1935 VLD dash board amp gauge

[John m kelly]

I purchased a dash assembly that was not part of my original bike. The amp meter had a broken dial so I sent it off to get rebuilt. The gauge matches the one in Steve's manual 4580-34. Setting up the dash with new wires I found that the gauge did not fit into the lower part of the dash, it appears the previous owner elongated the holes to make it fit. The center to center spacing on the existing gauge wire studs is 7/8". The original dash holes appear to be around 1 1/8" c/c. What is the correct spacing on the amp gauge wire studs. Do I have the proper gauge. Second question is how is the gauge fitted. Does the gauge bolt to the subframe and the upper cover is installed over the gauge or does the gauge pass thru the upper cover and then is bolted from below the subframe.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear John, Harley switched to a cheaper and quite different ammeter somewhere around 'later 1934'. The early Weston item has 1 1/8" centres for the studs, with 40 tpi threads, and fits direct to the base with the ground connection on the left. The white Delco ammeter has the narrower studs, 32 tpi threads, ground on the right as it is upside down, and fits through the top of the dash cover. The Delco item superseded the Weston, so would have been supplied as a replacement part for all VLs. This would probably have a spacer ring in the kit, as the replacement was taller and also used on early knuckleheads. Late VL dash panels seem to have the holes for the ammeter studs ovalised at the factory, but for earlier bikes you'd need to file out the holes yourself. The picture on the right hand side in my book is of the later Hummer ammeter, which will definitely need the spacer ring. It sounds like you have the correct ammeter, which fits through the top of the panel. In 1935 Harley issued a Shop Dope advising an extra ground wire be run from the new ammeter to the 3344-25 timer coil clip on the top left of the frame. I speculate this may have been because some bikes had the ground wiring reversed with the new ammeter.

[John m kelly]

Thanks Steve. The 1935 bike I acquired had no wiring and many accessories were missing. This makes putting things back together more difficult. So thanks again for all your useful information.

[John m kelly]

35 VLD dash amp meter

I still have some additional questions on the proper hook up. Do both wire studs on the gauge have to be electricly isolated from the dash subframe or only one side. The wire diagram shows the left side of the meter goes to an earth ground. I assume that is the additional ground wire from the frame you discribed it your previous reply. Does this mean that the right connection is electrically isolated from the subframe which then connects to the negative post of the battery via the yellow coded wire.

[Steve Slocombe]

The ground side of the Weston 354 ammeter is connected to the dash base 1929-34 on the left hand side and grounded through the forks. The live, right side, terminal post is insulated from the dash base by the shape of the dash insulators. For the later Delco ammeter file out the dash base holes and put a short piece of rubber tubing over the live left hand terminal, as the dash insulators are less help here. The right hand terminal post can be connected to the dash base, with an additional ground wire run from here to the frame as the advice in the 1935 Harley Shop Dope. This is also good advice for bikes with the Weston ammeter, this time running the extra ground from the left hand terminal of course. Harley reported headlamp bulbs blowing earlier because of poor grounding. Note the Cycleray headlamp later got its own ground wire to the headlamp bucket in the early 1940s. As the ground is reversed on the Delco white ammeter compared with the Weston, the yellow wire also needs to be reversed and connected to the live left terminal. The Riders Handbook wiring diagram does not seem to have been updated for 1935/6 bikes, perhaps explaining some wiring problems.

[John m kelly]

Thanks Steve, as usual ,you are quick to respond and the information is very helpful.