I'm doing an engine swap here with an old 69 Pontaic 400 motor. My main thing with this project is to make it look like it came from the factory like this....and I personally HATE the look of aftermarket gauges. I want to make all 6 gauges work like they should.....would it be possible to take the recieving part of the "new" gauges and swap the old needles and faceplate over them? Or atleast the needles, I could have a custom, original looking faceplate made up. Anyone do this before?

 

I know it's possible - I see it in magazines from time to time.

You can check out Speedhut.com All of their gauges can be 100% custom designed. They have an extensive custom process on their website but you can call them and get things changed even more so. There are at least 2 threads on TGO about them and all have had nothing but amazing things to say about them.

A new set of gauges are on the very top of my want-to-do list which includes a GPS speedo from them along with a Tach / Oil PSI custom gauge as well.

Edit: At one point I sent them an email and they said if I wanted to do exact look alikes all I had to do was send them a photo of the stock gauge that I was wanting to replace and they would make the new gauge to look EXACTLY stock for a messily $10 more.

 

Ok, well I bought and tore apart an Equus brand water temp gauge as an experiment, and they look SUPER similar. What are the chances of my original gauges using the same reference voltages as the after market ones?

 

so you want aftermarket gauges that look and work like your stock gauges... why not just use the factory gauges?

 

The gauges are ECM controlled aren't they? Or can I just use the sensors that come in an aftermarket kit and wire them up accordingly, or are the voltage signals different between the stock gauges and aftermarket ones?

My question is, overall, do I need to replace the receiving end of the gauge to make them work with my old 60's engine?

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/afte...order-led.html

 

Just put the stock senders on your engine.

 

No, not at all. I just finished pulling the last of the ECM wiring harness out of my carb converted 85 Bird. All the gauges still work. Use your stock gauges and as said above, just transplant your 1992 senders to the 1960's engine.