Dash gauge cluster

[Tailgater]

Here is a great post on dash gauges then I have a questionafter:

There are 4 studs built into the dashboard that the gauges slide onto. The large round gauge body has 4 tabs with holes that slip onto the studs and they are held on by nuts and lock washers. If memory serves they are 3/8" nuts. You need to disconnect the battery first to avoid sparking the ammeter contacts to other metal behind the gauges. Then take off the nuts. Carefully slide the gauge cluster back off the studs. You need to pay attention because the oil pressure gauge actually uses a small piece of capillary tubing with engine oil in it that is connected to the oil pressure gauge. You can remove this line from the gauge and wrap it in a small rag of paper towel to catch any oil that drips but don't run the engine with this disconnected unless you want your shoes oiled. Also, pay close attention to the temp gauge sender line. It looks like a piece of bare copper wire, but it isn't. It is a special capillary line tat runs to the sender unit that mounts in the block. You need to remove it from the block and carefully feed it through the firewall feedthrough without kinking the line or it will be toast. I had to remove the metal cover over the firewall holder (2 screws is all). The rubber grommet for the feedthrough is slotted to allow removal of the oil pressure line and the temperature lines. You can then disconnect the gas gauge wires and label them so you know what goes on what terminal. Same for the ammeter. If you look close you will see that the wire terminals that go on the meter studs are two different sizes (at least they were on mine) so you can see which goes on which terminal. Then you can remove the gauge cluster with the temperature gauge attached. It is OK to wrap the temp sender line in a circular pattern as long as the turns are fairly large to avoid kinking it. One it is out, you will see three or four places where the chrome ring is crimped over the metal housing. Use a pair of flat nosed pliers to uncrimp and the ring and glass will come off. the you can remove the individual gauges to service or store.
I hope that helps.
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Bossman...

I have taken parts of several trucks over the years and lost track of what I took from which. Now, as I try to put my instrument cluster in my 47 truck I find that the tabs on the cluster housing do not line up with the studs that they are suppose to line up to. The speedometer cluster lines up perfectly but the insturment cluster bottom tabs are way too far apart for the studs. To confuse matters further, I have a second speedometer housing that also has the tabs further apart than the one I used. So, am I right in assuming that I have collected a housing from a later model? Enlighten me, please.

 

[vwnate1]

Interesting ;

I have lots of old junky gauge clusters and they all interchange but you may have a '54 cluster there or one from a Dubble-Dutti van (P-van , forward control like a bread truck) as they used similar gauge clusters except they were 12 volts from 1955 onwards....

As it turns out , the '47 gauges had shorter needles and were painted red to boot , this made them harder to read at night so GM dropped that pretty quick .


Most of that you quoted looked pretty familiar to me....