Need a GPS odometer solution. Stipulations: Must be inexpensive, yet high-quality and functional. Speedometer function would be nice too, but not a deal breaker.
i'm not saying no to a hubmeter, but i'd like to try GPS for now. The least expensive GPS speedometer i've seen is about $300 (Autometer at that......) i can go back to the stock speedo, but i think gps is more accurate. Plus i don't want to mess with the cables, wires etc.
If you have an old android phone, you could have it running all the time with an odometer app. GPS is kind of flaky for such applications, imho.
DS Speedometer app has Speedo with digital and mechanical looking odometer. Also tracks logged miles when the app is not displayed on your phone etc etc. I've used it on my BMW on late night road trips to track top speeds. There's tons of apps with the same funtions and more available cheap or free. Not nearly as good as a stand alone managment unit with GPS but if you've got a phone and want the cheapest solution that's it
I bought this one on EBay for a '34 highboy that I sold months ago. I'll use it on another car, eventually. It was the cheapest GPS I could find at the time. The face of the gauge isn't "traditional" but I don't care because GPS isn't either. It was to be used in several cars as a "plug and go". The price was something around 160 bucks. I just checked EBay and more traditional faces are now available. I think these are marine/boat applications, but GPS doesen't care about the vehicle. Hope this info helps...
I use digihud to check my (cable driven) speedometers. I have to remember to stop it after using it, or it eats up the battery real quick. Which is not an issue if the phone is plugged in...
I have an autometer gps speedo in my T, love the thing, very easy setup, many functions, it'll even tell you which part of china you're in, get one, you won't be disappointed.
Speedhut speedometer. Made in USA (Utah). excellent customer service. The one I just installed in my '57 Ford was 250. after a few upgrades. Best part is you can design it yourself.....dial face color, bezel shape and finish, needle color, font, etc. They have a number of different series, so mine may not have been the cheapest. Standard features include odometer, trip odometer, 1/4 mile timer, 0-60 timer, altitude, record highest mph, clock, compass. I think 3 different sizes available. Did I mention customer service......I installed mine last week as I said. It was to replace a TPI electronic speedo I could never get to work. I thought if I liked it, I'd eventually order the other 5 gauges when $ permitted. I loved the speedometer right from the get-go except for the night time appearance. My fault for not paying enough attention to their very accurate day-night view on their website. My TPI's have a nice soft orange glow to them at night, and the Speedhut was kinda greenish white that I just didn't like. After reading their FAQ on their site, one question was asked if gauges could be made to match other gauges, and their reply was "in most cases, yes" so I called. I asked if they could change the nighttime appearance to what I described without changing the daytime appearance. THEY CAN DO IT., but they'd have to rebuild the gauge because what I was wanting was old technology, and theirs used a different type of material for the dial face. I commented it sounded expensive, but he said I'd just have to pay for shipping and a 20. service charge. I could have kissed him! A friend who owns a speed shop has installed their gauges in a 1/2 dozen cars with zero problems. Mine was on sale when I bought it in Dec. (15%?). If you order 4 gauges, there is a 10% discount always. sorry for the poor pic...hard to take without flash, and if I used flash, the lighting was overwhelmed. My gauges are not that bright.
That's actually what I'm using in my 30 pickup. I had an old Garmin unit that I hadn't used in years sitting in a drawer. I mounted it up in the upper left corner of the windshield and wired it into the system so it powers on with the key switch. Not only useful as a GPS, but serves as my speedometer/odometer. You can see it in this pic, upper left corner of the windshield. Works well enough for me to keep track of mileage in between fill ups. I reset the "Trip" info after each fill up, and I know that after about 100 miles around town or 130 or so on the highway I better gas up. It works very well for that. If he wants to keep track of usage to know when to service the car, an hour meter would be better anyway.