Smiths gauges fitting/installation...

One of the most useful gauges I used to fit back in the day was a vacuum gauge. It was a must have gauge. Now the voltmeter is the must have one for me.

Yeah... I fitted a vacuum gauge to a 'D reg' Austin 1100 back in 1971. It helped to understand petrol consumption as you drove. Watched it more than the road at times...

The volt meter for me too is important,, so is the water temp gauge gets over 40 degrees here in mid summer and the oil pressure gauge gives a good indication of health of engine and the clocks for a bit of bling, and tells the time too, Brilliant...

I fitted a vacuum gauge to my spitfire. It either read massive vacuum when I didn't touch the pedal (I fitted solid butterflys, threw away the spring valves) or zero when I did.

Most useful extra is an external temperature gauge, I reckon I could get by with just the rev counter and temperature gauge tbh, I suppose the speedo is useful though

facade wrote:
Most useful extra is an external temperature gauge,

Ah yes, for some reason I can't live without one. I fitted one of those household ones with a sensor that sits outside to my Rav and also my Jimny but thankfully my Junior and Paj 2.5 have them already................. and a compass.

I craved for a Spit when I was 14-15 until I had a ride in one, a friends Spit, it was like laying on my back in bed looking at my feet and feeling every bump and stone on the road. He drove it either acc down or brake down, nearly broke my neck. He had a teak dashboard fitted cut down from a g-plan side board had every gauge you could think of, all Smiths clocks it was quite a sight too, like a flight cockpit..

I bought a smooth 1100 with hydrolastic suspension, in a sit up style, much more comfortable after passing my test....

The car I learned to drive with was a '62 Ford Anglia with pop rivets everywhere and holes in the floor as big as your fist. Cost me £8.00 with six month test on it and 4 months mot... Scraped it when mot failed it on everything except the horn...

BGBrit (Tony)