Finished putting this set together last month for my 28 roadster project. The gears and tranny case in back are also recent buys. Mostly NOS/NORS except the case which is a good used one. Also for the roadster project. --louis
Gauges and steering wheels... One you look at, the other you feel... EVER SINGLE time you drive your car. To me, they are both really, really important.
For a bit of historical context, this is the dash of "the Fish", my HS shop teacher's sectioned shoebox Ford which also had a Nailhead in it and was built circa 1962, sporting an 8K tach mounted proud to the top of the dash. As for my most recent hotrod scores, these pics have been posted elsewhere already and are a couple months old, but this was pulled out of an oven inside a local junkyard, along with a Jones mechanical tach and an aluminum drive snout that says Hilborn on it. And these were laying outside, on the ground, in a big pile of random debris, at another local junkyard, they must have fallen out of the rotted trunk of a car that had recently been removed from that spot. I was with some other guys and we must have all stepped over them 3 or 4 times before I saw them there. There's a ton more, but those are the two best from this fall. I'm a proud collector anyway, with wallhangers overflowing, but any notion of "only buy what you need" would have been out the window, tripping over stuff like this.
Agreed - especially with vintage pieces. I enjoy the quirks of non-dampened early electric gauges, and the instant gratification with mechanical tachs.
There seem to be a lot more old Sun tachometers than controller boxes out there. For those who need one, I make a replacement controller box for 6 Volt positive ground vehicles that will drive these tachometers (as well as Stewart Warner, and Radco meter-type tachometers). Here's a picture of the box and a short video of it in use in my '51 Ford. I can also put our "guts" in an emptied-out Sun box as shown as well. If anyone is interested, they can PM me. These products are in addition to the unit I make to run current "motor-type" tachs on 6 volt positive ground vehicles. Video link :
BTW, these units are less than $200, except for an existing Sun Controller box conversion. Those depend on what we have to start with.
Glad my tach went to a good home... while I am a collector /hoarder of parts. I usually have no problem selling stuff to people that need it. I would much rather see a part being used than sitting in my display case. I absolutely can't keep from buying parts I don't need though if they are old, rare, cool or whatever.
It's not easy and it can be pricey to turn around an inspired sometimes but it really is I'm sure rewarding to have a quality vintage part replacing aftermarket stuff. This is not to say all aftermarket/repro stuff is not worthy but a lot really is lacking the edge of the old.
Hard to pass up when its got your name on it. Scored the rare Simmons Hi-Comp banger head to match the dual Simmons updrafts and plugs.
Then Rocco and Cheaters answered my year long search for a 4 Speed Hydro-matic shifter for my coupe rebuild. NOS 1962 Sparkomatic 4 speed auto shifter and counter display box scheduled to arrive this week. (Lets hope they built better shifters than stereos).
^^ I think I'd have to frame that shifter box lid. Cool that it's getting used, but the box is really neat by itself.
This could piss you off, but no more pissed off than I am of myself. Years back (many), I was hitting the swap meet trail pretty seriously, collecting many NOS parts for my Nova. I also had found a couple Sun tachometers and transmitters (used) but wanted to find a pair of NOS versions, never did find any so kind of quit looking. A couple years later I found a brand new Sun EB-9A (V8/12volt) transmitter, in the Sun box with all literature at the Portland Swap Meet for, get this, ten bucks. Started looking again for a new tach. but never found one so decided to liquidate a bit to fund other purchases. Took some stuff to the PDX swap meet and sold the new transmitter for what (I thought) was a tidy profit, $100, should have held it a while longer because soon after saw them going for double that. Then at the same meet I ventured out from my swap space and found an NOS tach. don't recall the price but figured I'd never find another new transmitter that I could afford so passed on the tach.
From over 45 years of going to car shows on a regular basis I'd say choice of steering wheel and gauges is one place all too many guys miss the mark on a build. Gauges it is all too often a case of settled for because of price or availability. They go for the cheapest set they can find rather than doing homework to find the right set of gauges. Steering wheel, lack of taste has to do something with it. I see too many ugly gaudy steering wheels destroying the looks of an otherwise perfect interior of older rides. It's like that is what O'Reilly's had on the shelf that day when they decided they needed a new steering wheel. The ugly ones seem to cost as much or more than a proper one too so cost doesn't seem to be an issue like it is on gauges. My steering wheel for my 48 didn't cost much to buy, I'll have probably 20 hours in it getting it where I want it including paint to work with the rest of the interior and truck but it will look right when you walk up to it. The gauges will looks factory for the dash they came in (which will be in the truck) and be period correct.
I picked up this 36 Caddy wheel to build another like my 40 Buick wheel. I need a hollow 14-15" steel hoop for the rim. I like it because it has the whippy horn ring my 40 Buick wheel doesn't have. Update! While over at a buddy's house I saw a stainless hoop hanging on the wall......said it was the foot rest from a bar stool! It's now a 36 Caddy wheel rim..still working on it.
Not sure which of these was the last one purchased, but as you can see I have a disease. The first one bought for the tag when I make a Deuce winterfront someday! This was bought with the hopes of getting # 032. Close but no cigar! This last one. Don't Ask! Seamed like a good idea at the time! Yes I have lots of stuff I don't need!
What is really dangerous is reading the Hamb or Ford Barn classifieds after a few drinks. I grown my collection a few times that way. --louis
Been assembling a set of Niehoff gauges for the RPU project. Made by Stewart Warner, and sold by Napa stores as their house brand. Got these three, plus a spare mechanical temp gauge. Going to have to substittute a SW fuel gauge (the face is identical), as they never made a Niehoff branded one. Picked up a tach that is a close match, since the only Niehoff tach I have ever seen is not a match. Probably going to have to re-face a speedo to match, since there are no Niehoff speedos.
I was the one that found that. I forwarded the auction to you Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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