1953 Chevrolet Pickup - A Simple Plan

Sometimes, the simple things end up being harder to achieve than the more complex. Case in point: Instrumentation for a '47-54 Chevy pickup. With the abundance of complete aftermarket offering available, it would be much easier to replace the stock gauges with a modern setup. But not everyone wants fancy electronic gauges, and while even nostalgia-style analog units are available, not everyone wants those, either. So, what does the simple man who wants to stick with simple, stock gauges do when his simple gauges don't all work properly, or worse, at all? Simple-call Jim Carter Classic Truck Parts.

With the exception of the fuel gauge, my '53 3100 had decent instrumentation when first purchased. When the unfortunate "nut in the intake" happened, forcing the removal of the cylinder head, the delicate capillary tube was severed from its well-aged sending unit that time had welded to the head. Fortunately, this did not cause a coolant leak, but it did disable the temp gauge, putting me in the same boat as with fuel level when it came to knowing coolant status-guessing. Being the simple man in this case, I wanted to keep the stock gauges, so the search began. Knowing that a solder repair wouldn't suffice, a complete (N.O.S. and good-used) gauge cluster was looked into-pricey and hard to find.

Next, I looked for just a replacement temp gauge, but the standby search engine and eBay didn't turn much up. Eventually, a question was posted on a reliable message board-www.stovebolt.com-and wouldn't you know it, the answer had been under my nose the entire time. Jim Carter Classic Truck Parts (the same ones advertising here in this magazine!) had what I needed, and then some.

A call was put in to Mr. Carter himself to discuss the issues at hand. On top of informing me of his company's ability to rebuild mechanical gauges to factory specs, he also clued me in to the fact that he could rebuild my non-working fuel gauge, in 12V configuration, no less. Furthermore, he offered to supply me with the correct oil pressure gauge face (the existing one was for a high-pressure 216) with a matching Ammeter face, completing the required components for the restoration. All I had to do was tackle the first "R" of the R&R...Remove the old parts and ship the broken ones to Jim.

As you may have read elsewhere in this issue, taking things apart is no problem for me-it's the part about putting them back together that used to be a hindrance. These days, that can still apply to things associated with electronics, and this was no exception. Taking the stock gauge cluster out and apart was a bit of a chore, mainly because a majority of time was spent suspended upside-down with the back of my head pressed firmly against the clutch pedal (minus the rubber pad!), but it was accomplished-carefully. Anything over 50 years of age requires care when being handled, so a lot of caution was taken when the tiny screws holding the temp gauge were undone, the nuts on the back of the electrical posts were loosened, and the bezel split from the cluster housing, among many other things. Beyond that, even more delicate handling was used when the parts were packaged up for shipping.

Within a short amount of time, a package from Independence, Missouri, arrived on my doorstep. Flashbacks from my childhood immediately rushed through my head, as I was faced with the final "R"...Replacing the parts. No problem-I could always send anything I broke back to Jim Carter for subsequent repair if need be! As it turned out, the reinstallation went easier than anticipated, including the application of the new gauge faces. In the process, I learned the importance of a "light" hand when dealing with extremely fragile items like gauge pointers, tiny soldered wire connections, and hair-thin capillary tubes!

When all was said and done, I had overcome my childhood fears. With the battery reconnected, the ignition key was turned to On and, to my initial surprise, each gauge responded with a renewed energy (literally and accurately). To fully gauge my success as it were, the engine was fired and, lo and behold, the temp gauge read just what the fresh coolant was telling it to. The one and only somewhat unfortunate part was the drop in oil pressure, which actually wasn't reduced. Rather, I had been under the impression it was higher previously due to the incorrect gauge face! I could deal with that.