Gauges

[COPO PETE]

I have some old SW machanical gauges, but also some old electic SW gauges. Did Yenko, Motion or anyone use the eletic type. Also a side sweep Sun tack and the starz and striped " Big Daddy "10 grand tack. Were these used at all in some of the supercars or just aftermarket stuff.
Peter

[Edited by COPO PETE (01-29-2002 at 11:08 AM).]

[whitetop]

The size of the gauge determined in many cases whether it was electrical or mechanical. The 2" are mostly electrical and the 2 5/8 are mostly mechanical but not in all cases. From what I can tell Motion used mostly Sun 2 5/8 gauges but also Stewart Warner and in some of the Vega's VDO. The '74 Phase III Camaro that was featured in many of the mags had Autometer gauges in it which were introduced in June '73-Tachs came out in '70. The sun 2/58 oil gauge is mechanical and the water takes a special elctrical sender. SW came in mechanical and electric. PXTX and Ratpack know about the SW stuff. Any input from yu guys? For tachs Motion mostly used Sun Super but also cable drive units from Moroso, Jones-Motrola and Stahl & Associates. FYI all three of these cable drive tachs were made by Jones-Motrola in Joe C's stomping grounds but Jones would put in the face plate that matched the selling dealer i.e. Moroso, Stahl etc..
Not being a Yenko expert from what I can tell mostly used Stewart Warner. Not sure of Berger etc.

The RW&B Big Daddy tachs are extremly difficult to find especially with a good cup. These came out in '70. Don't know of any dealer putting these on their cars though. A NOS one sold on ebay last year for $525. I very rarely see these tachs on cars in the old mags. I think they are more a novelty today because of the Big Daddy name and the RW&B color scheme.

The type of gauge(as well as types of mods done to your car) back then depended alot of geographics. Sun stuff was extremely popular in the northeast and midwest. Stewart Warner was stronger out west. Running gauges on the steering column in chrome cups was also a northeast/midwest thing and not as popular out west. But this is another subject for another day...
Dave









[Edited by whitetop (01-29-2002 at 03:33 PM).]

[bkhpah]

From what we have learned, Harrell was a Sun tachometer man, but would use SW for the other gauges. Just his preference...BKH

[COPO PETE]

$525.00 Man, I've got two of those. Not NOS however!!!!
Peter

[whitetop]

The used ones I have seen on ebay are going around $150-200 depending if they have a cup and not to badly faded.
Dave

[PxTx]

I've checked a 1977 Motion catalog I had handy to verify this, the Motion gauges offered in the catalog were all Sun ones. No others were listed. Oil Pressure, Fuel Pressure, and Vacuum were mechanical. the Water temp, Amps and Volts were electric. Other 2" Suns were offered, but I think they were not the ones we were concerned with.

Hope that helps some.

Paul Tholey