i am putting in a mechanical oil pressure gauge and also a trans temp gauge. where has everyone ran their gauges?
pillar pods?
under dash panel towards pass side?
top side of dash?
i need some ideas, that wouldnt be difficult to run the stainless steel lines. i was thinking the dual pillar pod deal.
has anyone else run these and how did it come out? any what type of gauge electric or mech. ?

[This message has been edited by 87tpi420 (edited July 22, 2001).]

 

I have a dual pillar pod, as well as a custom gauge pod under the stock gauge cluster.

Just run them under the pillar trim; there's enough room for your lines and then some.

As far as the pod itself, I don't like the Autometer dual gauge pod. It just looks like a cheap add-on. In the future, I'm either going to ask Lo-Tek to make a hard-top version of theirs, or buy their T-top version and modify it to work with my stock trim piece. A single cut would look way better than a seperate piece held on by four trim screws.

 

You are running mechanical guages in the A-pillar?

 

talking to me? no mine are electric. i don't like mechanical gauges. i've had an oil pressure gauge leak and a voltmeter melt on me.

 

i am planning on running mechanical yes, and i wanted someone to answer if they would fit in those a-pillar pods (with the hose that is needed) i dont want electric because mechanical are more accurate and less prone to failure.
if mine does leak...it will probably be the smallest leak in the car
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/gdm

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87 z28 bowtie aluminum 420small block dry sump crower lt. wt. knife edged crank oliver lt wt rods brodix track 1's super ram intake slp 1 3/4 headers accel dfi art carr 700 r4 3.42 gears ssm sub frame/ladder bars.....other parts on the way ,soon to be finished!! couple more weeks!!!

 

I always thought about putting any new gauges under the center air vents attatched to the box part. Or right below the center air vents in the flat dashboard area you would have to cut holes though.

 

That is a big misconception.Call Autometer on the phone and ask them which is more accurate than the other,neither is.To pick either one depends on what kind of room you have and what the car is actually used for.The only mechanical gauge I run in my car is a boost gauge,I dont want oil and antifreeze in my car if a line burst open.If you are saying the factory gauges are off a bit,yes,a bit they are subpar compared to Autometer.

In relation to the post i mounted 3 gauges under the vents,Boost,oil press,trans temp in Chrome cups,looks awesome.I also bought a custom Billet dash panel to fit Autometer 3 3/8 tach and speedo,and 3 2 1/16 gauges in the center simaler to stock.Crome cups look very good inside the car



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Check out my Hompage,or the beginnings of one.355 dynoed at 400HP at 5800RPM & 410LBFT of TQ,on Motorhttp://www.procharged89z.cz28.com/index.html

 

no it is just that i have run my gauge to my oil filter that is under the drivers side headlight *** . and dont want to run a wire all the way up there (dry sump oil system with filter near oil tank). i feel mechanical is less prone to failure. granted, a hose can burst or leak or rub and wear. but mounted correctly i myself would trust mechanical over electrical. as for stock gauges i am not concerned about those be accurate or not....i cant use them.voltage yes and coolant, but those can have sighns of failure before engine damge can occur anyways ya know, car overheats...you damn well better know it......car dies and lights go out...battery is dead. on the other hand.....loose oil pressure throw a rod or spin a breaing in a 15,000 motor... i will cry like a baby that dropped my bottle!

really what i am saying is, i know my mechanical gauge wont short out on something (installed properly it wouldnt anyway i know)
and the connections wont corrode if i get em wet

 

neither will electrical gauges if installed correctly. which means wire looms, grommets, and dielectric grease on the connections.

 

electric senders can fail, regardless of installation.

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87 z28 bowtie aluminum 420small block dry sump crower lt. wt. knife edged crank oliver lt wt rods brodix track 1's super ram intake slp 1 3/4 headers accel dfi art carr 700 r4 3.42 gears ssm sub frame/ladder bars.....other parts on the way ,soon to be finished!! couple more weeks!!!

 

anything can fail, regardless of installation. i just didn't appreciate having oil spewed all over the interior of my car. that's just my preference, and i respect your preference. fair enough?

anyway, I'm sure any mechanical lines you have to run will fit under the a-pillar if you decide to mount the gauges up there. there's lots of room.

how stiff are the leads coming out of the back of the gauges? there's not a whole lot of room to make anything but a sharp turn inside the pod. i remember my old mechanical water temp gauge had a steel-wrapped line that was pretty difficult to bend, i doubt that would fit into a pod.

 

I could of sworn this post was about where to put aftermarket gauges. Not the difference between mechanical and electrical. If you wanna talk about that why don't you just post a new topic!

 

I had a boost gauge in the piller mount before,line fit in there.One of the best places though to mount a few engine moniter gauges though is under the vents.

On the gauges Electrical vs mechanical,there is no differenc just what you like to run and personal preference,either is just as acurrate as the other.Here is an example why I run electrical gauges.I like to run the wires its easy to tap into the fuse box.Only one wire from the gauge goes threw the firewall,no big holes to drill in the firewall.I dont run a speedocable anymore so the big hole under drivers side of dash that the cable used to come threw now my wires go threw it,and my wires from my tranny sender.Its all preference.Autometers new electrical gauges have a bigger swept face.I run the Phantoms.If you are going to use the mechanicals the nylon line is strong,it just doesnt bend easy,and kinks very easily,just watch out.But if you do use the pods whitch make installation look much better(I run the 2 1/16 gauges with chrome cups)it comes with hardware for the mechanical gauges to make the line either come straight out the back or do a 90,which helps route the line.Hope this helps some

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Check out my Hompage,or the beginnings of one.355 dynoed at 400HP at 5800RPM & 410LBFT of TQ,on Motorhttp://www.procharged89z.cz28.com/index.html