1940 ford standard and pickup Instrument cluster

[scooder]

Ah,
What you got there is a 1941 cluster with a 40 speedometer installed.
Thanks for pic,
Martin.

[Cecil/WV]

I could tell by the different background colors that it was a mismatch. Works for me! As I said earlier, the whole truck was a mismatch. It had '40 trim on the center of the hood. '41 badges on the sides and dash, '40 car frame, etc. I corrected a lot of stuff.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

Thanks for the pictures scooder and Cecil/WV. As for what Martin said about the standard 40 speedometer in the 41 pickup cluster is right. And the pictures from scooder are very interesting, it appears that the amp meter face matches the other 40 faces, this is the first one I have seen and I have redone over 180 speedometers and instrument clusters. I'm guessing that ole Henry Ford had a few 40 pickups-trucks late in 40 that was at the end of the production and was working on the 41's and run out of battery gauges so he had one of his suppliers make some amp gauge faces to match the 40? The 1941 pickups and trucks had the stainless outside bezel and then starting in 1942 the bezels were painted. Also yes scooder I do have the decal sets for the 42-47 ford pickups with the 0-30-80 oil pressure, I also have the odometer numbers for all three of the speedometers. Waltham, Stewart Warner and the King Seeley.
Here is a 1941 pickup that I just recently done. [email protected]
BILL

[JonC]

My 40 pickup has the same gauge cluster as the first post, foe what it's worth, I had my battery gauge changed to a ampmeter.

[42 1/2ton]

Originally Posted by bobwellsnoveltyshop

Thanks for the pictures scooder and Cecil/WV. As for what Martin said about the standard 40 speedometer in the 41 pickup cluster is right. And the pictures from scooder are very interesting, it appears that the amp meter face matches the other 40 faces, this is the first one I have seen and I have redone over 180 speedometers and instrument clusters. I'm guessing that ole Henry Ford had a few 40 pickups-trucks late in 40 that was at the end of the production and was working on the 41's and run out of battery gauges so he had one of his suppliers make some amp gauge faces to match the 40? The 1941 pickups and trucks had the stainless outside bezel and then starting in 1942 the bezels were painted. Also yes scooder I do have the decal sets for the 42-47 ford pickups with the 0-30-80 oil pressure, I also have the odometer numbers for all three of the speedometers. Waltham, Stewart Warner and the King Seeley.
Here is a 1941 pickup that I just recently done. [email protected]
BILL

Bill, I have a 1942 complete gauge cluster and it has the chrome bezel and a 50lb. oil gauge. Both of my Ford parts books show a 11C-9273A oil pressure gauge dash unit. I also have that gauge in NOS that is still in the original box and it is a 50 lb. gauge.
The parts books show this for 1941 and 1942 and then they show a 41C-9273 80 lb. gauge with 41A-9278 80 lb. sending unit for 1944-1947 in the Commercials and Trucks.
In the shop manual it shows 30 lbs. oil pressure in 1942 and 50 lbs. pressure in post war commercial and trucks.
This is the info I have and if any of it is incorrect please let me know because I am always learning something new.
Ed

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

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Hi Ed, What you have is a 1941 cluster (unless it was a late production)


, the 41 had the stainless bezel and the 50lb oil pressure gauge, starting in 1942-43 production the bezels were painted and had the 80 lb. oil pressure gauge. So there probably a few 42's from the carryover having the stainless bezel and the 50 lb. oil pressure gauge. The shop manual may state that the running engine has that pressure showing on the gauges.
I'm not an expert but over the last 10 years I have seen and restored and custom built over 160 of these clusters, so what I quote someone may disbute.
I hope this will help.
BILL WELLS

[Fritz]

Great thread! I’m trying to evaluate my gauges too and found this thread on a search.

Bill, I have a 41 half-ton pickup and it had a 40 gauge cluster in it when I bought it. (I swapped in the 41 style ammeter from the 40 Batt gauge when I rewired it with a new 41 harness.)

I have two questions. Is that brown face plate something you’ve seen before, or did someone likely paint it?

Also, the gauges have brackets behind the terminal plates that push the gauges forward in the housing. Is that normal? At night, the gauges are so far forward, the backlight doesn’t illuminate the gauges.

Here is a picture of the bracket of the 40 gauges I have and a picture of a 41 style gauge with the bracket that’s flatter. The flatter bracket lets the gauges be illuminated much better in my gauge housing.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

Hi, the inner faceplate has been painted brown, original inner faceplates are like the ones I posted for the 40 and 41 clusters I have done and the reason behind the gauges are they warp over time with heat and dampness so that is why the gauge is so forward, it should be flat so that it doesn't go so far out and be so close or toughing the inner faceplate and or the glass.
BILL WELLS

[Fritz]

Ok, very interesting. Thank you