Replacing gauges on late 80's boat

[thepotroast]

Before I get too far in over my head with this, I want to get some opinions. I am wanting to update my boat's appearance and functionality on the helm. My first order of duty is to replace as many of the gauges I can without much work (ie. replacing sending units, etc). The boat in question is the one in my siggy. Gauges all function correctly, I am wanting something a little more aesthetically pleasing than a needle that travels horizontally.

The boat does not have a speedo (I plan to use GPS for this anyway), just a tach, oil pressure, volts, and fuel. Here's a pic of what she looks like.



I am thinking some nice white gauges with steel bezels. Do I need to look for a specific type of gauge to replace these? For instance, I see some gauges that have "International" as a designation. Will this just be a pop n' swap deal for the most part, without having to do much else?

Next is the steering wheel replacement... :redface:

 

[ziemann]

Re: Replacing gauges on late 80's boat

Try these guys-

http://www.greatlakesskipper.com/subcategories.cfm?CatID=7

You should be able to easily give your console a face lift without much effort. Most likely the only item you will have to set will be your tach...

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Replacing gauges on late 80's boat

What you need to be careful about with "International" gauges is that they may be calibrated in kPh (oil pressure), km/hr (speedo), etc. International gauges also require a different sender than the "Universal" (as in U.S.) gauges. If you buy universal gauges you will not need to change senders. So my recommendation is to make sure you understand what you are buying. If it says International in any documentation, ask lots of questions.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Replacing gauges on late 80's boat

guages are pretty straight forward, you will need to access the back to take the nuts off to remove the guage(usually shared with the ground). Then just do 1 guages at a time by 1 wire at a time and you shouldnt have a problem. we had the same guages on our boat when we got it, except they were sunbleached too, Uglyest things. I rewired our entire boat though, so it was easier to start fresh and reference the engines service manual for the wiring.