Converting an AMP gauge to a VOLT gauge at home?

As I showed in the article you can probably use the original face plate. It will not be reading amps but volts. You want be able to tell how much voltage though.

Well, I worked on my conversion from my original AMP gauge to an aftermarket VOLT gauge. I am posting pictures of the gauge installed into the original housing <-that I had to modify.
I removed the "aftermarket gauge Face" and drilled the "original gauge Face" so that I could use the original screws that held on the aftermarket face to the aftermarket volt gauge.
Tested after I installed and works great!... It took me about 10 hours to do this conversion.

2ND PIC

3RD PIC

4th picture

Looks good to me & in fact I'd speculate that to the untrained (non Mopar) eye they would not even suspect that it ain't OE

Thanks Robert!...

That's quite cool, thanks for sharing!

Well done! Looks really good & you'll be at ease with not having to worry about a faulty or corroded ammeter. I've done the voltmeter conversion twice & glad I did.

Thank you Tim and Buzz...

Very nice work, Gary. What brand gauge did you use?


Tim

Tim, I used a Sunpro gauge part number CP7985

Thank you!...

Did you also change the needle? usually the sunpro is red.

No I cut the needle to the same size as the originals and painted the needle the correct/matching orange.

Yea I guess that's what I should've done. i may pull mine out and redo it.

Just an FYI... The number size is 1/4" Helvetia style. for the 71-74 B-body anyway... Not sure about the E-body, I haven't done one in awhile.

Thanks, I might try painting the needle the proper color and changing the blue stripe to white, and leave the numbers as is.

Yea..Finding one with the correct undersweep is not common. The Sunpro gauge is a lot cheaper but the Smith gauge may be a better quality gauge..I am not sure.

MGB and most British sports cars used Lucas electrical components. Lucas ak The Prince of Darkness. I always carried gun *GUM* with foil wrappers to replace the popped fuses I had regularly. It would get you home, and doubled for setting timing in a pinch.

How about the Dodge pickup guys. My amp gage fried years ago before I bought the truck. The previous owner cut the wires and put in an after market gage. Works OK, but I really don't like the look. Here's a pic to let you see what I mean (you can see the after market gage lower right of the Tuff wheel spoke).

URL=http://s51.photobucket.com/user/duster416/media/myampgage0012_zps6a9bd5b0.jpg.html][/URL]

Well, I haven't converted a Dodge Truck recently. The last two that I did , I customizes the complete gauge clusters. I think yours could be done with out too much problem.

Easy one. Just go get a gage and do it. Do try and use a good gage. Also while your in there check the 5volt limiter. The newer trucks used a electronic unit, it will be mounted on the pc board. I'll bet you can find everything you need at a salvage yard. Pick up a spare Instrument panel if you can and experiment away.

To the truck guys. I run this in my Sweptline and it is working out pretty well:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Summit-Electrica...=item5b07cc5d0c

Here is my How-To text from the Sweptline site:

Ok, I struck out twice trying to locate a volt gauge that I could install in place of my AMP gauge. I normally like everything to be factory but I started wondering after my electrical melt down that took place at the end of the summer.

First I ordered an NOS gauge from an early Chevette (i know :joker ) but USPS lost it. Then I ordered a 95 Jeep piece but when it came I couldn't figure out how in the heck to hook it up or mount it.

I found this little Gem from Summit:

Here you can see where I have removed the metal face ring. AFter that I went around the glass seal (thin black metal) and pried it back with a flat screw driver (along the seam). Once I had those 2 pieces off, I un-bolted the mounting nuts from the back of the canister and slid it out. What I was left with was a bare gauge with 2 studs similar to the AMP gauge.


The face is made of thin plastic. The bulb that comes with the gauge is a push in style filament. I grabbed some green LED bulbs to use in my gauges and radio.

You will see that I test fitted it with a 68 style gauge face and then an earlier round gauge face but using the 68 housing. You could mount it lower in the housing in order to show the numbers better. At the moment I don't know if I will just cover the Summit logo or if I will use the gauge overlay to make it appear like an AMP gauge. The one small problem is going to be that it is round and the stock gauge is sqaured off. The problem will result in some of the sticker overhaning with nothing to stick to. Leaving it alone will result in a bit of air space between the outside of the gauge and the faceplate.


At the moment (untested) I have it mounted in the housing with the 2 studs. 1 will receive ground simply by being directly bolted to the housing which grounds with mounting and via a white wire that runs to the fuse block mounting screw(s). I isolated the positive side with a firewall grommet found at NAPA. Outer diameter of that grommet is 7/16" with roughly a 1/4" opening. I drilled out one of the factory AMP gauge holes and left it centered where the original gauge was.

Here is a link to the white gauge overlays (you can get any color or go black for an extra $30 ale a little pricey for "stickers"

I could get really creative and remove the plastic gauge face and replace it with the AMP gauge face but the mounting holes are slightly off so I would have to have an adapter. I thought about cutting up another gauge for the thin aluminum to use as an adapter but not thinking that I'll go that way.

I need to add pictures if anyone here is interested...

Nudder

The summit gauge next to an original AMP gauge (68 dodge truck)

Shawn it is this gauge from Autozone

Sunpro/Custom line electrical voltmeter
Product Search

Sunpro/Custom line electrical voltmeter
Not Vehicle Specific
Part Number: CP7985

Alternate Part Number: CP7985
Pick Up In Store:
Out of Stock

Features & Benefits

Sunpro Custom Line gauges feature a clean, easy-to-read look with blue line styling against the black 2 In. dial face. Monitor alternator performance and output from 8 to 18 V with the Custom Line 2 In. black dial face electric voltmeter.

Features black bezel and removable black mounting panel
Includes gauge and mounting hardware, requires hook-up wire
Designed for 12 Volt negative ground systems, and includes 12 Volt internal lighting
8 to 18 Volt, 60° sweep

Product Details
Part Number: CP7985
Weight: 0.45 lbs
Type: Voltmeter
Face: 2 in.
Size: Black Face
Bezel Color: Black
Depth (in): 3
Face Color: Black
Function: Analog
Height (in): 7
Liquid Filled: No
Measures: Volts
OEM Replacement: Yes
Pointer Color: Red
Range: 8 To 18 Volts
Sensor Type: Electric
Sweep Degree: 60
Width (in): 4.25
Writing Color: White

Thanks!!

OK, but what about '72 up?

Thanks man! I will look. It is cheap ($13.99)

I have a few things to get to this year on the car....

I just finished mine yesterday, started with a rusty oil pressure gauge, removed the faceplate, cleaned it up with muratic acid. I then drilled to match the new autometer volt meter faceplate with some trimming, painted, installed the decal and screwed it together. The hardest part was aligning the 2 faceplates to get it to drill on center and vertical. Tim