Installing Tach and Temp gauge...

[Merc302]

Never done this before, are there any particular brands i should NOT get and does anyone know of any major difficulties in doing this? Id like to have them mounted on the lower left side of the dash below the Light knob

[P72Ford]

I always buy Autometer instruments. They are expensive, but they are professional. Lots of professional teams use them. Stewart Warner, and Livorsi ($$$) would be my other choices.

I always buy gauges that match my factory instrumentation, as well. Black with white letters, and an orange needle. I am anal about this. I do not like seeing white faced aux. gauges in a car with a black speedometer, fuel gauge, etc. This is just me... I look at the details.

I personally would hit my knee on the gauges if they were mounted where you want them. But I am over 6 feet.

I also go for small tachs, right in the line of sight. I'm not a fan of big tachs, unless they are in a race car.

Gauges are easy to wire up, but keep the wiring neat. The tach should have 4 wires. Red, white, black, green. White is illumination, red is switched 12V, black is ground, and green is the tach signal. Most are wired that way.

Temp gauge will have a sender wire (or tube if mechanical), a ground, and a switched 12V source.

[Merc302]

ha im little. 5'7" with boots. Thanks alot. I might see about matching my color faces since i dont really plan on any interior work.

[1990LTD]

Stewart Warner and Sunpro for me. I have a 40 year old Stewart Warner gauge pod that works perfectly...I think they still make em actually

[sly]

sunpro all the way in mine. I don't really care for it to be precise... just that it works within a +/- 5%. The gauges I installed in my 88 seem to be within 1% though... so it works for me.

[Smokestacklightnin]

I'm using a Sunpro super tach II with 3 1/2" face, i had a 2" sunpro gauge but was too hard to see at a glance when racing (i wear glasses). On my ashtray i have an equus water temp gauge and a B&M trans temp gauge. Installing a temp gauge and a tach is a straight forward install.

[87gtVIC]

I'd rip those gauges out with my knees because of my height. You may get away with it but still...in the way I would believe.

This is how mine is set up.





I am contemplating making a custom angled bezel for the tach to fit in the are where the triple rocker switch panel currently is. Those switches will be replaced and would be good to keep the speedo fully clear of the tach...right now it just blocks the fuel gauge a bit.

[packman]

That's exactly what I did with my Malibu. I installed an Autometer Phantom water temp guage and an old Suntach II. After the vapor locking issues I got the water temp guage and after printed circuit ribbon died (causing all of the dash lights and dummy lights to die) I got the tach to see how fast I was going at night. Once you get guages you'll never want a car without them.



Packman

[BerniniCaCO3]

I'm looking to do this too-- and soon. How does the tachometer install-- where does it wire in? I need to pull my dash for a heater core job (spring break project), that would be the perfect time to install gauges.
Also thinking about oil pressure. I know mechanical is best... so mechanical under the hood, or, electronic in the dash? I don't need 1% precision on the oil pressure, just want a lil forewarning that it's getting lower and lower, before the idiot light comes on only at 6psi!
I guess a voltage meter couldn't hurt anything either, but batteries last years, so I've always wondered why they included those on older cars-- batteries and alternators died more often?

Anyway, if I don't have a tachometer stock, where does the add-on get its information from?

[91waggin]

Tachometer gets its signal from one of the wires that goes to the coil. I think it's green with a red stripe on SEFI cars. I just used a t-tap on that wire.

[sly]

I know it's the one that goes between the coil and TFI module on the boxen (tan/yellow faded to gray/white on my 88)... no clue what wire on the coil pack engines.

[Merc302]

I found my gauges! stewart warner! guess that do still make em, i got em through napa

[BerniniCaCO3]

are you going with a pod mounted sticking out in front of the dash, or a flush mount and cut a circle into spare space into the dash?
I need to decide what I'm doing

[Merc302]

pod mount!
Fabrication is far from my specialty, plush i think itll still look nice.