RAMBOW

Recently i re-did my interior, and yanked off the existing old underdash O/P and water temp guages, replaced with a 3-guage pod so i could mount my tach under there.

The old guages were Steward Warner, and they were in a cast aluminum "housing" pod.

I didn't think anything of it when i yanked them, i had to cut the water pressure line to put a socket on the sending unit nut to get it out.. So i tossed it all.

At a car show last weekend i saw another 66 cutlass with the exact same Steward warner underdash guages... and i'm now thinking that i may have thrown away something valuable and original for my car.

Does anyone else have one of these in their 66? Was this a dealer installed item or just a weird coincidence that two 66 cutlasses would have the same funky underdash guages?



Here is what they looked like: (sorry for the crappy photo, its the only one that showed them!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...d/DSC00107.jpg

Jamesbo

I don't believe they were dealer installed but back then they were very popular along with Sun Tachs mounted mostly on the steering column.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ng-up-60s.html

rocketraider

Of course they could have been dealer installed. Lots of dealers did work like that for customers. They just didn't carry a GM part number.

If those were 1966 vintage S-W gauges, in good cosmetic condition and working, yeah, they were worth some coin. There weren't as many Chinese junk brand gages around back then as there are now, but a good name brand gage set is desirable.

But you always wonder whether to trash something like that and go back full factory, or keep it as part of the car's as-driven history. If it's in good condition I'm inclined to keep stuff like that.

joe_padavano

These gauges were a very popular aftermarket addition in the 60s and 70. Lots of cars had them installed by owners or even dealers. While vintage SW gauges have value on their own, they are not any sort of rare factory upgrade package.

Jamesbo

Sorry, I did not read your question as carefully as I should have. I agree with Rocketraider and Joe, They "Could" have been installed by a dealer. If these cars could talk we'd know for sure.

RAMBOW

Ok, cool, was just curious.
Regardless, i kicked myself the next day after the trashman came when i realized i should have dug it back out... but oh well.

like i said, i couldn't get the water temp sending unit out of the block with a flarewrench so i had to cut the tube to take it out with a socket, so it would have had to been repaired, but would have looked cool on the shelf anyway.

Oh well.

wmachine

X2
Not only is it "period", and part of the car's history, it is just good sense to have the gauges to monitor the engine.

RAMBOW

Thanks, the guages were replaced with new ones in a 3-pod setup so I could put a tach down there.