1940 ford standard and pickup Instrument cluster

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

Here are some pictures of a 1940 ford standard and pickup restored instrument cluster for the question on ammeter or battery gauge.
BILL WELLS

[scooder]

Thanks for sharing the pics Bill,
I believe that is a 40 "standard" car instrument cluster though, the pickup cluster had an amp gauge not a battery voltage gauge. Otherwise identical. At least that's what my 40 pickup cluster is like.
The battery gauge may have been an option though?
Martin.

[Cecil/WV]

My '40 truck has an ammeter and the wiring harness came set up for a volt meter. I had to make a change in the harness. I don't remember if the harness was listed for a truck or car.

[scooder]

So mine ain't the only one here. I've seen others aswell.
We have to understand that because we ain't seen something didn't meen it don't exist. I welcome learning something new everyday, and would love answers on this, if they never had amp gauges fitted in 1940, what did the clusters that look identical to the 40" standard" which would be pickup aswell, come out of with an amp gauge? Did any other vehicle use this cluster? If not, they are what they are, surely?
Really interested in real answers here.
"I've never seen it" with all respect is not proof.
Many thanks,
Martin.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

I have never seen a 40 ford standard or pickup cluster with a amp gauge? Is the amp gauge the same brown background?
Here is a picture of a 1941 ford pickup cluster than I done.
BILL

[42 1/2ton]

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Originally Posted by scooder

So mine ain't the only one here. I've seen others aswell.
We have to understand that because we ain't seen something didn't meen it don't exist. I welcome learning something new everyday, and would love answers on this, if they never had amp gauges fitted in 1940, what did the clusters that look identical to the 40" standard" which would be pickup aswell, come out of with an amp gauge? Did any other vehicle use this cluster? If not, they are what they are, surely?
Really interested in real answers here.
"I've never seen it" with all respect is not proof.
Many thanks,
Martin.

Martin, don't know if this is any of the info you are looking for but hope it helps.
The Green Bible lists these:

01A 10844-B Indicator assy. (batt charge) Pass, Comm, Trucks 1940
91A 10850 Ammeter assy. for use with 3 brush gen COE 1940
11A 10850-B Ammeter assy. Pass (replaced by 6A-10850) 1941
11C 10850-A Ammeter assy. Comm, Trucks, COE 1941-1947
6A 10850 Ammeter assy. Pass 1947-1948

Ed

[scooder]

Bill,
Yes the pickup one I have has the same colors, pattern, type face infact everything identical to your earlier picture of one of your restore 40 pickup clusters. Just the battery gauge is an amp gauge. I'll have a go at getting a picture of mine posted over the weekend.
As we both know the 41 and up cluster has completely different color, style, finish, type face. The style of the 1940 gauge faces was only used in 1940.
Martin.

[scooder]

Originally Posted by 42 1/2ton

Martin, don't know if this is any of the info you are looking for but hope it helps.
The Green Bible lists these:

01A 10844-B Indicator assy. (batt charge) Pass, Comm, Trucks 1940
91A 10850 Ammeter assy. for use with 3 brush gen COE 1940
11A 10850-B Ammeter assy. Pass (replaced by 6A-10850) 1941
11C 10850-A Ammeter assy. Comm, Trucks, COE 1941-1947
6A 10850 Ammeter assy. Pass 1947-1948

Ed

Thanks for that Ed,
That gives a battery indicator gauge fitted to all 1940 stuff, and ammeters fitted from 41 on. That lines up with what Bill has stated. But no part # for 1940 ammeter, bugger!
Ill get some pics sorted so we all can see this gauge.
Martin.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

I would be very interested in seeing the 40 ammeter gauge since I've never seen one so it will be nice to see one. I did a 1940 ford big truck cluster for a guy in Australia but it was a 41 cluster with the ammeter so it must have been a very late 1940.
BILL

[Cecil/WV]

I must respond with the info that mine was probably concocted from a variety of parts before I bought it in 1981 and it did have '41 badges on the side of the hood so my cluster may be '41. I need to look more carefully tomorrow.

[Floyd]

40 and 41 are way different. Graphics are different and voltmeter (battery condition) versus ammeter. also 4 speed had different speedo markings.
Floyd

[scooder]

Floyd, gonna get a pic of my 1940 cluster with its ammeter gauge on here tomorrow.
Martin.

[Roger/Sacramento]

The cluster in my 41 pickup has a cluster like the one shown. It came out of a standard 40 coupe. Has the voltage gauge.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

Here is a picture of a 1941-47 ford 3/4 ton and up cluster I done for a guy in New Zealand. Floyd mentioned the speedo markings,the speedo markings are shift points.
The 1941 for cluster actually has a 0-20-50 oil gauge and the 1942-47 had a 0-30-80 oil pressure gauge.
BILL

[scooder]

Right guys, Here is (should be I hope) pics of my odd fellow.
The cluster shown here came to me many years back in a pile of parts I purchased.
As you can see, same colors and type face and everything. they are the best i can do at the mo, pictures taken with my phone. Also had to learn how to resize these pics using windows 10! hours of fun!!
hope it works.

Theres a pic of the ammeter removed from the cluster and one with it in, and one of the other side of the cluster, so you can see the matching components.

Martin.

[scooder]

Bill,
Re the 41-47 Pickup gauges. I have to restore the cluster for my 42 pickup, I have seen decal sets to sort the faces but only with the 50 lb oil gauge. Like you said above, the 42 had an 80 lb oil gauge. Do you sell a decal kit for the 42?
Many Thanks,
Martin.

[Cecil/WV]

My '40 pickup has the speedometer and gauges like shown in post #1 and the gold face plate like is shown in post #5 and it has the ammeter. I thought I posted this already, but I don't know where it went.

[scooder]

Cecil,
That sounds like it had the same ammeter as mine? That be right?
Martin.

[Cecil/WV]

I need to get the pic from my phone to my computer. My ammeter has a dark background and has "amp' with DIS and CHG above each marker on each side and is red letters highlighted with white around the outside.

[Cecil/WV]

Hopefully

[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