replacement of Autometer gauges

[Raider L]

I'm replacing my old Autometer gauges with new Sport Comp style ones to match all the other Sport Comp gauges I already have in the instrument panel. Back in 1995 when I restored/customized my '74 C10 I had bought one of those three gauge clusters you could get to just give me something to keep up with the gas, oil, and volts/amps while I was driving around with just a striped down cab on the frame. It had no dash or any other things in the cab. So when I was finishing building the instrument panel out side the truck I just left three of some that I had bought other than the Sport Comp ones I was going to permanently install.
Autometer had four types of gauges back then, the cheap gauges called "Auto Gage", they still produce those. Then a mid grade gauge which were plain jane gauges with nothing at the bottom identifying them except for "Auto Meter". They don't make this gauge anymore. Then a step up to pro gauges of many styles. I got the "Sport Comp" ones because I like the race look of them and most other racers use them. Then the big time gauges "Pro Comp". Those are the liquid filled gauges. Professional racers use that type, and a mix of Sport Comp gauges. The Pro Comp gauges are a lot more expensive than any of the others.
So that's where I'm at today and that is I'm putting in my Sport Comp volt meter, as follows.
Below center of the pic, white gauge housing with the two long brass screws, this is the new type gauge housing Autometer makes, it's plastic and is longer than the older shinny metal housing gauge to the left of the white housing one. That one is my new Sport Comp Amp gauge.

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Below: Autometer used to make a couple of differnt types of bracket to hold the gauge into whatever panel you were using. They were not made to be used with the plastic instrument panel of our trucks. This is the new type bracket used today. It is a one piece plastic bracket to be used up against a flat sheet panel found in most race applications.

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Below is one of the older type brackets that is a one piece metal form where the bracket fits the mounting screws on the back of the gauge with a leg on each side. It to is to be used up against a flat sheet panel.

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Below is another type of older bracket but this type are individual brackets that fit onto one of the two mounting screws opn the back of the gauge and the leg goes up against either a flat sheet panel, or in my case I was able to either bend, twist, or grind shorter the end of the leg of the single bracket to fit up against the plastic instrument panel like are found in our trucks. All my old Autometer gauge mounting brackets are of this type. They were easier to fit around all the cast-in braces on the back of our instrument panels. If you go back to the first pic you'll see the older type single bracket used on my new Sport Comp Amp gauge.

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[Raider L]

Here I cut a leg off the new bracket because I don't have the room behind our panel to fit the whole bracket. Cutting the leg off will afford me the opportunity to shorten the leg until it is the needed length.

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In the pic below, the white housing gauge above the near shinny hosing, I tried the full length of the leg to see how about how much I need to cut off. About 3/8" to long. I'm using a Dremel Tool cutting wheel to do all the cutting.

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In the pic below I have chosen to leave it here as it affords me some room even though it's still a little above the back of the gauge. I'd rather have it a bit long than to short in case I decided to move things around at a later date. I've already cut the other leg and put a nut on it and have tightened both of them down. The leg on the left you can see it's sitting on a "rib" in the casting of the panel.

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And now both of my Amp gauge and Volt gauge are both Sport Comp. You can see to the right that my speedometer is a Sport Comp. This is a good pic of the fuel level gauge, "FUEL" and if you look close you may be able to make out the "Auto Meter". If you see one of these on Ebay, they are good gauges and have lasted over 25 years in my truck with no problems at all. You might ask, "Then why are you spending the money on Sport Comp gauges if the ones in the truck are okay?" Because all the other ones in the truck were meant to be Sport Comp and after 25 years I'd like to see all of them finally match. The fuel is next, and the hole there is where the "Fuel Pressure" used to go. I pulled it out because the "fuel pressure isolator" went bad and I had to replace it. I had all this wiring to do and I left it out until all that is done. Then I'll put it back in.

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[Raider L]

In the hole you can see the bulb holder hanging out. This is the old type press-in bulb holder. I must have caught it at the cut off point with Autometer because my new amp gauge had this type holder with a plastic type bulb holder in the box. So I tried the left over bulb holder and it fit in the new gauge bulb hole. So I can use the one I've got in there and don't have to cut and solder in a new bulb holder. I will with the Volt gauge because it has a new type twist-in type bulb holder.

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This is the new type twist-in bulb holder that came with my new Volt gauge. If you are running aircraft style "red" lights at night Autometer includes two covers for the bulb, red, and green. Some people have green lights I guess. It would look cool at night to have green lighting.
The one thing I don't like that Autometer is doing now, they don't include all the nuts and star washers, lock washers, and flat washers for all the screw posts on the back. Like nothing! All they include as far as fasteners is a pair of knurled knobs to attach the bracket on the back. All my old Autometer gauges included everything needed for a new installation. Where do they think a guy is supposed to get the stuff if they themselves don't have it? I have an extensive collection of fasteners from all the planes I used to work on and I had a hard time with some of the nuts. It's some kind of weird thread pitch. I thought it was metric at first. It wasn't a 6-32 and it wasn't a 8-32. I did find it and I don't know what it is, and I don't have any metric nuts at all. So if you guys don't have a ton of little nuts, good luck! Autometer thinks the customers are supposed to go out and hunt the hardware down for your car or truck? How cheap can you get. Gee, Autometer. Cutting corners now just to save a dollar? Chinsy.

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[Zelph]

I have always liked that series of gauge. I find them easy to read at a glance.

 

[Raider L]

@Zelph,
When I was making my lists of stuff researching before I started rebuilding my truck I was thinking on choosing VDO gauges. And I like the Stuart Warner gauges to, they've got that old aircraft look to them. But I decided not to get them due to the chrome bezel around the front. I chose the Sport Comp because you just can't beat a Autometer gauge for durability. I figure if John Force uses them, they're good enough for me.
The below pic is of the three Sport Comp gauges I replaced. I finished getting the Fuel Level gauge in tonight. Now, once I get my Sport Comp Fuel Pressure gauge in then I'll be finished. I already have it. I had to pull it out because the "fuel pressure isolator" diaphram got worn out and developed a hole in the middle so I had to get Autometer to send me another diaphram.
What's crazy is, I had all the money I needed when I rebuilt my truck to get all Sport Comp gauges and just kept the middle grade (no name, no style, they don't even make them anymore) Auotmeter gauges I had been using to keep track of things while I was transporting my truck here and there getting work done to it in the rebuild process. And what's worse is I just kept them in the panel all this time since I finished the rebuild. I got tired of looking at those cheap gauges and finally decided to get them out of there.
That looks a lot better doesn't it. The gauges pointers are below the beginning marks because the battery is not connected. As soon as I hook it up the pointers will come up.

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[Raider L]

Well, tonight I got to where I was ready to crank the truck, one, to see if I might need to switch the Amp. gauge wires, and two, if there was anything weird going on I needed to take care of.
The first test for the Amp. gauge is to turn the headlights on to see in which direction the needle moves. Well, at first it moved, just barely now, into the "charge" direction which indicates the wires needed switching. On the back of the gauge there is an "S" on the left, and in the drawing it shows that wire should be coming from the starter, like "S" means "starter", and in the drawing of the back there is a " I " on the right side and the drawing shows that wire should be coming from the alternator or "ignition", like " I " for "ignition.
Now you all tell me, if it's hooked up like the drawing shows where the wires are supposed to be hooked up, why would you need to switch the wires??? Well, I switched them and it worked correctly, I guess, the movement was so slight I barely saw it, so I went ahead and cranked the engine. But the alternator charged the battery up so quickly that by the time the alternator light went off, like it's supposed to, the Amp. gauge needle had returned to the dang middle, like where it's supposed to be when the alternator has charged the battery back up!!
It's very frustrating that my system has so little draw on it that the needle on the amp gauge is always in the middle. Well, if that's the case all those other amp. gauges I thought weren't working were probably fine and working.
So what I am going to do is get a 30 amp. Amp. gauge and put that in so I can see the dang thing working. The resistance, or whatever it is, is to high on a 60 amp. Amp. gauge for the draw to even show up. And if that doesn't show me what is going on I'll get a 15 amp Amp. gauge!! And I actually have one of those. It's an antique but if it works at least that will show me what I need.