Ammeter question

I am looking to replace the black faced ammeter presently fitted to my Dodge Brothers touring car with the correct white faced one to match the speedo.

What name is on the face and should it read 12 amps -0+?

My car is a 1926 6volt 2 unit which I think should also have a white ignition switch?

Naturally if anyone has a suitable, working white faced ammeter, I would be pleased to hear from them for a deal/swap.

Ray.

According to my research Ray the white faced ammeter started with car A701667. I can go into more detail if needed.

Bill

Thankyou for responding, Bill.

If you can, please tell me more. better that I know than not.

ray

According to my research

Theres words we prob. all thought we d never hear from Bill

Thankyou for responding, Bill.

If you can, please tell me more. better that I know than not.

ray

I knew you would say that! Ok, I put my Beer down and looked for this scan so I could post it......

According to my research

Theres words we prob. all thought we d never hear from Bill

Jason, work, work, work.....that's all I do!

I'm pretty good at delegating too! I got you to post photos of your car! Whoever thought that would happen!!!!

Ray...your 6 v ammeter should read 20-20, 12-12 is 12v.

Thanks Bill, I have also been wondering how you are getting on with your ignition switch, although I suppose that is on another thread.

Texacola, good advise; I didn't think 12-12 was right. Half the voltage = twice the amps.

All I need now is to get one. Should it say Dodge Brothers on it?

Ray... both my ammeter and oil pressure guages say Dodge Brothers and are matching units made by National Guage and Equip. Co, (have the indian head).But mine are black face not white and I believe original. Maybe commercial cars continued using the black faces after cars went to white.I believe NE Electric supplied most of the parts and may have used more than one supplier of ammeters.Their parts book shows two different ammeters..the 12v is made by someone other than National (with DB on it)and the 6v is National but doesn't say DB as mine does....so who knows.

Texacola.... that is all good info. and will come in useful when someone tries selling me the wrong thing. It seems that there was probably no hard and fast rule but I can at least start to rule out what was not fitted to the car originally, even though there may have been different options.

Thanks,

Ray.

Do not know what I'm talking about when it comes to 1926 Dodges but if the gauges are mechanically the same you could have some one send you a scan of theirs and have a decal made up. If the difference is only black on white versus white on black, it only a simple matter of hitting 'reverse colors' in any scan program. I had original working guages for my '35 but all the lettering was a ghost of it's former self. I removed the gauge faces,they are screwed on with miniature screws, and took them into one of those places that make the huge advertising decals for trucks that cover the entire side of the truck. They scanned them into their computer and cleaned up the letters like I would do in PAINT. They then hit 'black and white' and gave me 2 perfect copies of all the gauges in self adhering decals that you cannot tell from original gauges now. All for $40. I could NOT find gauges for my truck and I looked for years. Everyone who had gauges for a '34 or '35 was holding on to them. This was a giant leap forward for me in my restoration of a rare truck. The computer industry had caught up to me in the 21st century. If everybody on these sites would publish photos of their gauges faces, everybody else would be able to repair their own gauges very quickly and with little effort. The photo has be a flat scan as the print has to be 1:1 for fit. Here's a start. The waves in the decal are some kind of error in my upload. They do not appear on the decal.

That is a clever idea KLC. For most other guys on here I am sure it would be an easy fix.

The ammeter on my car is the wrong one in two ways. First, it should read 20/20 not 12/12 because it is a 6 volt system not 12 volt of the earlier cars. Secondly, it should be a white face, not black.

At present, I am in touch with someone who used to have a '26 DB and has a white ammeter he might sell. I am hoping to do a deal before it goes on Ebay. There are collectors of 'automobilia' out there who are paying high prices for spares which will never go on a car. Beggars belief!

Ray.

Quote.........If everybody on these sites would publish photos of their gauges faces, everybody else would be able to repair their own gauges very quickly and with little effort.........that is a great idea and I certaintely agree that theres nothing wrong with a decal

You're missing the point. If the meter is the same, the computer outfit will just change the numbers to 20/20 instead of 12/12. If the color is white instead of black, they just flip the colors in their computer. Like this. Voila.

I left out a part. The computer outfit uses their laser to cut out the holes needed for the '0' pin and the mounting screws and the slot needed for the needle sweep. The perimter of the decal they make larger than your gauge face and you trim it off with a razor knife. This material is the same stuff they put on a truck ad. It's UV protected for outside so it's expected it would last 'forever' on our gauges. The stuff is very forgiving. If you get it on crooked or stretch it or you get a bulge in it and it won't flatten down,you just pull it off. Then you just lay it upside down on the table,sticky side up in other words, and take a heat gun to it GENTLY and it returns to it's original shape and you try again. Marvelous stuff. Idiot proof. It only took me a couple of tries before it became obvious what the 'method' was. You have to sand the gauge plate face down smooth to get rid of the any trace of the original numbers/letters as they were painted on and are 'high' on the plate. But the plate does not have to be polished metal.

The meter is not the same. The 20/20 amps meter is needed to cope with the greater amps generated by the 6 volt system. I can just about get my head round '20s' electrics - computers and electronics is another world to me which I am only just learning about.:confused:

Hey Ray,

Check this idea out. Make your own meter face using the "Testor's Decal Design Kit".

( See: DecalGear.com - The hobbyist's source for inkjet decal paper and Decal Maker custom decal making software for modelers and hobbyists )

This is a kit that has either clear or white paper used in an inkjet printer. Then the printing is sealed with a sealer spray. The decal is then used like any other water slide decal. This may work for your meter face too!

I see these available on eBay. Prices look the same as on the website above.

Decal_Printing_Instructions.pdf

Hey, D2, that's another great idea to make your own decals. I will still need to get hold of a 20 -0- 20 ammeter to cope with the greater amps from the 6 volt system but what it does enable me to do is change the face of any 20 - 20 gauge to what I want.

Even if I don't use one of these kits for the car (the guy I mentioned with the white faced ammeter has said I can have it free if I pay postage!) I do a bit of model making and it opens up all sorts of opportunities for creative designs.

I have established one thing. The reason why I have had so much trouble with printing/scanning is that there is a fault with my lap top and not the printer. At least I know it''s not just me!

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

Ray

Just a final note before we leave the subject. The movement in an ammeter is not connected to the current line in the back of the meter. They are 2 entirely separate 'systems'. The current going through an ammeter does so via a 'shunt'. This is a big chunk of copper,so it won't hold a magnetic charge, that passes all the 20 amps with very little voltage drop so it won't heat up. The actual movement is a very small vane of steel that 'floats' inside the loop of copper and responds to the magnetic field set up by the current flowing thorugh the loop. The vane is connected to the needle and of course through it's mechanics moves up or down scale to indicate which direction,and the amount of current, that's flowing through the copper loop. My point is ,I doubt if you need a different physical meter because the 12/12 will most likely pass the 20/20 current. I've been inside several ammeters over the years and the loop of copper has always seemed to be the same regardless of the meter scale. Knowing the automotive industry they may have only had one assembly for years and just put on different scales with a different sized vane. The size of the vane would determine how sensitive the meter was to the amount of current.

Thanks for that KCL. It is good to hear the details from someone like yourself who has a grasp of the subject. You are right that the 12/12 can cope with the 20/20 current - it has been doing so. I just wondered about the reading - but if as you say, they are all the same inside, then presumably a vane from a 20/20 meter would be required in addition to a suitable decal.

We seem to have got there eventually! Many thanks to everyone.

Ray.

Hi, I have found scale model builders can re-paint the face. A hobby shop may have a list of model builders who may be able to help. David

Thanks for that KCL. It is good to hear the details from someone like yourself who has a grasp of the subject. You are right that the 12/12 can cope with the 20/20 current - it has been doing so. I just wondered about the reading - but if as you say, they are all the same inside, then presumably a vane from a 20/20 meter would be required in addition to a suitable decal.

We seem to have got there eventually! Many thanks to everyone.

Ray.

Ray I have taken some pics of the white faced gauges that are used on the 128/129 series cars and will post them soon . regards bob

Ray I have taken some pics of the white faced gauges that are used on the 128/129 series cars and will post them soon . regards bob

Ray these are the pics

Ray had trouble posting pics , the oil gauge is an original, the amp meter is one that I restored 20to30 years ago and the last is of the internals of the amp meter. bob

Ray,

I believe this is what your looking for:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-DODGE-GAUGE-PANEL-truck-car-hot-rod-1935-1936-/390817401545?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5afe884ac9&vxp=mtr

That is kind of you guys to think of me. I am now o.k. with the amp meter thanks I just forgot to tell everyone. I also fixed the speedo up with a new inner cable and stopped the drum from catching so that's sorted as well.

Thanks,

Ray.

That is kind of you guys to think of me. I am now o.k. with the amp meter thanks I just forgot to tell everyone. I also fixed the speedo up with a new inner cable and stopped the drum from catching so that's sorted as well.

Thanks,

Ray.

Great!

Subject Closed!

Had to resurrect this old thread. I have a transitional 1926 Dodge Brothers Deluxe Sedan. #A643605. It is a two unit 6 volt system. When I bought it had the incorrect 12-12 amp meter.

I’ve read here that they didn’t use white gauges until car #A701667. Would my Dodge have had a black faced 20-20 amp meter? All other gauges are black face, but I have never seen a black faced 20-20 gauge. 

I will also add that I’ve seen the white faced 20-20 gauge in two configurations. The one seen earlier in this thread with the needle pointing down, and another with the needle pointing up. Anyone know what the different applications were?

The bezel on the one pointed up does not look right to my eyes.

I just noticed something. The font on the one pointed up has the same type of “E” and “R” as the Dodge Brothers font. 

Good catch. And that official DB font is not in any modern books or lists. I know people that have wasted time looking for it. DO you see the bevel on the outside of the bezel of that one. I don't think other DB gauges have that. They are all the same!

On 11/27/2019 at 3:58 PM, DB26 said:

I’ve read here that they didn’t use white gauges until car #A701667. Would my Dodge have had a black faced 20-20 amp meter? All other gauges are black face, but I have never seen a black faced 20-20 gauge. 

Now you can't say that anymore...............

6 hours ago, Machinist_Bill said:

 

Now you can't say that anymore...............

She’s a beauty. Thanks for the picture. I hope to find one someday. 

Just found this topic searching for an Ammeter - I'm trying to find one for a Series 128/129.  It's a white faced gauge and looking through a few threads it should be a 20 amp gauge with the needle pointing down.  Even bits of one that could be repaired would be good.  Any ideas?  Were they US Gauge Co. or by someone else?

To answer DB26 question above.  I have one of the ammeters with the needle pointing up that was removed from an early 27 sedan with the Type C motor in it. Pre Fast Four.

4 hours ago, JayG said:

To answer DB26 question above.  I have one of the ammeters with the needle pointing up that was removed from an early 27 sedan with the Type C motor in it. Pre Fast Four.

Would you be able to take a photo of the back - I’m trying to figure out what the mounting looks like. Thx

I hope these help. 

13 hours ago, RichBad said:

Just found this topic searching for an Ammeter - I'm trying to find one for a Series 128/129.  It's a white faced gauge and looking through a few threads it should be a 20 amp gauge with the needle pointing down.  Even bits of one that could be repaired would be good.  Any ideas?  Were they US Gauge Co. or by someone else?

I might have one with the needle pointing down. Let me check my parts cabinet. I’ll get back to you after Tuesday. Possibly Tuesday afternoon. 

7 hours ago, JayG said:

To answer DB26 question above.  I have one of the ammeters with the needle pointing up that was removed from an early 27 sedan with the Type C motor in it. Pre Fast Four.

Is that the black faced type? 

It’s white faced.  The one in the pics. 

4 minutes ago, JayG said:

It’s white faced.  The one in the pics. 

I ended up finding the ammeter Machinist Bill posted a picture of. Currently installed in my Dodge  Before I found the black faced ammeter, I ended up picking two white faced ammeters. One with the needle pointing up and another pointing down. 
 

My Dodge was built after they switched over to 6 volt, but before they switched to the white gauges. Before the fast four too.