Gauge repair/modifications, Anyone tried this?? Options

[East coaster]

I have an extra set of gauges and was tinkering with taking a tach apart. I wanted to see how feasible it was to morph a fuel gauge into the bottom of a tach. Does anybody have a slick way of removing and re-installing the bezel? Do you have to use a new bezel after removing the original or can it be remounted??

[Dave_Darling]

The 930 tach has a boost gauge in the bottom; that can be revised to be whatever kind of gauge you want it to be.

The Bird site has a Tech Article on gauge refurbishment; it talks about R&Ring the bezels.

--DD

[lapuwali]

I've given some thought to this myself. The 930 gauge doesn't look like a good route, if only because those gauges are harder to come by than 914 tachs. If you're still running a four, you'd have to not only convert the boost gauge to read the fuel level sender resistance, but you'd also have to conver the tach to read a four instead of a six cylinder engine (unless you've done a Six conversion, too). The boost gauge isn't swappable like the other aux gauges, at least not on the one 930 tach I've seen.

One issue for concern is how big the tach mechanism is inside the body. I haven't pulled one apart, so I don't know if there's actually room for the fuel gauge, or if the return spring is too large.

I have taken apart a speedo, and the tech article isn't a bad place to start on bezel removal. You need to be very careful and patient if you don't want to bugger up the bezel. It's very soft and bends very easily. Use a wide bladed tool and be gentle. It's very easy to crease the metal forming the lip.

If you're planning on doing something like fitting an oil pressure and temperature gauge to the combo gauge, moving the fuel gauge to the tach, I'd offer that it might be better to put the oil pressure gauge in the tach instead. This is usually a gauge you'd really rather caught your eye than the fuel gauge. Running out of gas is inconvenient, but hardly as inconvenient as running out of oil.

[andys]

Back in '73, I installed a VDO turbo boost gauge into the tach (turbo 914/4). Fit without a problem, as I recall. When I removed the turbo, N.H. Speedometer retro'd a new fascia. I would think installing a fuel gauge of the same size would'nt be an issue.

Andy

[airsix]

Back in '73, I installed a VDO turbo boost gauge into the tach (turbo 914/4). Fit without a problem, as I recall. When I removed the turbo, N.H. Speedometer retro'd a new fascia. I would think installing a fuel gauge of the same size would'nt be an issue.

Andy

So you had a turbocharged 914 a year before the worlds first turbo-charged production car was unveiled at the Paris auto show? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Did you mean '83?

-Ben M.

[stecz]

There were plenty of turbo cars before '73, Pontiac had had a turbo in the 60s and the corvair also had a turbo version

[airsix]

There were plenty of turbo cars before '73, Pontiac had had a turbo in the 60s and the corvair also had a turbo version

You're right! There was a turbo Corvair, wan't there. That's where the "turbo muffler" design came from. Hmmmm..... I wonder why I read that the 930 unvieled in 1974 was the "first production turbo". That can't be right.

My oppologies to Andy (andys).

-Ben

[andys]

[quote=airsix,Mar 22 2004, 03:00 PM]
Andy [/QUOTE]
So you had a turbocharged 914 a year before the worlds first turbo-charged production car was unveiled at the Paris auto show? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Did you mean '83?

-Ben M. [/quote]
Ben,

I've built a number of turbocharged cars back when few even knew of such a device. Air Research was local to me, where I befriended an engineer that used to help out with parts. Ran a '67 Corvair Corsa at the dry lakes, 131MPH in a standing start one mile run...That was around '68 or '69. The '63 Olds Jetfire had an alcohol injection (for cooling) turbo aluminum 215 cu. in. V8 with 10.25:1 compression. If you could find one at a yard, $50 would get you the whole turbo system which had an intergral waste gate, side draft Rochested carb, alcohol injection system, and water heated/cooled intake housing. Turbo'd all kinds of stuff from Rambler 6's to Fiat 124's. The 914 was a Crown kit, I believe.

Andy

[mharrison]

This reminded me of something not a whole lot of people know about. Particularly younger people.

The Chrysler Turbine Program. These were pretty cool cars. My Dad was a corporate troubleshooter for Chrylser and I got to see one a few years after it was introduced.

Mopar \"Turbo\" cars

Another one

[Bleyseng]

Only a really small one will fit as there is very little room in there. I have taken a tach all apart just to try to squeze one in, didn't fit no matter how much I trimmed everything. I mean I really cut the shit out out both of them and nope....


Geoff (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[lapuwali]

Rover also had a turbine program, developed into a LeMans competition car in 1961-62, with BRM providing the car, and Graham Hill doing the driving. At the time, everyone thought this was THE FUTURE. 40 years later, we're still waiting for the future to arrive.

[andys]

Only a really small one will fit as there is very little room in there. I have taken a tach all apart just to try to squeze one in, didn't fit no matter how much I trimmed everything. I mean I really cut the shit out out both of them and nope....


Geoff (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Geoff,

Believe it or not, but I think I still have the original VDO boost gauge I removed from my car some 30 years ago!!! Think I saw it in a box of misc. parts in the garage. Anyway, if I find it, I'll measure the diameter, as VDO likely made a fuel gauge of the same size.......And yes, it did fit.

Andy

[Bleyseng]

Sure I think it will fit in a 930 tach but not in a 914 tach unless its really tiny,
I couldnt fit a 914 gas gauge in a 914 tach without (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)