1956 ford car (not t-bird) factory gauges not idiot or dummy lights?

I'm trying to get my 1956 ford 2dr sedan dash together and parts collected so when I get it home ending of next month I can start assembling. These cars came with dummy lights,idiot light or warning light whatever you would like to call them for the oil and charging. Also some came with a factory tach and clock as well.
yMy car is a mainline so was the bottom of the line. I am wanting to get a gauge for the amps and the oil from those years that will be correct for my car also possibly the tach. Those stock tachs can be used with an automatic or stick correct?

 

Not sure that there were OEM amp/oil gauges for '56 Fords. Where is/was the factory tach located? You could find a nice set of original S-W gauges in a quality housing (flanged) perhaps. I've never seen a '56 Ford with a factory tach, if you have a photo, I'd be delighted to see what they look like.

 

I want factory style gauges. Some of the tbird parts interchange but I need to make sure what will. For the teach it was mounted in the cluster and I had the option of buying it but sold before I could

 

Are you saying the car came with a tach? 1956 had the speedometer and four gauge holes. If you have an amp, oil, fuel and temp, where would the tach be located in the panel? I have never heard of this before and would love to see one. I know the T-Birds had them.

 

My '56 Shop Manual goes over all the gauges but does not list a tach, but that's not to say someone didn't remove one of the 5 factory gauges/lights and put in something themselves. Would love to see a picture if you have one. I may have an extra cluster tucked up in the garage attic - I'll PM you if it has the gauges still.

 

Yeah it was probably from a t-bird

 

Ya, you need a 57 Tbird tach, but then you also need the correct distributor, cuz it is a cable driven tach, not electrical. Also no such thing as correct factory amp/volt meter, or oil pressure gauges. Even the Tbird had the idiot lights. I have seen aftermarket gauges replace the factory ones, and some look good, but then you still have the problem of no place to put your tach. Most will mount the tach on the steering column or dash. You can also mount it under the dash or on the A pillar.

 

The big hole in the center held the speedometer.
The top two smaller holes were the fuel gauge and the temperature gauge.
If I remember right without going out and looking at one. (it's pretty cold and I'm in for the night)
The lower left smaller hole holds the generator and oil idiot lights.

And the lower right is a dummy (filler). Is that possibly where a factory tach would be? I don't know.

The dash pictured is a Fairlane Town Sedan.



It's not a real good picture but I hope it gives you some idea.

 

Maybe a police car had a tach?

 

The cars with blank was an optional clock. I know where all the factory gauges and lights went and where they go. What I meant..is were there any ford cars of that era with gauges that would match close enough to use? For n example the 57-60 f100 could use the "big job" or big f-series truck clusters to have all working gauges not dummy lights and also had tacks and some had air pressure gauges too.

 

The old Dixco blueline gauges would be close.

 

Would you by chance have any pictures of those gauges?

 

I put a SW oil pressure guage in the upper left position. The oil pressure line was T'd off the filter. The SW guage fits perfectly.

 

It fits but it is identical?

 

Some FNG's...

 

I put 2'' vdo fuel,temp,& unsure brand but 2'' clock all gauges fitted well & kept front chrome rim, i left the idiot lights, i Had to modify the gauge holders to hold in place & used a little sikaflex around clock. also have a 2'' tach if want to use.
I will try to up load pic of dash face in my pics today
cheers
fonz

 

my 56 as I bought it. 56s had no amp or oil pressure gauge as most of the cars from that era on did not. They relied on idiot lights. The after market came through with the dual gauge under the dash kit. very popular for hotrodders and and old men that got pissed when the gauges disappeared. One is seen here. It is the elcheapo type sold at all parts stores including Pep boys. Notice the vacuum gauge in the clock hole added by a PO. The 2 gauge style add on type was the style of the day.



The hard core racers of the day ran the larger gauges so I replaced mine with these. They meant that you were serious about your engine. These date to the sixties so it depends on when you want your build to date to. I'm figuring early to mid sixties for mine. That is when the 56s became cheap enough for the teen age hotrodder....my crowd!. I was impressed when I looked in and saw these under the dash instead of the cheap variety. We don't need no stinkin' R&H but we want the good gauges. After all that is where we are spending our money and we want to protect it. I was not a racer so the cheap Dixco tach was good enough for me. I've been trying to find a cheap early model Dixco black and white. The the Big Daddy tachs are too new for my time period. I remember when they came out.

 

Check ebay theres a set but he's calling them Dixon

 

Cool! Thank you

 

The 56 T-Birds had pods on the both sides of the gauges for the clock & tach,,I would thing the tach would be smaller than the speedometer.

You could modify your dash to except a couple of small after market gauges for oil & amps,,heck you can replace them all like I did IN THE '54 "Ranch Wagon". HRP

 

Wow that is nice! But I want ford gauges that match my gas gauge

 

You might want to look at the big trucks from the 50s to late 60s for some more period looking gauges.

 

Thats what I was thinking too. The only thing is tht the 56 ford gauges had the aluminum center piece

 

The SW greenlines are close.

 

Could be these folks,they seem to have older style gauges http://stores.ebay.com/tuscolatradingcompany I have bought several things from them,good seller.

 

They do look close

 

Interesting Ive been around 56 Fords a long time and have never seen a factory tach in a Fairlane

 

If I recall correctly

Bottom left: Oil/gen light
Top Left: Fuel
Big Middle: Speedo
Top Right: Water
Botom Right: Clock

Only Tach ones I've seen are either column or dash mounted, or ones that people have removed a stock gauge and replaced with a small tach.

 

I think I might remove one of the gauges and hunt down a matching tach

 

If it were me, I'd probably take out the oil/gen one,put the fuel level there, and put the tach where the fuel level goes, and find two lights that match the blinker lights and just drill and mount them next to those. That will probably give you the most factory look.