Discussion
A comment from someone who has built quite a few kit cars....
It's actually amazing what range of senders there are, so there will be a Smiths compatible one out there somewhere, both fuel and temp. It is however sometimes a real quest to find the right one.
I used sets of Smiths gauges retrived from Triumphs (saloons and Dolomites) often, and found that they do work well.
I also used Smiths gauges with Ford engines, using a Triumph 2000 mk1 (I think) sender, which fits in Ford block.
I think that the fuel sender in my wedge (2.8, SW instruments) will work with a 'standard' Smiths fuel gauge, from checking its resistance when I repaired it, but don't know if all versions will. The temp gauge for my SW gauge appears to be different to the Smiths and Ford standards.
If using Smiths from Triumphs and BL, then you most likely WILL need a voltage regulator, as they are set for 10 volts. Ford standard gauges are 5 volts.
If you're really sneaky, you can fiddle with the supply volts, put resistors in series or parallel with the gauge and so on to trim the readings...an electronic voltage regulator costs pennies/cents to make, and can have one for each gauge.
Smiths Tachos often have a adjuster inside (a variable resistor), which can cover the range from 4 to 8 cylinders, so even an original 4 cyl tacho is OK.
Smiths speedos used to have their turns per mile printed on the edge of the fascia, the Ford standard was 1000 turns per mile, many BL cars were 1000, not sure about V8 wedges, but my 2.8 has "1000" written on outside body of my SW speedo, which I think is not just a coincidence.
It's actually amazing what range of senders there are, so there will be a Smiths compatible one out there somewhere, both fuel and temp. It is however sometimes a real quest to find the right one.
I used sets of Smiths gauges retrived from Triumphs (saloons and Dolomites) often, and found that they do work well.
I also used Smiths gauges with Ford engines, using a Triumph 2000 mk1 (I think) sender, which fits in Ford block.
I think that the fuel sender in my wedge (2.8, SW instruments) will work with a 'standard' Smiths fuel gauge, from checking its resistance when I repaired it, but don't know if all versions will. The temp gauge for my SW gauge appears to be different to the Smiths and Ford standards.
If using Smiths from Triumphs and BL, then you most likely WILL need a voltage regulator, as they are set for 10 volts. Ford standard gauges are 5 volts.
If you're really sneaky, you can fiddle with the supply volts, put resistors in series or parallel with the gauge and so on to trim the readings...an electronic voltage regulator costs pennies/cents to make, and can have one for each gauge.
Smiths Tachos often have a adjuster inside (a variable resistor), which can cover the range from 4 to 8 cylinders, so even an original 4 cyl tacho is OK.
Smiths speedos used to have their turns per mile printed on the edge of the fascia, the Ford standard was 1000 turns per mile, many BL cars were 1000, not sure about V8 wedges, but my 2.8 has "1000" written on outside body of my SW speedo, which I think is not just a coincidence.
RCK974X said:
A comment from someone who has built quite a few kit cars....
It's actually amazing what range of senders there are, so there will be a Smiths compatible one out there somewhere, both fuel and temp. It is however sometimes a real quest to find the right one.
I used sets of Smiths gauges retrived from Triumphs (saloons and Dolomites) often, and found that they do work well.
I also used Smiths gauges with Ford engines, using a Triumph 2000 mk1 (I think) sender, which fits in Ford block.
I think that the fuel sender in my wedge (2.8, SW instruments) will work with a 'standard' Smiths fuel gauge, from checking its resistance when I repaired it, but don't know if all versions will. The temp gauge for my SW gauge appears to be different to the Smiths and Ford standards.
If using Smiths from Triumphs and BL, then you most likely WILL need a voltage regulator, as they are set for 10 volts. Ford standard gauges are 5 volts.
If you're really sneaky, you can fiddle with the supply volts, put resistors in series or parallel with the gauge and so on to trim the readings...an electronic voltage regulator costs pennies/cents to make, and can have one for each gauge.
Smiths Tachos often have a adjuster inside (a variable resistor), which can cover the range from 4 to 8 cylinders, so even an original 4 cyl tacho is OK.
Smiths speedos used to have their turns per mile printed on the edge of the fascia, the Ford standard was 1000 turns per mile, many BL cars were 1000, not sure about V8 wedges, but my 2.8 has "1000" written on outside body of my SW speedo, which I think is not just a coincidence.
Thanks Andy....,hmmm think I'll just get my existing ones looking better, sounds like I could be opening a can of worms!
:/
It's actually amazing what range of senders there are, so there will be a Smiths compatible one out there somewhere, both fuel and temp. It is however sometimes a real quest to find the right one.
I used sets of Smiths gauges retrived from Triumphs (saloons and Dolomites) often, and found that they do work well.
I also used Smiths gauges with Ford engines, using a Triumph 2000 mk1 (I think) sender, which fits in Ford block.
I think that the fuel sender in my wedge (2.8, SW instruments) will work with a 'standard' Smiths fuel gauge, from checking its resistance when I repaired it, but don't know if all versions will. The temp gauge for my SW gauge appears to be different to the Smiths and Ford standards.
If using Smiths from Triumphs and BL, then you most likely WILL need a voltage regulator, as they are set for 10 volts. Ford standard gauges are 5 volts.
If you're really sneaky, you can fiddle with the supply volts, put resistors in series or parallel with the gauge and so on to trim the readings...an electronic voltage regulator costs pennies/cents to make, and can have one for each gauge.
Smiths Tachos often have a adjuster inside (a variable resistor), which can cover the range from 4 to 8 cylinders, so even an original 4 cyl tacho is OK.
Smiths speedos used to have their turns per mile printed on the edge of the fascia, the Ford standard was 1000 turns per mile, many BL cars were 1000, not sure about V8 wedges, but my 2.8 has "1000" written on outside body of my SW speedo, which I think is not just a coincidence.
Thanks Andy....,hmmm think I'll just get my existing ones looking better, sounds like I could be opening a can of worms!
:/
RCK974X said:
Fair enough, I just added that info to show it's do-able !!
Personally I hate my SW gauges, and much prefer the Smiths layout, so changing guages is on my "might do" list...
Yeah I'm the same, got a thing for Smiths clocks. Personally I hate my SW gauges, and much prefer the Smiths layout, so changing guages is on my "might do" list...
I like the fact that use em in Minis and Astons
Almost a Classless clock!
I May have a go, when I've got the other billion things out the way!
RCK974X said:
Yeah, I *really* like the 70's Triumph saloon look, I though they were truly beautiful with the wood dash.
But hey, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as they say.
Yeah my Bro had a Dolomite Sprint, always liked that segment dial that lit up different colours.But hey, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as they say.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing!
TVRIK said:
Yeah my Bro had a Dolomite Sprint, always liked that segment dial that lit up different colours.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing!
Yep, Nice.Nostalgia is a powerful thing!
Just a pity about the dodgy engine design, and even worse cooling system. Had a friend who bought one and within a month had to have the head off and skimmed after overheating, and he replaced the rad with a much bigger one, got high spec head gasket, which seemed to work, for a while at least.... He was always saying/wondering if he could squeeze a 2500 straight six in there....
I switched my fuel gauge yesterday, with a Smiths, it works, but not reading wright, it's saying about an 1/8 full but there is at least £25.00id juice in..
So may have to start looking at senders.
To be fair the original VDO gauge says I have a quarter if a tank and it's empty, so that's never worked right anyway!
The other thing, I don't get, the Smiths oil pressure,it just has the one connection, no wires, but my existing has normal spade connector wires??
Rik
So may have to start looking at senders.
To be fair the original VDO gauge says I have a quarter if a tank and it's empty, so that's never worked right anyway!
The other thing, I don't get, the Smiths oil pressure,it just has the one connection, no wires, but my existing has normal spade connector wires??
Rik
Edited by TVRIK on Sunday 1st June 09:53
TVRIK said:
I switched my fuel gauge yesterday, with a Smiths, it works, but not reading wright, it's saying about an 1/8 full but there is at least £25.00id juice in.. <snip>
The other thing, I don't get, the Smiths oil pressure,it just has the one connection, no wires, but my existing has normal spade connector wires??
Rik
The Smiths gauges are 'hotwire' deisgn, so the sender does not work linearly in the first place, so swopping to toher gauges may result in odd effects, like for example new one reads OK near full, but hopeless at near empty (or the other way round). It's down to collecting more data about the sender to be sure what to do.The other thing, I don't get, the Smiths oil pressure,it just has the one connection, no wires, but my existing has normal spade connector wires??
Rik
Oil gauge - may be silly to say, but just in case - a lot of Smiths oil gauges had a pipe connection, and work by actual oil pressure from the block...it might be one of those ?
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