hi,  try looking on ebay. i just purchased one for $20.00. i also have a 56 savoy with the 277 V8. another good place to find hard to get parts is collectorsautosupply.com if you have the part # it will make it easier.  good luck,
                                                                                                                                          kevin

I think I have made a mistake here . The 1949 is not an electrical temp guage.So my response is not proper for your problem. Sorry!

If your temp sending unit is like the ones on the 6 cyl, and if your wife will let you take the unit with the attached gauge into the kitchen, u can calibrate it with a teakettle and a kitchen thermometer

If your engine has ever over heated it will cause the gauge to read high. it happed to me. if you remove the guage and bend (adjust) the coil behind the guage you can make it work again. It may not read the exact temp but can be used to know the norm which will alert you if the temp goes above what the norm that was established after readjusting. mine reads 160 at normal operating temp now. Hope this helps.

My parts book shows Mopar part number 1507050 for the sending unit.? I have a Bog-Warner catalog that lists Temp Sending Unit number WT375 going back to 1958----might be the same for earlier cars.? A good parts store person should be able to look this up in the dusty row of catalogs they keep behind the counter. Hope this helps.

The water temp reads hot after warm-up.  Actual temp in radiator is 180 as measured with a thermomoter.  Where do I get a Water Temp Sending unit for this car...that matches the electric gauge in the car?  Part #???

BTW...thanks for the help on fixing the shift cable for my daughter/son-in-law powerflite. ;D