Fuel Gage - volatge senstive?

[Flat Ernie]

Originally Posted by Richard in Florida

No, you don't need three. I've been running all three gauges in my '53 on one 7806 for years and it hardly even gets warm using a simple heat sink.

Yes, you can get by with one, but you're running pretty close to max capacity for it. These things are super cheap, so the extra $.50 to get two more will hardly break the bank...A good heat sink, which it appears you have, helps a lot though.

Originally Posted by john worden

I bought the 12 volt conversion guide booklet from Drake. It is written by Fifth Ave Auto Parts in Clay Center Kansas and is quite complete and thorough. They reccommend their "Runtz" voltage drop ( approx. $18 each ) for all the instruments but the volt guage. They reccommend having the volt guage converted to 12 volt which I am having done now at ADT Instruments Intl. Inc. in Bloomington Minn. They restored the complete cluster as well.

The Runtz is expensive and is just a resistor. The voltage output varies with the voltage input and current through it. It is a poor choice for gauges, although they do work satisfactorily for most folks.

By "volt gauge", are you referring to the "Batt" gauge on a '40? If so, a precision 60-ohm resistor is all you need to "convert" it. No changes or alterations to the gauge itself.

Originally Posted by Butch11443

You can also use a stock one for a 57 to 59 Ford. They work great.

The factory (instrument reducer) IR is a chopper style. It works too, but again, is a poor choice for gauges, IMO. For original style gauges that used a chopper, it works fine. And will probably work satsifactorily for most folks too, but it's not the most accurate thing in the world and if you buy it new at NAPA (vs scrounging in a junk yard), they're expensive.