I am close to starting the engine in the car and want to purchase the three oil pressure, water temp and amps. I'm looking at the 2 5/8" as my eyes can't see that well anymore. I've been looking at the SW green line vintage $$$ and some others as well. Just wanted to know what others are running and what the priority in theses guages should be. For example mechanical, limits ect. please help
I am running Oil Pressure, Water Temperature, and Volts. All SunPro, all electrical. They look decent, and were not that expensive. My oil pressure is T'd in with the factory idiot light, which is probably not great. The electrical sending unit is huge, and allegedly they only last a few years. They don't like vibration. If I were to do it again, I'd go mechanical with a -3AN braided SS tube, and do it at the back of the passenger side camshaft oiling passage, leaving the idiot light where it is by the oil pump. My water temp is hooked up where a vacuum tree used to be on the intake, seems fine. My voltmeter feels kind of useless... it doesn't tell me anything that the idiot light doesn't. Either the charging system is fine, or it's bad. Ammeters (amp gauges) can be dangerous to wire up, and I am not really sure what they are telling you in a muscle car. In a trail rig where you are running a winch and lights and a compressor I can see it, but what does it tell you on a muscle car? Whether or not the headlights are on? Personally, I'd go with a mechanical vacuum gauge in slot #3, if you can swing it. Way more valuable information than volts or amps. Also you'll want a tach, that is not usually considered to be among the "3", but still super useful for setting up a new motor, and doing high performance in general.
Hi Joe, This is a pic of the gauges I am planning to run. I will have a tach in the consolette as well.
I use the Autometer Sport Comp 2 5/8 gauges. They're not too modern looking and not too old style looking for my '71 GS. I have mechanical for everything except volts, and fuel press. Use a volt meter instead of an amp. meter, REASON, a volt meter will show you a steady decline in voltage if theres an issue. It will also show if theres an overcharge condition. Heres a pic of a few of my gauges, I have Oil press. Temp, Volts, Vacuum, and Fuel pressure
I am running Stewart Warner vintage series gauges because they look like they could have been installed 30 years ago. I have oil pressure, water temp,and volts all are electric and I made up a stock appearing get wire harness so it would blend in with the rest of the original wiring. I went with a voltmeter because I wanted to know the system voltage regardless of load variations. By understanding how an alternator works, I can deduce whether it's keeping up with loads as they change. Another way of saying it is that i dont care what the output amperage is, i want to be sure it's enough to keep up with demand. Also, I can see if it is overcharging, and the event of a charging system failure, I will have some idea of the reserve capacity of the battery before I'm in sneaker mode.
I have AutoMeter Ultimate II gauges. Oil, water and volts, in that order. The oil gauge is T'd off with the light, but everything else is on its own. I'm using a SS oil line with AN fittings. I like the look and being able to see what's going on with my engine at a glance. And they look great, too.
I still wanna see that dash top pod installed with 270* sweep gauges... This is from a while back but still the same position. ws
more old cars have burnt to the ground because of amp gauges than you can imagine..i know of 6 or 7 in my life.. go with a volt gauge..safer..way safer...of all the things on my mind, the fear i have, is my old car burning because of an electrical fire..ive seen too many and really 1 is enough.. i watched a buddies GTO burn to the ground in a Jack in the Box parking lot..fresh resto..insurance claimed it was an electrical short..and was such a bad thing..my buddy was in tears it was a bad day
This is what I did with mine, and if you have an automatic with a console in your `67, it's an option to consider but I have to warn you, you have to cut up the front of the console to do it. Making that decision to go ahead with that was probably the hardest part but it turned out great and I get a lot of compliments on it, Autometer sells this pod for the `68-`69 Camaros to replace the factory rectangle gauges with 2 1/6" round ones. I had to do some trimming on the pod but it fit's pretty good. The gauges are angled toward the driver so they are easy to read even though they are the small gauges.
I do have that console but there's no way i'm cutting into it. I also have the factory tach that I will be using. i seem to be drawn to the Sw gauges, green line are nice, but now I found vintage crescent needles in white. ou: I'm my own worst enemy. Didn't know about the amp meter and being a fire hazard. I would really like an 02 guage in the mix somewhere and a trans temp and, and, I just don't have the room.
I apologize if you already know this, but a lot of people don't... You can think of voltage as being like pressure. You can measure pressure at 2 points in a pipe, and the difference between them is the pressure drop. Measuring the voltage between 2 points in a circuit yields the voltage drop. No current flows through the meter when you do this, which makes it really hard to mess up. Measuring current requires that your meter be in series with the circuit- which means that all of the current that flows through the system, must also flow through your meter in order to be accounted for. Amp gauges are connected between the alternator and the positive terminal of the battery, basically to monitor charging effort. A sturdy alternator can put out 100 amps or more, which is more than enough to start a fire, or stop a heart, if everything is not connected and protected properly.
Most ammeters wont read (or burn up!) in series without being paralleled to a shunt. You need to calculate the resistance in the shunt to calibrate the meter. My dad had water temp, and oil pressure in a 65 Wildcat, but the ammeter was a dud. Voltmeters can tell the output at load and even a loss due to a diode failure. Secret... even the old dodges with ammeters had an ammeter face on a voltmeter face. Ammeters were 'en vogue back when... Discharge was a low battery and charge was a range of acceptable charging voltage. On a n ACV circuit the ammeter can be in series to measure current in series with the alternator (or generator) The AC ammeter on my boat is in series and read 10 amps at full load with water heater and AC running. It has a built in shunt.When the amps go up, the voltage drops. Dump the ammeter! ws
thanks for all the input guys. especially on the amp meters. i bought a vintage volt meter here is my first piece. i plan on a oil pressure, water temp and a vacuum motor minder. for starters.
Niiiiccce! That is exactly what I am looking for!:Brow: After reading the posts here, I am also going to swap for the amp gauge.
