Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

[Vintage Merlot]

What if you could get rid of three of your Tbird warning lights and have real gauges. Which gauges would you choose?

[Lonestar]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

oil pressure, oil temp, transmission temp (this assumes the coolant temp stays).

[2k03birdman]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

oil pressure, volts, fuel pressure

[PaulD]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

Oil pressure is an obvious choice. Not sure what else you would add for todays cars. Maybe vacuum? Voltage would be a good item in the old days with a generator but not sure it would be much value today unless you added a turbo and checked on the boost.
Check with Borla Babe. I think I saw pictures in her gallery that showed she had 3 gages mounted at the bottom of the center consol.

[V8 Cat]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

I would like to have another couple for sure - oil pressure, and volts I guess. Some cars/trucks still have these. I would like them for nostalgia if nothing else. The Jag has these, but they have done away with them on the newer ones. Some people have complained that the Jaguar gauges are set to read in the normal (middle) position and that slight fluctuations in the oil pressure or volts are not even shown. The rational behind this is they did not want "worry warts" bothering the service department about fluctuations that happened in normal operation. My point is they look pretty, but they are somewhat worthless as they only read in the danger zone when something has already gone badly.

[Chuck]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

oil pressure, volts, oil temp - where would they go?

[Kokomo]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

Anyone who has ever had their bird overheat knows that the existing coolant temperature gauge is not a true temperature reading. I have watched it be normal one minute and then instantly peg out at the same time the engine went into limp mode. Pull off the road, stop the engine and restart immediately and the gauge read normal again. That happened to me more than once in my 2002 until I figured out that there was an air pocket in the system that needed to be burped.

I would like a REAL temperature guage too.

[JAB02LHS]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?



This is for a Mustang but a stereo shop can fab one for any car.

[Ray]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

I wish Ford would have designed the cluster like the '57, and used real gauges. I've seen cars with after market real gauges placed on the driver's side windshield pillar, but I'm not sure I'd like it on the Bird. Hmmm, I wonder if there's a way to replace my instrument cluster with a modified 57 one.....

[Sealy]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

I wish Ford would have designed the cluster like the '57, and used real gauges.

Jeeze - Ford didn't even bother to design a cluster for the Bird. They just lifted it out of the LS. At least mines a little spiffy with the parchment color (colour). Other than that, if it cost extra, they didn't consider it.

[Rondor]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

I'd rather see a systems code interpitor to match all the computer tech. in the car. I am not sure there are any cacuum stuff left. My benz has all vacuum and is a nightmare.. Ford using L.S cluster is like Benz $65K roadster having $ 10.00 seats. They all do that stuff The quality over all is much better in my Bird

[Gobird]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

Yes, I would like to see some of these. But most people have no idea what these numbers mean to start with unless they are gear heads like some of us so I don't see the need to have it any other way. JMO.

[Vintage Merlot]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

The Concept TBird that was on display for Beach Boys had three gauges on the A pillar. It was formed as one unit as shown for Mustang above. Did anyone take pictures? I am working on a concept but don't know if I have the skills.

[Borla Babe]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

The Concept TBird that was on display for Beach Boys had three gauges on the A pillar. It was formed as one unit as shown for Mustang above. Did anyone take pictures? I am working on a concept but don't know if I have the skills.

[Gobird]

Re: Trade Warning Lights for Real Gauges?

Julie, That works if you have an 02 but, with the heated seats on 03 and above, something, as per switches, would have to have a new home for placement. Yours look like they fit in but not sure what they would do for newer Birds with the seat heater switch.