I'm thinking about adding a digital speedometer, tranny temp sensor, and an underhood temp guage.

1. How hard is it to install a digital speedo? Is it tapping into a wire or do I have to get a converter box and stuff like that.

2. Where should a tranny temp sensor get mounted?

3. Does anyone make an air temperature sensor? I've had overheating problems and I'd like to know what parts of the engine bay get hot and such. Maybe a more accure water temp sensor would be good as well.

Thanks!

 

On a basicly stock/mild engine, unless your serious into racing and stuff, i'd just get the "basic" gauges.......Ya dont really need to know the underhood temp, cause what good is that gonna do ya?
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd just get a simple set of accurate gauges (Autometer or something)....
Water temperature
Oil Pressure
Voltmeter
Tach

if ya wanna spend some more

oil temp
tranny temp
air/fuel ratio

i duno what else, but i dont see a need for anything real crazy on an engine that sees mostly street use and isnt some exotic engine or whatever....

 

Well I'm swapping a built 350 or 383 so I'd like some cheap insurance that everything is going well. Really no need for a new tach (its an auto), voltmeter (who cares?), or oil pressure (doesn't have to be super accurate for me).

I'm worried about killing the tranny as I get more power and not building up the transmission yet, so tranny temp sensor would be nice. A/F ratio is fun but not too practical. I'd still like one to entertain me when I'm driving though.

I reall want an air temp sensor becuase I'd like to know:
engine bay temp when moving
intake temp
temp with coated headers, etc

Its just curiosity and maybe help me make some adjustments for performance (the colder the air for the intake the denser the air is).

 

eh....what your saying doesnt make any sense to me IMO....
I think oil pressure/water temp are the two most important.....basic, but important........
if you dont have any oil pressure, your engine is screwd
if your engine is overheating and you dont know it, your screwd....
Yeah, a tranny temp gauge would be nice, i'll probably get one for my car, but i'd probably spend the $$ on an aftermarket tranny cooler instead....
I'd much rather spend 40 bucks to prevent the tranny from overheating than spend the 40 bucks to watch the tranny overheat....


I dunno if you could consider my engine "Built", but right now the only two gauges I have hooked up (besides the tach) is oil pressure and water temp......
For now thats all i really need......i'm gonna hook up the ammeter tomorrow probably but i dont even need that....
the under hood temp thing though is a waste of time IMO.......if your worried about the engine breating in hot air, get a CAI or something :-P

I dont even know of anybody who MAKES an "air temperature gauge"
Might have to get one of those indoor/outdoor thermometers from Target or Lowes and rig that up :P (Serious, too!)

 

But the stock guages work well enough. 10 PSI off or 20* off isn't such a big deal to me for oil and temp respectively.


Good idea on a tranny cooler instead.

Why an ammeter? Those are the most useless gauge IMO.

I'm doing CAI, I'm just going to find the best spot for an intake location, what difference coating makes on headers, check if exhaust pipes are too close to XXXXXX etc.

 

I got an ammeter because when I bought the gauges, my biggest problem with the car was it not charging.....
I dunno dude.....i seriously think that 10psi of oil pressure or 10* water temp would be more important than the underhood temp, but what ever....i just dont think you'll find a gauge for that
Get a B&M Super Cooler, thats what i got, theyre cheap :-)
As for the cold air intake, your BEST bet I Would think would be to scoop the air from under the front bumper or something...... Maybe something like this http://www.slponline.com/view_product.asp?P=21006

 

How hard of an install was the B&M and where does it mount? I have dual exhaust so I may not have room to mount it (I'm not sure where they go, etc).

Right now I'm cutting where the stock airbox is and running my cone filter down there. It's shielded from the engine bay, shielded below from puddles, and the air dam forces air straight at it. Seems perfect.

 

took like an hour cause i had to run to the store to grab a fitting that i needed, would take less if you've still got the stock tranny cooler lines......
just cut them before they get to the radiator, put the tranny cooling hose over the hard line and use hoseclamps, then just clamp the hoses onto the cooler and attach it to the radiator with the supplied straps or whatever you wanna call it.....
easy :-)