So I finally got the Ugly Truck reasonably in shape today... got a camper shell off Craigslist, so I had to run a wire to the back of the truck for the third brake light. I had some old gauges that I wanted to install, along with a new trans temp gauge (I quite possibly be doing some towing/somewhat heavy hauling with this truck) so I put those in as well since I was in the groove. Ended up running to the grocery store after I was all done...
I guess sometimes it is worth it to buy the expensive stuff. The oil pressure and vacuum gauges I used were parts store "Sunpro" gauges, and the trans. temp. gauge was VDO (only VDO apparently makes a trans. temp gauge with a chrome bezel and white lettering/pointers.) I even popped for the Auto Meter "bulb condoms" to make the backlighting match the dash. Well the VDO gauge was perfectly legible, the Sunpro gauges... not so much. I'd thought that I was having a hard time seeing them in my old Stude because of the generator, old wiring, whatever... nope, the backlighting in them just sucks, because the new VDO gauge right next to them in the gauge panel is perfectly readable. I'm going to see if I can find some 1816 bulbs (highest MSCD bulbs I could find in that format) to see if it helps, but I may just end up sucking it up and buying more VDO gauges. Grr.
nate