Frankie the Fink

So - my 63 fuel gauge finally went south (I describe it as bouncing around like Dolly Parton in a Zoomba class) -- see video...


So, A new sending unit helped some but still excessive 'bounce' so I send out the original gauge and, based on some recommendations here, order a repro and install it (yes, you can do it with the cluster still in the car) temporarily while the original is being worked on. Well, its just unacceptably shiny, the font is off a bit and bugs me every time I look at it (I know I'm ****). See first picture; repro on the left of course.

So then I hear back from the guy with my original gauge that it was fixed before at some point and messed up for good - not worth restoring.

In talking to him about the repro gauge, he said I ordered the wrong repro gauge (not the 'good' one) - soooo....I order the 'right' repro from another vendor.

It comes in an AC/Delco box and I'm thinking - super....this has GOT to be a nice repro. Well its JUST as shiny and when mounted in the dash its actually crooked. I mean glaringly crooked. The second picture is my 'bum' original beside the repro (on the right) with them lined up just as they'd be mounted in the dash - yeah, crooked. The clockwise tilt actually looks worse in the dash and there is no mounting adjustment.

So I put the first repro back in the dash and send the AC/Delco POS back to the vendor. I guess the lesson is that just seeing a brand name doesn't make something better, and secondly, the fuel gauge can be replaced - without removing the cluster - in about 20 minutes..

Guess I'm on the prowl for an NOS gauge now, but those are in the $200 range and up. I'm in no hurry so I'll look for a bargain.

R66

So, it appears to me your expert rebuilder could take the original needle and face and mate it to the repro drive mechanism.
Second option is to do a wash of the repro to remove the shine. Maybe experiment with a very thin paint mixture in an air brush.

mike coletta

Frank,
How about switching the original "dial" to the reproduction meter?? Call me before you do it, and I'll fix you up with how to get the needle right.

Sorry, R66 responded while I was typing.

Frankie the Fink

Yeah, I think that's where I'm heading....not sure how the needle could be reattached and read correctly without some sort of calibration required though.

May be a few weeks (a lot going on - getting house painted and wifey having knee surgery) but I'll take you up on that Mike

emdoller

hedgehead

You can probably find the two bills under the couch cushion.

Frankie the Fink

gbvette62

So is your battery gauge a repro, because the lettering on it matches the repro fuel gauge, not your original one.

I don't know who you sent your original to, but sometimes the restorers have originals to sell. You might check with Joe Ray, D & M, Corvette Instrument, etc.

I'm pretty sure the repro gauge in the Delco box, is being made by K & B Corvette in Georgia. You might want to call them and see what they have to say. From my experience, they've been pretty good to deal with, and usually seem willing to listen when there's an issue with something they make.

Frankie the Fink

I did
I did -- and got a refund.

DansYellow66

I replaced my fuel gage years ago and while not as bad as that one, there was some difference in the silk screened dial line widths, etc. I try not to stare at it too much.

SLWRNU

So! Say what? Say it ain't So.

benrep

Just a thought for future reference. I do a lot of scale modeling and often don't want shiny. Testors dull coat spray is pretty good if warm and shaken enough. Just a light misting. It would make the gauge match the other, even the needle. A drop of synthetic very thin oil at the needle pivot just in case it got in there would be a plan. The only question is compatibility with the existing paint. I always test on an edge or some where it won't show first.

Frankie the Fink

It was even a little worse as the AC/Delco repro had the rear terminals too close together...you could only mash the connector down so far on the terminals

Original on top, repro on the bottom - the OTHER repro (now in the car) was fine in this regard

GTOguy

You'd think that the manufacturer would have had the sense to use a flattening agent in the paint to match the oem non-glare finish. Satin/gloss paint on a gauge? Really?

Frankie the Fink

That's my thought too.

Kerrmudgeon

I watched the video.....and there's no bouncing Dollys? ....you lied.

Frankie the Fink

I DO apologize - I must have posted the wrong video

tuxnharley

Just bend the posts at an angle slightly off vertical and away from each other to increase the space for the connectors. Easy!

MOXIE62

Replace all 4 small gauges with repo's. Assuming all repo's look the same, very few people would know they are not original.

Frankie the Fink

Errr...yeah. I did get the connector on, but as the pic shows, you can't seat it all the way with that method as the base of the connectors are immovable. No biggee - just another thing that could have been easily done right the first time...