[DeTomaso] 74 Pantera Amp Gage replacement

[Larry Stock]

Mike, Pass this by John Haas, I think he had a very different opinion on the amp gauge workings and strongly urged against the use of shuts at our last POCA Tech meeting in Reno. Interesting about the 200 amp alternator, wonder if there may also be a regulator issue there. I fundamentally agree with working with "As Designed" unless working with an expert designed and proven upgrade. 
Larry Stock

On 7/16/19, 8:01 PM, "DeTomaso on behalf of Mike Drew via DeTomaso" <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com on behalf of detomaso at server.detomasolist.com> wrote:

       On Jul 16, 2019, at 6:14 PM, Jim Kosloskey
       <[1]jim.kosloskey at jim-kosloskey.com> wrote:
    
         All,
         My current gage is bypassed due to the potential overheating of the
         stock gage.
    
       >>>IMHO that's like removing your tires because of the potential of
       getting a flat tire.
    
       There is nothing inherently wrong with the ammeter. There have been
       numerous failures but I haven't seen a single one that wasn't
       owner-induced. You can do it in two ways:
    
       1). Have loose connections where the two fat wires attach to the
       ammeter. That causes increased resistance which leads to overheating
       and potentially a fire.
    
       2). Have a ridiculous alternator. More is NOT better. A few months ago
       I was present when a guy with an almost dead battery due to alternator
       failure, installed a 200-amp (!) alternator. He then drove it only a
       few miles with the alternator charging the dead battery like crazy, and
       the ammeter pegged to the charge side. Lori was his passenger and noted
       smoke pouring out from under the dash. The alternator put out more
       power than the stock ammeter could handle, and it sizzled it, but good.
    
       If your ammeter is currently in good shape, and you have a reasonable
       alternator of 100 amps or less, you should be able to connect it
       properly, make sure the connections are tight, and live happily ever
       after.
    
       >  I am at the point where I am considering replacing this gage. I
       would
         like to get one as close to stock but more stable.
    
       >>>If your ammeter got sizzled already by a previous owner, you could
       replace it with a good original one (I have several spares that I have
       never needed and could let one go). Hall used to sell a replacement
       ammeter, but it had a plastic case so the stock illumination circuit no
       longer works and you have to do a bit of tricky wiring to get it to
       turn in with the rest of the interior lights. I don't see it listed
       anymore. They list a Voltmeter now, which may or may not be a genuine
       Veglia gauge?
    
       >  Suggestions?
    
       >>>Personally I would just go for Working As Designed, with proper
       maintenance (and perhaps a small bypass shunt to route some of the
       current around the gauge instead of through it). I had a NOS ammeter in
       the original Ford box, and it came with a brass shunt connecting the
       two terminals, which the vast majority of Panteras didn't have
       originally. The needle will still register charge or discharge, but
       depending on the size of the shunt, it may not read accurately. But
       accuracy isn't really important. If it shows you charging at 45+ when
       it's actually 65+, who cares? You just want to ensure the shunt isn't
       so large that the gauge barely registers at all because so much current
       is bypassing it.
       Mike
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    References
    
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