68 Camper Special Instrument rehab

[Conductorblg]

Fuel gauge and temp would peg when I first got the truck, then nothing. Replaced the fuel gauge sending unit with a new one off eBay and verified the wire running to the gauge. Still nothing, but I figured the damage was done and lived with it. When oil started leaking from the oil pressure gauge supply line fitting and running off the edge of the lower instrument panel to drip on the floor and my foot, I figured it was time.
Pulling the cluster and blowing it apart enabled me to disassemble the temp and fuel gauges revealing sections of the fine wires inside the movements burnt and melted completely apart. Luckily a friend was able to find a couple of used gauges in his stash that we verified to work and I bought them. Years ago I read and saved an article in Mopar Action that detailed the replacement of the mechanical instrument voltage regulator with a small solid state IC and electrolytic capacitor. As result of the article I purchased a couple of sets of components including small heat sinks a short time later that i still had.

[Conductorblg]

The cluster slipped when removing it from the truck and I inadvertently touched the speedo needle causing the tip of it to scrape the face in an arc. One more thing to fix before reinstalling.

[Conductorblg]

The speedo face scratch was repaired by spraying a little Rustoleum satin black into a lid from something and using the tiniest brush I could find to just fill in the scratch.

[Conductorblg]

The Sun Super Tach cup is bolted to the top of the turn signal collar of the steering column. I drilled and tapped the collar for a #10 machine screw to mount it. I used the same Rustolium Satin Black paint on the cluster face plate as I did on the speedo face itself. Since these photos were taken a friend took pity and gave me a screaming deal on a perfect white steering wheel he had removed from a low mileage motor home to replace my far less than perfect one that was going to need major restoration.

[Conductorblg]

It is very important to remove the connecting bar to the buss bar on the back of the ammeter from the post on the fuel gauge. Failing to do so will toast the gauge if the internal regulator is shorting out like mine did. Because the gauges work off 5 volts nominal, after the internal regulator fails you don't want to get 12 volts anywhere near that post on the back of the fuel gauge . I simply used a set of duck billed pliers to bend it straight up at 90 degrees clearing everything. I didn't, but painting it with liquid electrical tape is probably a good idea.
What a concept, having all the gauges working and being able to see the in-dash turn indicators (I detailed making those visible in another thread). I'm still not used to not having to keep a small can of gas with me just in case.

[Conductorblg]

The original wire suppling 12 volts to the fuel gauge was connected directly to the buss bar on the back of the ammeter so that the buss bar was still powered up with switched 12 volts when the key is on.

[nutz]

nice where did you find the voltage reg and heat sink

[Wildergarten]

The original wire suppling 12 volts to the fuel gauge was connected directly to the buss bar on the back of the ammeter so that the buss bar was still powered up with switched 12 volts when the key is on.

I have had an instance in which the riveted electrical connection between the buss bar and the strap to which it is connected had failed. I ended up soldering it.

[martincom]

nice where did you find the voltage reg and heat sink

I had done near the identical modification. I included source links for the materials utilized:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=43914

[Conductorblg]

Thanks for suppling the electronic voltage regulator parts info for others. I'm on vacation at the daughter's house in SoCal and don't have the info in my laptop.

[nutz]

sure i now where near that far on my truck ,but hopefully some day

[RonHall76]

Found this post while researching for a Painless rewire on a 68 Dodge W200. Old Forest Service truck that has a Braden PTO winch - 318 engine (rebuilt) ... pretty much a down to the frame restoration.

The cluster is very similar to the one in this post, but it has an oil light, not a pressure line gauge.

G6ClusterFull.jpeg (29.26 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

68_ClusterOilLight1000PX.png (233.42 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

I have a second 67 W200 Shortbed that I added a set of after market gauges (electric oil, voltmeter, temperature dial) mounted to the bottom of the dash. This gives me a bit more accuracy (in my mind) and deals with the ammeter and oil pressure leak issues ... but they are not as easy to read as the cluster.

Am hoping to modify the cluster on the 68 to accept a voltmeter where the ammeter is located and reuse the oil idiot light or replace with an electric gauge. I also want to add a tachometer on the column like in this post

Questions:

1. Assume the oil light I have was hooked to an electric sensor (now gone after the rebuild). Can anyone give me any info on that? Has anyone found an electric oil pressure gauge that I could fit into the cluster that has a similar style (so I do not have to adjust the cover plate?

2. Has anyone replaced a pressure line gauge with an electric one that has a style that fits the cluster with a compatible electric sensor?

3. Has anyone replaced the ammeter with a voltmeter style gauge that fits this cluster? Have found one from a late 60's Camaro online that looks like it might work, but cannot get the dimension specs/might have to trim

camaro.jpeg (14.29 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

4, Any suggestions on what type of column tach to add?

Thanks

[PwrWgnDrvr]

1. Assume the oil light I have was hooked to an electric sensor (now gone after the rebuild). Can anyone give me any info on that?

The sensor screws into a 1/8" NPT port on the top of the block right next to the distributor. Same place a pressure line would be attached.

[martincom]

2. Has anyone replaced a pressure line gauge with an electric one that has a style that fits the cluster with a compatible electric sensor?

The 69 - 71 standard instrument cluster included the oil light, but it was an option for a electronic gauge that fit in the same cluster. This gauge may fit into your cluster with some trimming. It may not center with the other gauges Likewise some passenger car gauges of the same era may fit. I don't know of anything off-the-shelf that will drop in.

You may want to consider going the "heavy duty" gauge option or a fabrication similar. A fellow on the sweptline.org Facebook group is offering a complete heavy duty cluster, less the tachometer, that I'm assuming he fabricated as the factory optional heavy duty gauges included the tachometer. See his page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9854660 ... 6314524004

You may want to take it a step further and just fabricate your own. I believe the panel is flat and will mate over the existing cluster opening. Once you have the flat panel, you can mount aftermarket gauges into it. I believe Wildergarten is doing this and he had posted some images of panel templates he had mocked up, with some adding even more openings for additional gauges, such as vacuum. I'd suggest you reach out to him via PM.

3. Has anyone replaced the ammeter with a voltmeter style gauge that fits this cluster? Have found one from a late 60's Camaro online that looks like it might work, but cannot get the dimension specs/might have to trim.

The factory amp meter is actually fairly robust. The issue is the wiring and definitely the bulkhead connector. Upsizing or adding parallel conductors will resolve the wiring issue. Bypassing or expanding the bulkhead connections will resolve it. Here is the link to how I addressed this in my '71 D100:
https://www.sweptline.org/forums/viewto ... ng#p312441

[martincom]

Here is a photo of the 69 - 71 standard instrument cluster with the optional oil pressure gauge:

[Wildergarten]

Here is a photo of the 69 - 71 standard instrument cluster with the optional oil pressure gauge:
Oil pressure gauge cluster.jpg

I actually bought a new sender for that electric gauge to put in my project truck because I prefer that to sending a hose under pressure through the firewall (we have active wood rats here with a taste for rubber). If I recall correctly, the '69 went to etched glass on the panel instead of labels on the gauges, so I also got a set of '68 decals from Whitegauges to put on the face of the '69 gauge in a '68 panel. If I end up replacing the whole panel for round gauges with a tach, I may put the "kit" up for sale.

[RonHall76]

Appreciate all the input.

Will spend some time looking for the heavy duty cluster and exploring the 69/71 option.

Main concern is to have the sensors in place so I can get the engine functional to safely run in a monitored fashion. So I can move it in and out of the shop under its own power.

Re electric oil sensor -

Assumed any gauge I got would come with a sensor that matched to be installed on the engine. Think I saw a post a while back about a member wanting to add a gauge and preserve his idiot light as well. Have been giving some thought to doing the same thing. Think the suggestion was to "T" into the line. Wonder if that means to just splice in ... and how that works with the sensor?

Re ammeter -

Appreciate the feedback but it is going. Rebuilt a 72 Valiant with a 225 Slant 6 with our daughter. Drove it cross country to Carlisle for the big Mopar show. Ended up having an issue withe the ammeter gauge and had to take it out of line. Issue happened in a good spot/time. Would have been a pain if it was out on the road.

[Wildergarten]

Think I saw a post a while back about a member wanting to add a gauge and preserve his idiot light as well. Have been giving some thought to doing the same thing. Think the suggestion was to "T" into the line.

Yes, put a 1/8NPT nipple into the block and screw on a 18NPT tee. That allows one to add both the sensor and the idiot light switch into the tee. The nipple needs to be long enough to allow the gauge sender to rotate (mine was 2"). If you want that setup to take less space, you might try a couple of elbows into the tee so that the two sensors can be pointed upright. BUT, check to see if the installation vibrates. If it does, you may need a schedule 80 nipple stiff enough to dampen it.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

...That allows one to add both the sensor and the idiot light switch into the tee.....

Those are one and the same. The other line into the T is a tube that transmits oil under pressure to the pressure gauge itself.

[Wildergarten]

...That allows one to add both the sensor and the idiot light switch into the tee.....

Those are one and the same. The other line into the T is a tube that transmits oil under pressure to the pressure gauge itself.

Not with an electric gauge, which is what my '69 had in the factory dash. The idiot light switch is about an inch in diameter. The oil pressure gauge sender from my '69 is at least twice the size. I bought a spare gauge sender as a Dodge part of that vintage on eBay last year. If you want photos I'll post them.