Your Favorite Gauge Company

Maybe in the wrong forum.....move if necessary.........

Wondering what brand of gauges folks prefer. I put VDO gauges in my '71 way back when and still like them. But that was a long time ago. Just looking for brand names. Dom't need to get into the mechanical/electrical discussion.

I'm a cheapskate but this is one area where I hate to skimp.

Considering marine gauges also but really, my old VDO units have withstood the weather so maybe marine quality is overkill and unnecessary. I'm just thinking weatherproof, weather resistant, shock resistant...that kind of thing.

Ready......GO.

 

I did VDO also. They have dropped some of the old styles and replaced them with a newer and similar model.

 

Autometer currently, like them just fine. Previously had SW never had any issues.

 

Nothing like the original Stewart Warner gauges if you can find them, IMO. I picked up some used ones and will be taking them out to Powl's in Lancaster to get refurbished. Not exactly cheap but worth it I think.

 

The pilot in me loves guages. The realistic guy in me pulled the darn things out and I'm running just the cluster with an extra cheap automated tach and temp guage. I had an automated oil pressure guage but it only made me worry about it's readings and any leaks it may cause.

If I got a round tuit I would fix up the original cluster and pull the rest off.

 

I have all autometer in the jeep and i like them. I think that the only improvement i would make is better back lighting

 

Im running Autometer, I do like them. I did add led lighting to them so I could see them.

 

I am running Dakota Digital. They look good, are easy to see, light up well, integrated tach, and have options for electronic speedo or GPS if you want to reduce wires. They are expensive though…

 

I have Speedhut gauges in my CJ now for 13 years. Pricey but we’ll worth it, they’ll custom make them any way you’d like and do OEM look which I used. The other thing they are made in .

 

Speedhut for their quality

 

Auto Meter

 

A third vote for Speedhut. The absolute coolest gauges I've ever owned. Their full swing check during startup makes me feel like I'm in a modern car. Being able to match appearance for the main gauge display with voltmeter and oil pressure is nice.
My old boss, who is a car nut, had heard of GPS powered speedometers. He couldn't wait to go for a ride in my old Jeep and see how the speedo performed. He was so impressed that he said he would get similar gauges for his project.
It doesn't matter what size tire or the axle ratio, the GPS speedo is exact at all speeds.

 

Just a geezer but I still prefer the original Willys look of black faced gauges with white script: read SW deluxe. I have been using those for 6 decades in all sorts of machines and have yet to have one fail. The 3B has a pretty decent inventory of them, most residing in that same dash plate for the past 4+ decades.

 

You can still buy most of those new. https://www.summitracing.com/search...fr=part-type&SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Default

 

Would you choose mechanical or electrical gauges and why. My preference is biased toward mechanical.

 

Everyone will have their own opinion here and that's fine.
A mechanical oil pressure gauge will make a HUGE mess inside and/or outside your cab if it springs a leak.
A mechanical temperature gauge takes a little longer to read accurately, especially during warm up.
And, like I pointed to with the GPS speedo, neither tire size, nor axle ratio is critical for proper readout. The mechanical speedo drive requires regular maintenance.
I've never seen a mechanical fuel gauge.
Modern electrical gauges are reliable and easy to install...well, easy as can be working under a darn CJ dash...ugh.

 

I used a braided line for my oil pressure and sleeved a section of rubber hose over it in the critical areas. Not a fan of the
copper or nylon tubing and like the fact that I am not not relying on an electrical signal to provide me with a critical means of
reading pressure. That said, I kept the light in the gauge pod and added one other light in the dash off the pressure switch. The
switch also grounds the electric choke and future fuel pump relay when the oil pressure is above 8 PSI.

 

I also like mechanical way better than electric. Whether you oil your boots or not depends entirely on how well you plumb it. Some things, like fuel pressure gauges, are absolutely best done electrical. Mechanical gauges usually offer full sweeps and are a lot more accurate portrayal of what is actually occurring. For me, those are a lot easier to decipher at a glance also.

 

You have...
Semi trailer fuel guage, on the side of the tank.

I also had a garden tractor with one. Picture a big cork on a corkscrew with a needle at the top behind a sight glass.

 

Yep, they exist. Just hard to put it where you can see it. Especially on a rear-tank Jeep: