Pre-cat Stewart Warner Gauges

[cavebloke]

Hi,
Does anyone know how the bezels come off the black rimmed Stewart Warner Gauges you find on some pre-cats? Image of oil pressure gauge below. I want to recondition the matt black finish which has some chips on all the gauges before I fit one of Pete's dashes.
Cheers,
Simon

[MPO]

Not sure, but it may be a good opportunity to look at what Barreti did to his original dials.

They do buff up quite well with the paint gently removed. I think they are Stainless Steel underneath.

I’m sure he will post a picture.

MPO

[hillclimbmanic]

They are crimped on...I gently un-crimped them with a small screwdriver, then polished the bezel, and cleaned inside the glass, which had condensation stains on some of them.!!



Satin finish...Not the best photo, sorry.!

Edited by hillclimbmanic on Tuesday 16th August 22:13

[cavebloke]

hillclimbmanic said:

They are crimped on...I gently un-crimped them with a small screwdriver

Is there a good approach to the uncrimping and recrimping? I'm a bit terrified of damaging them.
Cheers,
Simon

[PeteGriff]

cavebloke said:

Hi,
Does anyone know how the bezels come off the black rimmed Stewart Warner Gauges you find on some pre-cats? Image of oil pressure gauge below. I want to recondition the matt black finish which has some chips on all the gauges before I fit one of Pete's dashes.
Cheers,
Simon

Hi Simon,

I had a couple of gauges with chips like yours, so when I fitted my 'new' dash I just carefully cleaned them and used a permanent marker pen several times over the chips to cover them up. It might pay to very carefully abrade the chips with say 800/1000G abrasive paper to blend the edges (I did that), and then use the marker pen. Best get a new one so as to guarantee a solid dense black. Also pays to clean them up thoroughly with say some Iso-Propyl Alcohol (what they use in spectacle cleaners), its very good at removing dirt and grease without affecting painted surfaces. As I said it worked very well for me, and to be honest you do not notice it especially as in a Precat they are recessed! Regards, Pete

[Wildfire]

I'm going to have a look at this if I ever get a chance. I'm more disappointed with the attachment method that seems to be some zig zag shaped pieces of metal epoxy glued on to the dash!

[cavebloke]

PeteGriff said:

Hi Simon,

I had a couple of gauges with chips like yours, so when I fitted my 'new' dash I just carefully cleaned them and used a permanent marker pen several times over the chips to cover them up. It might pay to very carefully abrade the chips with say 800/1000G abrasive paper to blend the edges (I did that), and then use the marker pen. Best get a new one so as to guarantee a solid dense black. Also pays to clean them up thoroughly with say some Iso-Propyl Alcohol (what they use in spectacle cleaners), its very good at removing dirt and grease without affecting painted surfaces. As I said it worked very well for me, and to be honest you do not notice it especially as in a Precat they are recessed! Regards, Pete

Hi Pete,
If I'm honest, I'm itching to test my new Iwata Revolution airbrush on the dial bezels. Hopefully I can get a perfect satin black OEM finish. I got cocky last night and uncrimped all the bezels from the small gauges which wasn't too stressful. Having done it, what concerns me is getting a neat finish when I refit the bezels as this will be important for proper seating in your shiny new dash that awaits them. Hopefully it will all look perfect when I've worked out a good approach.
Cheers,
Simon

Wildfire said:

I'm going to have a look at this if I ever get a chance. I'm more disappointed with the attachment method that seems to be some zig zag shaped pieces of metal epoxy glued on to the dash!

The most irritating part of the crummy TVR method for securuing the gauges is that there was epoxy all over the bezels of some of my gauges making them extremely difficult to remove. There's always some surprise challenge when you try to restore something!
At least Pete has resolved this in his new dash design!
Simon

[PeteGriff]

Hi Simon, sounds very professional with your airbrush! Thats a great approach and will loo great if carried out as you intend. My only worry would be the careful crimping up of the bezels back on the gauge body, trying to get a flush finish and not damage the 'new' paint! Let me know how you get on? I think a small custom jig is called for that holds the gauge and bezel with a ring that fits over the body and clamps the tabs all back evenly! Could all be laser cut! Can I see another project coming on!! Pete

[hillclimbmanic]

As you've probably found out, Simon, all you do is gently prise open the crimp, a screwdriver blade's width at a time, until you are able to slide the bezel over the housing...reversal of procedure, to re-fasten.!

Paul