thoughts on temp gage?

[Los_Control]

Working on the gages of my 1949 B1C, the temp gage is missing the bulb and the engine has a plug in the place of the temp gage. PO simply removed and blocked off the gage.

Just curious what others have done to fix this issue?

At the moment, just plan to re-install the broken gage, and add a after market under the dash. I currently have the gage cluster removed from the truck, have sanded the chrome trim ring back to the brass plating, and the housing down to bare metal and ready for paint.

So I really do not like the idea of disassemble and clean, polish, paint ... and put back together non working.

I do have a spare temp gage from a 1952, it has the same problem, am wondering if there might be a stewart warner gage, that could install into the stock gage cluster, maybe use the face from the stock gage and body from a new replacement gage?

I have read one article about replacing the tube on the old gage with a tube of a new gage, seems a little intimidating to me. Has anyone tried this and recommend it?

For those that may be interested, I like the brass finish and plan to keep it, I figure another day they could be rechromed and no harm done.

The speedo and gage cluster in photo is from a 1949, the speaker grill on the right is not brass, appears to be stainless steel, and is out of the 1952.

I still have the speaker grill installed on the 1949, I hope it is brass plating like the rest. Although, the wire mesh in the 1952 speaker grill is brass. Go figure.

[Plymouthy Adams]

go to the car side and search....Tod Fitch has posted a very doable gauge repair grafting a new bulb onto the old gauge...only thing I will add is that today's newer gauges not always have the same size line...seems the higher end units do have the better tube.interesting read even if you chose to stick with the under the dash aftermarket unit...

[Los_Control]

Ok thanks, have the page bookmarked and was the one I previously read.

No clue why I think it is intimidating, suppose I just think I would lose the either and end up with a non working gauge.

But I already have a non working gauge, nothing ventured nothing gained. I will give it a try.

[Plymouthy Adams]

pre-tin the new one where you plan to cut....pre-tin the old line, verify your sleeve is clean and you can pre-tin this each end if you wish by placing on your old tube first, then slip it off and rotate and make the other end the pernament connection to the old end..... verify the pre-tin end of the sleeve you just rotated will allow tube inserting for quick application.   Cut and solder  your new bulb and tube into the tinned sleeve and you should not be ready to test and adjust for accurate display of temp...

[Los_Control]

Think I would feel better about the operation, maybe use a jar with a lid for the ice bath, drill a hole for the tubing to go through and then duck tape it tight.

That way you could turn it over and move it around and work on it, without it falling out of the ice bath.

I am thinking that the sleeve will need some work, as it did in the written article. Chances of the new tube with today's measurements being the same?

And then the sanding of the ID of the tiny sleeve? I dont think is a wire brush small enough, thinking a drill bit of exact size to reem it out.

Then pre tinning the pieces before cutting, would also change the OD of the tubing. Just thinking I might need to do all the cutting and fab work with the tubing in the ice bath.

I do not know the chemistry of the either and the ice, I wonder how much working time you have, what the target temp is while having the tubing cut open.

I guess the article suggest doing as much as possible before cutting the tube, this create a bit of urgency in my mind, to do it quickly.

I wonder if you could give it a shot of either, after you have it in the ice bath and cut the tube? Is more better?

I guess the unknown always brings more questions, and experience will bring answers.

For the price of a new gauge, is well worth the opportunity to save one. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

get your self a dial caliper and measure the tube diameter......make your cut into the new line only after you know all is set to go....often we over complicate things simply because it is a first time operation...it is good to be wary and it is wise to consider all before doing the job...a dial indicator will assist with this..even a cheapo 2.99 one at Harbor Freight....they also have an assortment of wire brushes in miniature...I do not however know if they are small enough but I will state they are VERY small....if you have a HF local...may be worth your time to look..

[Desotodav]

I have my gauges in at my mate's shop at present. He does a lot of work on calibrating gauges for the mining industry. He tested the temperature my gauge was reading and said that it was a little low, so he topped it up with ether.

I seem to recall that Keven was fixing temp gauges a while back so might be worthwhile chatting to him - B1B Keven.

[Los_Control]

Maybe Kevin will chime in. I do not know how these new gauges are made, I only assume they are on some sort of assembly line, and a machine is administering a precise amount of fluid that is needed to get the job done,. But not a single drop extra to keep production cost down. Would make sense to me.

Once you cut the tube open, you may lose a few drops of residue in the tube and not in the bulb, then the either evaporates so quickly, probably what the ice bath is for, to slow down evaporation.

I just need to give it a try and see what happens.

 

Would be my luck, spray a squirt of starting fluid in it, the engine heat and pressure creates a bomb, and blows the head of the gauge off while driving down the road.

[B1B Keven]

PM me. I can no longer offer my services on the forum.

 

[The Oil Soup]

I did mine and froze the bulb in a small plastic container then used JB Weld to secure the new line to the gauge. Seems to work fine and checked to be accurate with the boil test.