Cleaning and converting your classic car gauges from 6 volts to 12 volts; Shoebox Ford Ep15
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Are you looking to update your vintage gauges? Going from 6v to 12v? Desperately need a cleaning?
Well today we go over how Dad Mods tore down some 70+ year old gauges from a shoebox Ford.
We cleaned them, redid the wiring for the lighting sockets, modified the housing for brighter light, and installed voltage reducers so we could keep the vintage instruments working.
A few of the products we used to accomplish these tasks are:
Super Clean (contributor to the show, and makes killer cleaning products): superclean.com...
Superclean degreaser: amzn.to/3BCbvp4
Instrument cluster light bulbs used: 1893 - amzn.to/3fbCgJB
12v to 6v voltage reducers: amzn.to/3xJVtbA
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What I use to film my videos:
Cameras:
Sony A6600: amzn.to/3dwB0QG
Sony A6000: amzn.to/3dzODic
Lenses:
Sigma 16mm prime: amzn.to/3BxFFtL
25mm prime: amzn.to/3UsX13y
Kit lens: amzn.to/3BDs7N9
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I really liked your videos. I learned to drive a 1949 Ford from my father, just like yours, in 1962, when I was 11 years old, in the city of São Paulo in Brazil. Today I am 71 years old, but I remember very well the jet cars near the windows in the doors! Also remember the old tube radio and the Ford emblem in the center of the steering wheel! Greetings from Portugal!
Thank you very much. It seems many people have fond memories of these cars from their youth. I'm hoping to instill those same memories in my kids. Appreciate your kind words, please take care!
Great video gents. I did the same to my 55 ford cluster but I can’t stress enough to use the shrink wrap all the way up the connector otherwise the spring will ground out on the wire! 👍🏽
You are a 100% right about that! You're just asking for blown fuses if you don't shield those wires appropriately.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I love the shoebox build series. This video will definitely come in handy when I rewire my 51. Thanks guys for great content you put out.
Glad the videos are helpful! That's the goal 🤘
That's not an oil dummy light, that's your high beam indicator.
Ah ok, thanks for the correction. I guess I never actually flipped on the brights then to notice. haha
This video is so good for me to watch. I got a 51 yesterday stedo and all rest no working. It was changed to 12 v the radio and clock also not working.
It's a shame how many of these clocks aren't working, they're so damn cool but never work.
Hopefully you can do a voltage reducer and get those working
I guess mama never taught you about using vinegar and newspaper to clean glass, those red rags are literally made of lent, btw a defuser spreads the light.
Vinegar and newspaper? That's news to us! Funny thing is now I have to try and locate a newspaper... they even make those anymore 😆
Thanks for the suggestion man!
Great Job. Thank you for sheering.
You're welcome! Hope it was helpful
Just curious , what did you do with the fuel sending unit ? I get the gauge hasxa reducer , but the sending unit in the tank ?
you guys have been a great help with my 51. I have another issue, i’m keeping the stock blower motor for the heat/defrost. It is a 2 speed motor, so should i take the motor ground and make it a positive fused feed and use the switch that has the connection for the 2 speed feed and ground the switch. I would be useing the switch to activate the motor by grounding the corrrect speed when I turn the power on to the original ground on the motor. Al
That's a very good question Al. I'm running a modern 12v heater matrix by Vintage Air so I actually haven't had to deal with that.
I want to say there was a modern blower motor people retrofit into the factory housing but I can't recall which one that was.
And great to hear the channel is been so helpful! That's the goal 🙂
There is no need to convert to 12 volts. Just use the correct 1 gauge battery cables and a group 2 or larger battery. You can use an 8 volt battery if you want, just re-adjust the voltage regulator.
Very interesting idea! So this is great feedback for someone wishing to keep the original 6v in the car!
So 8 volts is actually safe for original equipment?
@@DadModsMedia yup, perfectly safe.
I have to assume that helps with the ignition too. Little bump in voltage must give you a stronger spark.
Your videos are so cool. But it saddens me that you removed all the radium paint on them. I'm trying to restore mine to work as it should.
Hey Andreas, I totally respect that feedback! I would love to have seen what the gauges were like back in the day when they would have worked at their full potential.
I'd love to hear how you plan to restore your gauges maintaining the original radium paint!
I'm rewiring a 6 volt positive ground to 12 volt negative ground. Can I use one 12 volt to 6 volt resister for the fuel, voltage and oil gauges or does each gauge require a resister?
Also, I have a 51 ford standard transmission. I have access to a 50 ford and a 50 merc transmission with overdrive. Can I remove the overdrive on either the 50 ford or the 50 merc and install it onto my 51 ford transmission? If not, will the merc transmission fit into my 51 ford without any modification?
Hi Al, hope our video is proving helpful! As for the voltage reducers, we used individual reducers for each gauge. All of our research indicated a need to run one for each.
I don't know enough about the overdrive units to know which ones fit which transmissions. I would think that you could fit them if the manual transmissions are the same but I am not positive on that one.
What connectors did you use for this set up
Sorry for the delayed response. These connectors are called "Weatherpacks". They are an OEM GM style connector.
Here's a link to some: amzn.to/3Vsu2hj
Used the original senders off the flathead and adapters to fit the ls motor?
Yup that's one way, and probably the easiest way to do it.
Nice fellas. What size are the gauges themselves? I wonder if it would be possible to put a voltmeter in place of the ammeter?
That's an excellent question. I did not measure the 4 small guages but if you look at the backside of the gauges you will see they aren't perfectly round so fitting a round voltmeter gauge may be possible but I can't say for certain. But hey, with enough modifications most anything is possible.
@@DadModsMedia
Valid point my friend. They almost look like 2 -1/16th inch gauges in your hand. I think were going to find out when I pull mine.
Yeah it's worth a try anyway. If you could retrofit that would be a game changer
@@DadModsMedia
It sure would! I'm uploading my 1st video on the car right now and it shows some of the headlight wiring that's frayed with no insulation so the rewire is definitely happening
@@ninja63639 Oh boy, that sounds awfully familiar to what I discovered too haha. These poor old cars always have the sketchiest wiring.
Stoked to see the new ride man!
With the reducer you are using do you have to run 1 for each gauge? the other style makes sense why u would need 3 since they are bolted to the back.
It has to do with the voltage load from the gauges. I decided to over-engineer my setup and just run independent reducers for each. It may be possible to run all 3 from one but I haven't tested enough to see whether that is possible.
If someone was to find it's possible to run this style of reducer on all 3 that would save everyone some money for sure!
@DadModsMedia okay, I'm doing my 51 gauges right now and I bought the fuse style but they won't work. My pods are slightly angled and not enough room. So I was curious best way to do it.
Why not run 12v blubs in the lighting circuit and use LEDs?
It has 12v incandescent bulbs in it. I went incandescent because LEDs are too bright in my opinion. I have some, just chose to toss the standards in and was very pleased with the look.
P am the too too still in
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