RMCHRGR I noticed you mentioned leaving the amp gauge in, wanted to let you know recently I purchased a volt meter and took it apart placed the workings in place of my amp gauge and it was able to fit and be covered by original gauge lens so on, really only thing you can see dif is some blue print on new gauge other than that looks clean I'll post a pic soon just to give ya another project to do...
Thanks for the tip, I've seen that done. Everything seems to be working OK right now so I probably won't bother with it unless there is an issue. If something does come up, I will bypass the thing altogether and be done with it.
The main reason the ammeter can fail is unwanted resistance in the wiring, especially in the bulkhead connections. Once they corrode and/or pull apart, it's just a matter of time. I relocated the red wire out of the bulkhead and routed it through a hole in the firewall with a rubber grommet. It's long enough that it reaches the starter relay from the post on the back of the gauge. I used factory connectors with the fusible link. Should be OK for the foreseeable future. The B+ wire from the alternator is brand new so hopefully there won't be any issues with that side either. The gauge itself appeared pretty clean so back in it went.
Found a a small leak in the rear brake line so I have to fix that before I take it back for inspection. Drove it around a little this AM and everything else seems hunky-dory.
Next little project is an air fuel gauge and a small tach. I took out the radio so there is a big hole in the dash where I plan to put some gauges. A voltmeter might be good there too. Perhaps after the holidays...
