Can anyone tell me the best place to install

[batwrangler]

a electric water and manual oil gage on a 73 351 c

 

[Don C]

Are you talking about where to connect them to the engine? If so, do you want to keep the warning lights active?

 

[batwrangler]

No i can do away with the dash lights and yes on the engine

 

[Don C]

Use the stock locations, where the senders (switches) are now placed. The oil pressure sender is at the back of the engine, right behind the intake manifold, and points up. The temperature sender is at the front of the block, pointing forward between the heater hoses. If you do decide to keep the lights you can install a tee for the oil pressure line and the sender. For the water temperature, use the stock location for your new sensor, and move the stock sender to the plug located on the side of the water pump right below the existing sender location.

 

[batwrangler]

Nice sounds easy i dont want the lights they dont work anyway ..,,first im going to check the fuse box if i do get the lights to work ill keep them Thank for the info Don ..Ps the picture is a restored original air cleaner

 

[Don C]

Fuse #4, 14 amps, is the one for the idiot lights, seat belt buzzer, and throttle position solenoid.

 

[RD-72]

As an option to a fuse issue, your light bulbs might be burnt out( I had a number of dash bulbs burnt out)

I don’t believe new aftermarket gauges require the pulsing power (effectively ~5-6 volt) that runs through the voltage regulator attached to your speedometer cluster, so you just need to find a new suitable power source.

if you want to run parallel systems, then you likely need to find new spots on your block for the sending units.

I bought a T fitting  (which I still need to install) to get the oil pressure gauge functional (just pull existing sending unit and replace with the T and both sending units), and as I didn’t have another location for water temperature sending unit I bought an inline water line fitting from Auto meter (as attached)(also yet to be installed in the heater hose).

I believe it was on “the rickster” build feed, where he found VDO dual purpose sending units (that is supposed to work on both idiot lights and VDO gauges)

hope this helps somewhat.

 

[midlife]

As an option to a fuse issue, your light bulbs might be burnt out( I had a number of dash bulbs burnt out)

I don’t believe new aftermarket gauges require the pulsing power (effectively ~5-6 volt) that runs through the voltage regulator attached to your speedometer cluster, so you just need to find a new suitable power source.

Only the gauges (oil, temperature, fuel) use the pulsing power.  The indicator lamp versions do not use that circuit.

 

[batwrangler]

i dont' understand what (pulsing power is) but thats all right cause im not ready to mess with it yet maybe next month

 

[Don C]

There's a voltage regulator for the gauges (instrument voltage regulator) that works by contacts opening and closing and reducing the power to an average of around 6 volts, hence pulsing. The purpose is so the gauges don't fluctuate as the alternator voltage increases and decreases with engine RPM.

 

[RD-72]

Don, as always is bang on above

For what it worth try this out

As I am a visual guy, A YouTube video that I watched really helped me understand “pulsing” power better.  It’s by a mustang restoration guy who has lots of “mustang how to” videos.  Although it is on an older mustang, the concepts are the same for our years.  Pulsing power will apply to your gas gauge, and OEM/stock oil pressure and water pressure gauges (if your car was equipped with them).

Unfortunately I am technically challenged, and don’t know how to find the link to put the YouTube video here, so you will have to search yourself...maybe someone else can post the YouTube link.

Anyways in YouTube, Search “Chris the doc Ingrassia”

video “how to troubleshoot faulty gauges in your classic car”  it’s about an 8 minute video

hope this helps

 

[SteveO_71]

If you dont want to bother with the "pulsing" voltage regulator you can replace it with a solid state one, that is probably more reliable anyway. Here is an NPD link but other mustang vendors sell them.  Just double check that they are "electronic replacements"

https://www.npdlink.com/product/regulator-instrument-voltage/177875?backurl=search%2Fproducts%3Fsearch_terms%3Dinstrument%2Bvoltage%2Bregulator%26top_parent%3D200001%26year%3D

 

[SteveO_71]

if you want to run parallel systems, then you likely need to find new spots on your block for the sending units.

I bought a T fitting  (which I still need to install) to get the oil pressure gauge functional (just pull existing sending unit and replace with the T and both sending units), and as I didn’t have another location for water temperature sending unit I bought an inline water line fitting from Auto meter (as attached)(also yet to be installed in the heater hose).

I use the same heater hose Autometer water line fitting and it seems to work really nicely. If your car has AC you probably cant use it since water isnt constantly flowing thru the heater hoses.

 

[batwrangler]

in all my years and iv been fixing cars for 55 years and you learn something every time thanks guys 

 

[Tnfastbk]