screen accurate ammeter needle length
Oct 9, 2011 13:54:44 GMT -5
Post by sigmfsk on Oct 9, 2011 13:54:44 GMT -5
A stock ammeter needle is quite tall:
And note that the bluesmobile ammeter needle is much shorter than that (movie blumo on top, my reproduction on bottom)
I think what follows is what's going on with the "shortie" movie ammeter needle (or at least info on how to duplicate the movie ammeter needle).
I bought a NOS 1974 ammeter w/out LED, and it had a super-shortie needle!
pic1: 1974 ammeter and NOS box
for needle comparison, pic2: 1974 ammeter on left, 1976 ammeter on right (from parts car) - that's right, the 1974 needle barely hits the BOTTOM of the white mark on the gauge face
but the situation is not nearly as bizarre as it might first seem.
pic3: different angle of two ammeters
When stored in the box, the needle is actually rubbing against the side of the box (pic 4). And it could easily get snagged, or mangled.
In the archived original post:
www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/topic/9446-all-about-ammeters/page__view__findpost__p__114801
I said:
> So I think the Whiz, Mr. TK826, hit it on the head when he said
> that the ammeter needle in the movie looks a different color than
> the fuel gauge needle because it was exposed to sunlight for a
> different period of time.
and that theory sounds dead solid accurate.
But my theory:
> I think that after years of service, the instrument cluster in the
> movie bluesmobile had its ammeter replaced with a NOS
> box-stored ammeter, and the needle was short-ilated due to get
> snagged in the box. This explains the shortness, the shadow,
> and the different color.
doesn't really seem sound. Being in the box could explain why the needle snagged and is shorter, but if the needle was in the box all those years, it would tend to be LESS faded than the fuel gauge needle. Who knows. But to duplicate the length, just bend the needle like in the profile shot above.
your friend in bending and not cutting,
arthur
And note that the bluesmobile ammeter needle is much shorter than that (movie blumo on top, my reproduction on bottom)
I think what follows is what's going on with the "shortie" movie ammeter needle (or at least info on how to duplicate the movie ammeter needle).
I bought a NOS 1974 ammeter w/out LED, and it had a super-shortie needle!
pic1: 1974 ammeter and NOS box
for needle comparison, pic2: 1974 ammeter on left, 1976 ammeter on right (from parts car) - that's right, the 1974 needle barely hits the BOTTOM of the white mark on the gauge face
but the situation is not nearly as bizarre as it might first seem.
pic3: different angle of two ammeters
When stored in the box, the needle is actually rubbing against the side of the box (pic 4). And it could easily get snagged, or mangled.
In the archived original post:
www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/topic/9446-all-about-ammeters/page__view__findpost__p__114801
I said:
> So I think the Whiz, Mr. TK826, hit it on the head when he said
> that the ammeter needle in the movie looks a different color than
> the fuel gauge needle because it was exposed to sunlight for a
> different period of time.
and that theory sounds dead solid accurate.
But my theory:
> I think that after years of service, the instrument cluster in the
> movie bluesmobile had its ammeter replaced with a NOS
> box-stored ammeter, and the needle was short-ilated due to get
> snagged in the box. This explains the shortness, the shadow,
> and the different color.
doesn't really seem sound. Being in the box could explain why the needle snagged and is shorter, but if the needle was in the box all those years, it would tend to be LESS faded than the fuel gauge needle. Who knows. But to duplicate the length, just bend the needle like in the profile shot above.
your friend in bending and not cutting,
arthur