A Five Gauge Set Returned to German Market Specification
A full five gauge set came in from a car being restored properly. The instruments were in generally reasonable condition, but reasonable was not the brief. The customer asked for a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration, which on a car this rare means every instrument comes apart to the last screw.
The job had a second half that most sets do not. This was originally a German market car, so the set went back to the specification it left the factory with. That is not a dial swap. The speedometer had to be converted to kilometers, the gearing had to match, and every face in the set had to be rescreened to Euro scale.
The Speedometer
The mechanical movement was serviced, the gearing cleaned, the gears replaced and a new hairspring installed, then the whole thing calibrated to the kilometer ratio. The pot metal frame was serviced, the magnet shaft polished, the movement lubricated and the pointer painted. The odometer was cleaned and the red and white trip wheel replaced. It was set to zero, because the car was getting a new engine. A 300 kilometer offset face went in, and the indicator lenses were replaced. The case was zinc plated.
The Clock
It came in with the original electromechanical movement, which was replaced with a new VDO quartz movement. The pointers were painted, the plastic housing cleaned, and a new clock decal fitted.
That last part is a detail almost everybody skips. The old white plastic clock housings carry a decal, and leaving the original tired one in place is not a full restoration, so we make sure to be as close to perfect on every last detail. We print our own and put a fresh one back on.
The Combination Gauges
The temperature and pressure gauge coils were cleaned and calibrated, as were the fuel and oil level coils. The combination gauge plates were media blasted and clear coated, the pointers painted, new Euro scale dial faces installed, and the cases zinc plated.
The Faces
Every dial face in the set was rescreened to Euro specification: the 300 kilometer offset speedometer, an 8,000 RPM tachometer face with the redline at 7,200 to 7,400, a 150 degree Celsius temperature scale and a 10 bar Oel Druck scale.
Finishing and Hardware
Lens retaining rings painted, inner bezels powder coated, new plastic clock lenses fabricated, rally hand painted, black knob painted, new bezels crimped on, rubber gaskets cleaned and the cases ink stamped. The odometer reset cable was cleaned, the missing hardware completed with a new chrome nut and washer, and a new black trip odometer reset knob supplied.
One Thing We Do to Every Case
The inside of every instrument case that leaves this shop is painted white. Not for looks, since nobody will ever see it. A white interior reflects the bulb light back through the dial, and a gauge with a bare metal inside is a gauge that reads dim at night no matter how good the face is.
This is one of the jobs that has come through our bench. More on how we approach this work: restoration, repairs and customization. You can also see more of our Porsche instrument work, or send us an inquiry about your own gauges.