the gauges inside do not. There is an oddball NAPA box on the left, with a SW gauge in it. The clock has a plastic case, so I assume it's later than the steel ones. I have one speedo and one tach, and they're different from each other. The tach has a plastic case, so I assume it's later. I think I need to launch a search for a tach to match my speedo.

So from what I know so far, the "wings" gauges would be from the correct time period for the car I'm building. Originals are high-dollar, of course. Those are available as repops, but there apparently is no ammeter available. They make a voltmeter instead. Why the company would repop the wings gauges but not an ammeter in that style is beyond me. (Unless they were that way "back in the day," which I doubt. If I'm mistaken about that, please enlighten me.) Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but any clarification would be appreciated.

 

wild guess, the red/yellow boxes are probably the oldest, then the silver boxes and black boxes, then the blue boxes are modern. No one uses ammeters any more, they'll kill you quicker than cigarettes!

 

IMHO, once the gauges are mounted, only 1% of the crowd will be able to tell the vintage.

 

That's what I was thinking. I guess that was the question in my mind but I didn't actually ask it.

 

I have been looking for a database that shows Stewart Warner gauges, and how to decipher the numbers/letters on the housings. My guess is there are some serious SW gauge collectors who keep those old manuals and sales literature to themselves. I have looked all over online, and the best I can come up with are old dated speed shop catalogs that sold them. You can at least get a picture, ( and sometimes the SW part number) to give you an idea of the manufacture era of the gauge.

 

Emperor Chris..do you have this chart

 

Wow, that's quite a gauge collection! This thread reminds me of the old Motometer accessory gauges for the early VW's; they command a pretty big price these days that was well beyond my reach, so I made my own. I took a pair of VDO gauges from a late-sixties SAAB and machined a pair of center pieces to match the speedometer out of stainless steel with a painted insert to cover the SAAB label. For a more finished installation, I also TIG welded the grilles and laid out the gauge hole. Keep us posted with your installation; I'd love to see how you did it.

 

If you have a Stewart Warner speedo that works 100%.....it is probably dated "pre-Mexico".

 

Don't most guys prefer to date women?

 

how you define a woman now days??

 

That's another step closer, Blue. By the way....... I'm the bus driver in HELL. Passenger or relief driver?

 

OP, $25 for the speedo and tach. PM me.

 

This is a memory test, but I think in the 60's-70's era, SW made "standard", "deluxe" and "custom" gauges at the same time. Dad had a number of boats, and there were some marked "Chris Craft" that were also SW. I've got a handful of these still left, including the "green line" that they reproduced a while back, maybe still do. So, some might be the same time frame, different style. IIRC, they all used the same senders.

Along the lines of Squirel's comment, I've put voltmeters behind an ammeter face a couple times. Clock it like you want to, but I put 12v at the "0" mark. Only you can read it, but it tells you what you need to know without the danger.

I'm still dating girls, but I "date" the girls first. None of child bearing age.

 

SW has made a Standard series and a Deluxe series at the same time since before the big war. Still do.

The small logos started in 1958.

Yes the red and yellow boxes are oldest. If you find blue and white boxes they are even older than the red. Not many NOS guages that old any more.

As long as you put together a set of the same style, most everybody will think they look good. Pay attention to if they are the same series (Deluxe or Standard), the same era (pointer shape and paint color), and you will fool most of the people. Then as you find those rare guages that fit your actual build target date, you can switch then out later.

 

I don't smoke, so I'll take my chances using ammeters.

 

I have them in a couple of mine, too.

 

Another trick...sometimes, boxes have the printing date coded on one of the flaps.

 

Looks like you have the range from 60's-90's there.

The ones with the rounded bezels in the blue boxes look to be the elcheapo line. The ones like the clock are Standard plus series. The older ones with the stepped bezels look to be small logo. I would run the small logo gauges especially if you have senders for them.

Small logo gauges are at almost every swap. You might luck into the odd big logo too. They are easy to spot and can have both a brass case with slots for lights and curved glass.

 

Yes. I do have this chart, but there are several letters and numbers on earlier gauges (the ones I like 1950's) that don't make sense. For instance I have a large logo SW Amp gauge. on the back it reads: 357XA2. I also have a SW speedometer that reads: 565FXE5 on the back. Since they both contains series of numbers/letters, i don't know how to use the chart.

 

I know it's a very old post, but nobody made clear what Emperor Chris was trying to figure out on his last post, so maybe, might this help??

The 357X & 565FX are the part numbers.
The A2 & E5 are the date codes.
"A" is used for several years.
"E" is also used for several years.

The type of metal that the gauge is made out of can help you pinpoint the correct year, and the glass face is another year indicator, flat or curved glass face.
Might be other tricks of the trade to pinpoint the correct year as well I'm sure??

Received my help from HAMB member "Fleetside66" he knows his Stewart Warner Gauges.

Keep On Trucking ...

1Nimrod