Hi,

Im new to this forum and found it because i seek some information so i hope its ok if i ask some questions without upsetting anyone.

I have a 62 beetle that is far from original. This year im giving myself a go on the interior of it and is thinking about making a custom dash for it. I really like the "simple" look of the 914 gauges. Does anyone know how much work it would be to get everything to work as it should with speedo, oil temp & pressure and tacho?

Regards

The speedo is cable driven, every thing else is wires. I think the Beetle is too, plus VW tech didn't change much if at all in this era, so should be simple plug & play.
The 924/944 even still had the speedo cable mount in the front wheel hub.

Thanks for a fast answer.

That sounds easy enough then. How is the fuel gauge controlled in the 914. The beetles gauge is cable driven (i believe, havent seen the car in 6 months now). I believe i have seen some kind of electric sensor for it so if its necesseray it might be possible to change that to something that fits the 914 gauge

One more reason why i want to use Porsche gauges is because of the close connection between vw and porsche.

First of all, the Beetle's speedometer is driven off the front wheels, while the Porsche's is driven off the gearbox, therefore the gauge will need recalibrating to work accurately. As for the fuel gauge, you will need to use an aftermarket VDO fuel tank sender unit for the Porsche gauge to work. The Beetle's gauge purely mechanical in operation, with no electrical hookup to the gauge..

Ok gives some food for thoughts then. Thanks for the info

Right and wrong, a 62 would be mechanical but around '68 they started using electrical senders/gauges. I'd think a Ghia sender would work, similar to a 914 sender just shorter

IMHO the 914 gauges never looked right in a bug, too big. I'd go with the aftermarket VDO, etc.
My '67 bug I used a later bug speedo just because it has a fuel gauge, I have vintage EMPI GTV gauges, about the same size as VDO gauges.

Correct - but the OP said he has a ’62, not a ’68...

There are different electrical senders for a 62 model but it seems they work with different ohm, so does anyone know what ohm range the 914 gauge use?

The empi gtv gauges sure looks good but its not the style im after.

I remember back in the '80s someone (in Germany) made a 911 style dash for the super beetle.
It worked well because the super beetle has a slanted windshield and fairly wide dash top.

I don't think 914 gauges (and 911 gauges for that matter) would look good on a older flat beetle dash ...

Maybe this would work on yours?

The SB works, the other one not so much.
I had a bug early 90's with the alunimum flat panel and aftermarket VDO's, without a hood like the 914 or the ridge and inset speedo of the stock bug speedo, in the bright sun it was hard to see the gauges proper because of glare. Many times I had to shade the speedo with my hand to see how fast I was going.

The 914 (etc) gauge hood is a functional part of the dash, not just for style.
YMMV

Seeing these pictures made me think again, how big are those gauges?