Dashboard Instrument Upgrade: Installing Avanti Replacement Stewart Warner Gauges (1963–1973)
Is your Avanti dashboard showing its age with inaccurate or dead gauges? Replacing 50-year-old instruments is one of the most rewarding interior restorations you can perform. In this technical guide, Dan Booth explains how to install the authentic Avanti Motors Stewart Warner replacement gauge line.
Discover the modern advantages of the electronic tachometer (no more circuit boards!) and learn the "secret" to filling the oversized factory clock hole with a modern volt gauge using a specialized stainless washer bezel. From step-by-step wiring and grounding tips to Dan’s professional method for modifying shared-lighting gauge boxes, this article provides the technical roadmap to a perfectly functional, factory-correct dashboard.
Key Technical Insights:
Clock-to-Volt Conversion: How to use the exclusive stainless washer bezel to mount a standard gauge in the larger clock opening.
Electronic Tachometer: Eliminate the "pesky" original sender and circuit board for reliable RPM readings.
Pro-Wiring Tips: The importance of "jumpering" grounds and Dan's method for labeling wires before removal.
Lighting Upgrades: Converting from shared bulbs to individual gauge sockets for superior night visibility.