I have to admit that I'm a total sucker for early accessory/aftermarket goodies. From Laurel-Roof, Winfield, & Cragar hop-up parts to Disteel Wheels and Lyons hubcaps, I can't ever seem to curb my appetite for seeing 20's, 30's & 40's Rod & Custom matériels of war. While appearance and hop-up parts from the period have been fairly well chronicled, there remains a significant vacuum in the study of instrumentation from the era (products from Stewart-Warner notwithstanding). From what I can tell, manufacturers such as Rochester, U.S. Gauge, National Gauge & Equipment (later Moto-Meter/Autolite), Nagel, and others were bringing accessory and aftermarket instrumentation to the market for fleet, hobbyist, and racer alike. So, in an effort to better document the landscape of pre-war accessory/aftermarket instrumentation, please add photos/info here! I'll begin with a 'set' of Rex Accessory Company (Rex-A-Co) gauges, probably marketed for use/intended for the Ford Model A; First up is a 0-10lb oil pressure gauge; Note that the gauge itself was not manufactured by Rex-A-Co, but was produced for them by the U.S. Gauge Company of New York. One interesting feature of early U.S. Gauges (the company still exists today as a division of Ametek) is the date stamp on the back of the face, shown here; Next up is the complementing Rex-A-Co "Heat Inidicator" - also manufactured by U.S. Gauge Company; And the most visible part of the date stamp (Jan 1936); Packaging; Please add yours here!
Crazy...I posted something similar on the GAUGES! Social group. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=442 I've always been kinda obsessed with aftermarket Model A accessories especially gauge set ups that allow for the addition of more gauges. The sparse factory A gauges were just a tad more equipped than your average tractor. The gas gauge goes straight into the tank which sits directly in front of you. There's an amperes gauge which was a must since the addition of electric starters with the last generation model Ts. Finally you've got an 80 mile per hour speedometer and an odometer. And well, for instrumentation that's all of it. If you wanted to monitor something like engine temperature you could of course get an add on motormeter from the dealer but if you wanted to add some modernity to your A you'd have to go to an aftermarket source. Suppliers sprang up from every corner to offer a solution for your model As problems and shortcomings. In his book "Those Wonderful Unauthorized Accessories for Model a Ford" Murray Fahnestock chronicles many of these useful and at times downright zany contraptions. It's got advertisements from the era that cover just about everything you'd expect from the mundane manifold heaters to elaborate tank track conversions. My personal favorite was the "how to turn your ford into a taxi" advertisement on one page and "how to turn your taxi into a family sedan" on the following page...it always made me laugh. This book was one of those fun to flip thru kinda reads but what always made me pause for a moment was the add for the Dunn "Aristrocrat" dash. It always struck me as one of those parts that could be sought after by both restorers and hot rodders alike. It classes up the dash and adds the much needed instrumentation. These are rather hard to find though reproductions seem easier to run across. An original. Thin aluminum copy. One of the things you have to be careful with when dealing with these type of set ups is the gauges you choose. The capillary tube and the mount to hook up the oil must be near the bottom otherwise you'll need spacers which takes a bit away from the look as illustrated in the photo below. Note: No offense to uncle bob for whom I borrowed the example from...you know I love that car! There's a cast aluminum version of the Aristrocrat as well although I'm not sure where it fits in the timeline. There were a few more multigauge panels to go over your existing A dash but none of them had as much style as the Aristrocrat. For the most part folks were content to add the cheaper variety of aftermarket gauges. These usually consisted of either one or two gauges usually oil and then temperature respectively. The brackets used the two existing screws that held the factory panel in place. This was (and still is) the most common addition. Rex-a-co made many gauges for the model A in fact they're gauges are still being produced for the A ford enthusiast. There are many minor variations from there. I love the simplicity of the graphic. A "Victory" with a spot for a light or possibly a switch. Yet another Rex-a-co with a more attractive bracket. Like I said these were both fodder for the hot rodders as well as the restorers. Some suppliers of these gauges got creative with their styling. The design of this bracket mirrors the ribbing found on the 30-31 dash panels. Here's an example of the Rex-a-co temp gauge although its in a later bracket. Notice how the capillary tube exits near the bottom. Here's a "Nagel" pairing of gauges. I like that the temp gauge includes the point where "alcohol boils". If you've got other example please share!! JohnnyA
Here's an original temperature gauge mounted on the steering column of the roadster. I think it is Stewart or Boyce. Don't remember. Although the photo doesn't show it well, it has a bullet shaped body and is nickel plated. There are colors for the heat ranges and a dial indicator. Under the dashboard is the typical Model A accessory oil gauge.
Really dig that bracket, never seen one like that before, thanks for posting it! The use of a '32 Ford speedo in an A cluster is a new one to me, really like the way that turned out, is it yours? Looks to me like a Boyce unit, thanks for posting it!
Sheesh, I wish it was mine! It was posted on here awhile back but I can't recall any of the details. JohnnyA
Excellent thread! A fascinating subject with great mysteries. Here's a slew of U.S. Gauges that I recently acquired. I'm not sure if they're pre-war, but I do know that this prolific (but relatively obscure) company did start production in the very early 1900's. The P.O. said that this panel came out of an early 40's hot rod that was built in the early 70's. It appears that the aluminum panel was home made to fit the 6 gauge cluster, which is basically a large hunk of steel that holds the gauges in place (rather than the little "U" shaped brackets that we normally see). Talk about overkill. The gauges are 2-5/8," not 2-1/6." Who knows what the original cluster came out of or what resided in the 5" hole. One VERY cool feature is that the bezels are not crimped on like Stewart-Warner gauges. The are very precise pressure fit, which easily pop off for cleaning or service. It's too bad all gauges aren't like this. Excuse the hastily shot pics, but you might notice how I was able to clean half of the oil pressure gauge. How nice is that! Also, the glass is at least 1/8" thick & is neatly beveled. If anyone has anything to add, please chime in and add to the database.
A couple of gauges. The amps gauge is an unusual Stewart-Warner Art Deco script gauge, with a date code of 1941. I don't recall ever seeing another like this...any input on this? The second is a Rochester oil pressure gauge, with similar script, which probably dates to the 30's. These are not rare, but I never seem to see a water temp or amps gauge in the similar style. I'd love to see some pics if they do exist. It just does't add up that they would only make an oil pressure gauge.
I don't recall seeing that style needle on SW gauges until much later. The tips were rounded (teardrop) on the sides instead of the points you show. I think your 1941 date may actually be 1965. As for the font, no idear why it looks like that. The purchaser (tractor company?) may have wanted it like that. Did the gauge have any paint on it when you got it?
You may have a point regarding the year thing. It doesn't appear to have ever been used. The Art Deco lettering made me think the L6 code would had to have been 1941 rather than 1967. But, Stewart-Warner may have been going through some sort of retro faze when they made it. The gauge body is painted flat black with no lighting windows or bulb holes. The bezel is strange, too. Very peculiar, regardless of the year. Ya gotta love the mystery of Stewart-Warner, pre or post war.
Pair of what look to be NOS Rex-A-Co temp and oil gauges in their accompanying bracket. Popped the oil gauge apart, no date code on back of face. Any thoughts? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Another RexACo in my roadster in a simple plated strap bracket. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I have the same oil pressure gauge and just found this temp gauge, not the same but sorta close (only because the zeros are oval)
I'm looking for one similar to this, if anyone has one they would part with please PM me. I dont need the gauge, just the panel.
Dragging this back up again as it is nice to see that there are other gauges out there then the SW`s. I just bought a gauge identical to the one the op has pictured and am looking for a second one as well as an oil pressue version. Through the patent #, appears to be 1954 ish.
On the Rochesters, if they say "Rochester NY" then I believe is before 1958 (then they moved to Texas and it says it on the gauge).
Thanks for the pics and history 1oldtimer. Doing a little googling myself and also notice the white ring on the gauge face on some and not others.
I pick them up at swapmeets and even antique malls........I can't remember if these are prewar but I've been slowly collecting these to put in the '28. Stewart Warners but not the older ones everyone wants.
Oil pressure gauge I have in my 32. Not sure if its prewar but I would think that it is from a prewar Stutz due to styling
Ol Timer, the gauge you show is plenty old. SW was making those pre-war and for quite a while afterward. Your example with a nickel plated bezel is probably one of the older ones. Is there any number code still showing on the backside? That will help us decode its build date.
Within a week on epay I managed to find the gauges I wanted. 2 NOS water temp and 1 oil px gauge should give me the stats to monitor the flattie. I tried to match the lettering and font on them and this was the closest I could get. Interesting is the white ring on the face of the water temp gauges and could not find a similar oil px which had the ring and same font.
The only ones I could still read are N7, N2, V4, Y6. I assumed these where 1945, 1952 and 1955 not 1921, 1928 and 1931.
Yes, those are probably post-war gauges, but the ones produced before look exactly the same. I've got a bunch and I know I've seen codes with pre-war dates on some. Just cant remember which ones. Might be some of these:
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