Here’s an add-on voltmeter and bracket you might like. We put one in a customers car so he can watch his new generator/alternator at work. In the short video below, you can see battery voltage at rest with the engine off, and you can watch the voltage increase as the generator/alternator starts to spin. The gauge verifies that our new alternator disguised as a Bugeye generator delivers a healthy output at lower RPMs than the standard generator. The product is also lighter with better bearings.
As far as supplemental gauges, the dashboard shown here is non-stock but also somewhat typical. This is a later Sprite/Midget dashboard installed in a Bugeye. You can tell because it has a smaller center-mounted ignition key.
In this dash, we have fit our new GPS driven speedometer, a new electronic tachometer, and now a voltmeter. This particular new gauge is made by VDO, but we have new Smiths gauges on the way, if you would like to add a voltmeter to your car too while retaining a more British appearance.
We have mounted this VDO gauge under the dash to avoid drilling through the vinyl dash cover and dashboard. The under-dash bracketing also suggests that the gauge can be easily removed should someone in the future want to return their Sprite to a more stock appearance. But it’s a nice supplement to any Spridget, and I doubt anyone would ever regret supplementing their dashboard this useful information about the charging system. It’s easy to wire up and easy to mount.
We have located the gauge off-center so that it is out of the way of your knuckles while shifting. I should also be out of the way for most knees. We have set it back behind the dash a bit so it takes a back seat to the factory metal dashboard.
Thanks to Len M for lending his 5-speed Bugeye “Hinkley” for these upgrade and for the photos!
You can purchase a Smiths voltmeter for your Bugeye by clicking here.
Get your gauge bracket by clicking here.
And generator/alternators can be purchased by clicking here.
