Best aftermarket gauges for old school Japanese cars?

Corse · **Posted:** Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:55 am

Finding some period correct Japanese gauges that I like seems to be impossible.

Most Omori stuff looks perfect for early 80s to early 90s cars, but doesn't really suit anything that came out with chrome bumpers, if you know what I mean..

I'm leaning towards VDO (the marine range I think would look good with black bezels), but I'm somehow still attracted by the blinginess of Defi stuff.

What aftermarket gauges do you guys think suit classic, chrome bumper, Japanese cars the best?

john · **Posted:** Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:06 am

Corse wrote:

What aftermarket gauges do you guys think suit classic, chrome bumper, Japanese cars the best?

http://www.classicinstruments.com/allseries.aspx

ewokracing · **Posted:** Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:22 pm

VDO.

I was in the same predicament when I was building my last mazda, I found that VDO is pretty poor in terms of providing a catalogue of what is available. I found oil temp, oil pressure and water temp gauges that were plain black but a black face tacho with a chrome ring around the face. They're all easy to read and VDO is pretty accurate and much better in terms of quality and longevity than horrid Autometer crap.

Corse · **Posted:** Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:28 pm

I checked out the classic instruments, I like a couple of them but the range is very limited. Nothing in metric, tach only goes to 8, no oil pressure, etc.. Most of them have very strong US styling cues which I don't think suit and look a little too pre-wwii where I'm looking more for late 60s to late 70s style.

I'm thinking of just going modern Japanese in the interior, seeing as the seat I was trying to use (Sparco F500 Targa) and anything similar doesn't have FiA approval..

spiff · **Posted:** Tue Mar 23, 2010 8:18 am

Speedhut revolution or speedhut series I think will look good, looks like the classic Instruments from VDO but unlike VDO alot easier to find and they use a modular design so should be alot simpler to set up

Tons of customisation options too

Speedhut com

Yayoi · **Posted:** Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:13 am

What kind of car are you putting the gauges on? are you looking for a set or just oil, temp, tach, etc

Have you tried looking at Smiths gauges?

Camshaft · **Posted:** Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:17 am

I have a mostly complete set of original Smiths gauges from an MG I bought once, let me know if you're interested. I'm missing either the tach or the speedo, I'll have to look.

ewokracing · **Posted:** Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:30 pm

I had forgotten about Smiths!

I tried to buy some years ago, I couldn't find a reputable dealer here in Melbourne at the time so I got VDOs.

What about Jaeger?

aaron_hogan · **Posted:** Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:24 pm

This may sound completely bizzarre... but check out Alfa Romeo and Porsche wreckers.

The guages in these cars are period correct and look great. The only limiting factor is that some guages tend to use a german or italian name
eg:
Benzina = Fuel
Druck = Pressure

That sort of thing would not bother me in the slightest. I'm more than prepared to use an italian steering wheel or a German made seat...why cry over the guages being made somewhere other than Japan?

Having said that I do not condone cutting holes in the dash to fit them. Use a bracket and mount them in that discretely!

Corse · **Posted:** Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:41 am

The Smiths gauges look fucking amazing, they're electric, tach comes in ranges from 8k to 18k rpm, oil temp AND pressure AND SPEEDO AND COME IN METRIC. I am slightly excited, if you can't tell.

Camshaft are the one you have the same as the current 'classic' line of smith gauges?

Niiiiice.

RetroMat · **Posted:** Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:25 pm

Yazaki did a nice range of aftermarket gauges in the 70's. I've collected a few over the years, i've got a nice 82mm tacho to go in my Hiace.

My yazaki voltmeter:

Camshaft · **Posted:** Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:21 pm

Corse wrote:

Camshaft are the one you have the same as the current 'classic' line of smith gauges?

Niiiiice.

If you look at a 1978-1980 MGB dash, those are the gauges I have.

Yayoi · **Posted:** Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:27 am

Check Autometer Cobra if you like the Smiths gauges...

Yayoi · **Posted:** Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:01 am

How about this...

http://www.newvintageusa.com/images/1940series6gaugeset.jpg

reintr0ducing · **Posted:** Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:53 am

when i get around to putting gauges in my Z, i'm probably gonna go with kameari gauges...

as well as the entire kameari parts catalogue for the L28.

http://www.kameariusa.com/GUAGEproducts.php

KresSlyda180 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:55 pm

I prefer VDO myself... but Sunpro, I think, has a classics line that would look good in an old school import.

ewokracing · **Posted:** Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:16 pm

I had another thought a while ago but forgot to post it.

Stewart Warner? Their old stuff is ace.

seventhskyline · **Posted:** Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:15 pm

Autometer classic, electronic, fairly low key graphics, chrome bezels,black faces?

Lamco from Subarus?

HKS Direct Bright Retro would be my bling choice.

I think anything Smiths-style will be far too old looking for anything newer than SR311s or mid sixties stuff.

parrot · **Posted:** Thu May 13, 2010 4:03 am

Smiths in the KE15 and TE27

VDO in the AE86

1977ra29 · **Posted:** Thu May 13, 2010 3:33 pm

Have you looked at Defi? $$$$ tho.

Best aftermarket gauges for old school Japanese cars?

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