Re: Changing from Junior to senior gauges

Posted by HH56 On 2011/3/10 17:50:34

Cluster will bolt in. Does your Clipper speedo have the trip milage section? If not, senior will so that cable and knob needs to mount under dash edge. Hole should be there near ign key. Instrument regulator the same. If the cluster is complete, feed wires connecting regulator to all gauges should be there. If you have to use your old regulator and wires, then a jumper from regulator or other gauge post will have to be added for oil gauge feed. Oil sender will have to change but wire will be reused.

Biggest issue is the ammeter. You will have to run suitable gauge wire to put the ammeter in series between the bat connection at solenoid and the bat connection at regulator. The heavy gauge wire does come under the dash but not all the way to gauge. You can try and find the proper splices or maybe use an alternative such as the headlight switch or fuse block as pickup places since they are the same wires. You should be able to use the Autolite regulator but there will be a change in that bat wire. The circuit is essentially the same minus the heavy gauge wire to ammeter and now unused small wires for idiot light. Just do a careful study of the wiring diagram. Fortunately both are laid out side by side so you can compare solid vs dotted lines to see what needs to change or where you might conveniently pick up the same wire in the open instead of a splice. Interestingly, Packard used the same diagram for 55-6 even though polarity changed. If ammeter reads backwards after you're done, just swap the wires.

Of course, now with a senior clock and senior gauges aren't you going to need a senior radio dial to keep the colors constant.