Odd 356? Temp/Fuel Combo Gauge

[Larry Brooks]

I purchased this combo gauge at a Porsche Swap Meet a few months ago. I bought several 356 items from the seller. I didn't take a close look at it until today.

The Temp and Fuel gauges are both stamped 6V. They also have the standard 356 bullet connectors and is date stamped 5/63. It has the standard 356 glass and bezel.
But the gauges are on the sides, not top/bottom. The face looks just like a 1965/6 912 combo gauge and even has the correct part number at the top - 902 741 501 01.

The fuel gauge has the R, 2/4 & 4/4 oriented for the gauge to be on the right rather than turned 90 degrees to be on the bottom as 356 gauges are.

So any ideas on what this gauge came from?

combo4.jpg (1.56 MiB) Viewed 843 times

[Bruce Smith]

Looks like an early 911 gauge. The 5.63 isn't the date, the date stamp is inked and very faint on the back at the top of your photo.

[Mike Wilson]

Except it is stamped 6V.

Mike

[Don Gale]

The bezel looks like 356 style vs. 911/912. Screw heads show having been removed & tightened. Perhaps it is a converted "Frankengauge".

[Mike Wilson]

Can anyone decipher the part number at the top of the gauge?

Mike

[Jim Breazeale]

It's a "3 gauge 912" combo gauge from 1965 or early 66. It is fitted with fuel and temp gauges from a 356B. The faces of the temp and fuel gauges appear to have been redone and uses a chrome bezel from a 356. The big mystery is Why would somebody do that?

[Mike Wilson]

That's what I found out, too, Jim, by Googling the part number. Early 911/912 guage face converted.

Mike

[John Brooks]

The 902.xxx. Prefix, in the part number 902.741.501 01 makes it preocular to 912. The last two .01 says it's the first version. This PN on the cluster is not showing on my 66 that I can see. A 911 one would start 901.xxx. Germans are amazing at keeping track of parts this way.

[Jules Dielen]

see if it works and if so, install it in your Roadster John. It would make a great conversation piece. That is if you run out of things to say about your twin grill

[Larry Brooks]

Looks like an early 911 gauge. The 5.63 isn't the date, the date stamp is inked and very faint on the back at the top of your photo.

Actually 5.63 is the date. The ink stamp appears to be 6/63. I have found this on many early gauges where they have stamped a number into the gauge and then ink stamped it a month or two later. I always assumed the stamped in date was when they made the gauge and the ink stamped date was when it was installed in the cluster as a complete gauge. Could be wrong but makes sense to me because the ink date is sometimes the same but usually later than the stamped in date and never earlier.

As I said it has the early 912 part number at the top of the face, but why the 6v gauges and 356 bezel.