Need help with gauges

So I am trying to get my dad's 83 fixed.
He's getting way up there in years and I wanted to get some things on the truck he bought knew put back together while he can still enjoy it.

The truck has a little over 215,000 on the half ton with the 318 and is still in pretty good shape.

This started with a gas gauge that wouldn't work.

Replaced the sending unit in the tank and the voltage regulator on the back of the instrument panel.
Checked to make sure that the gauges work by grounding so that they all peg and work. They do.
Took out the gauges and cleaned the circuit board contacts and remounted and checked the ground and everything shows good.

The problem... you start it, the gauges peg and after a couple of minutes they all stop working.

I've had my mechanic helping me with this and he is a good wrench and even knows how to rebuild a carb but we are both lost and out of ideas here.

I know that I'm missing something but I don't know what.

If any of you have any experience with this or any ideas I would really appreciate the help.

thanks

Bump for someone who might know how to fix this!

sounds like you may have a wire grounding out somewhere, i would check over every inch of the wiring and look for any bad spots or maybe even a problem with the fuse box, something could be loose in there?

My gas hand on my 83 isn't all that great either. It works, but it's very sensitive, but oh well it's an older truck what can you expect. It also sometimes missreads it by a bit, I think, but hopefully you get it fixed.

lolorcaust said:

My gas hand on my 83 isn't all that great either. It works, but it's very sensitive, but oh well it's an older truck what can you expect. It also sometimes missreads it by a bit, I think, but hopefully you get it fixed.

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if your speedometer needle is bouncing around a lot then just take the cable completely out and grease the inside part and it will be good as new. trick my grand father taught me.

did you look at how old this post is?

crazzywolfie said:

did you look at how old this post is?

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I think it's funny when people do this.

Cool though it means we are searching for things on the forum.

And it ADDED A TRICK that we can use.

i find it gets very annoying and confusing.

i don't think he actually searched. there is just so few threads in this section.

i don't know if i would consider greasing the cable a trick. i figure something like that would be common sense just like oiling a squeaky door hinge. plus i think you can get a new speedo cable for less than $20