Is there any guages that are less expensive AND accurate. I was looking over at Napa Auto parts at some ammeter,oil pressure,water temp,oil temp and tach/&adapter and speedo(don't really need) after I was convinced on the ones I wanted... I got a serious case of sticker shock close to $850 for all Autometer. Sshhhhoooo

Darn I wanted to just replace all the guages with trustworthy accurate ones and reinstall in a more visable area for those quick looks w/o having to look through the hand/wheel.

So does anybody know where I can get something w/o gettin bent over?links? Something I can hook up in our cars easy for a noob.Something that lets say the lines come long enough,or made for, etc.

Also I have heard and(havnt looked or noticed yet ) that above the oil filter there is a plug of sorts that can be used for the oil temp guage sensor that I want to have.True?And I assume the oil pressure can just be put in the exsisting oil sensor hole. And the same for the water temp..just pull the electric exsisting and screw in the new one?
I don't feel confident in drilling my block at this time I question the whole deal w/ my ignorance as in metal shavings getting in and worries like that. Damn I need build your own Camaro racecar book Please help me figure this out.

Tony

I don't think there is any short cut to great gauges that are cheap. My sugestion is to buy one gauge every month or two to spread out the cost. And get electric Full Sweep gauges from Autometer.

For the water temperature gauge, there is a plug in the passenger side cylinder head you can take out, but it's all the way in the back and may be very difficult to get to if you have headers. My solution was to put the sensor in one of the bubble tube holes, and plug the other. But I did have to thread the hole with a tap to do this. The buble tube is not necessary if you aren't using throttle body heat.

Auto meter is about the best you can get. Yes, they are a bit more expensive but worth it. Right now I am looking into a STACK ST8130 system. Consider 800.00 for the autometer the "deal of the century" in comparison to this thing.

The pack I was lookin at is Auto meter I think p/n 4111 and 9117 adapter for tach.I left the paper on my desk at work shoot. Yeah I may just get one or 2 at a time,I do want the best or why do it at all.They are full sweep pretty cool. They are not electric except the Tach.Why not ones with actual sensors for water temp and lines for the oil pressure?This kit had them I though that would be more accurate,than relying on the factory sensors to feed the info to them.
If I go with all electric do these use the factory sensors water,oil pressure?I could talk myself into that if so... to ease the retro.And just get fresh sensors from GM for them. But the oil temp thats another story right? I will have to find a spot to get it in correct? Anyone know where an easy place is for the oil temp?on a 94Z Or some advise on the 2 oil guages.
Also do you think I need a ammeter?
Another Q; the leads to the sensors on those guages were only 6ft. long,gonna be enough length?

BTW Cal I can get at my passengerside real easy now lots of room over there with the absense of the HVAC module looove it.But I think the sensor is on the driverside head.Maybe I should have mentioned I'm dealing w/ my 94Z racer project on this quest not my 99.Or I am confused I cant find it.And I am gonna bypass the TB I have already looped the 2 heater hoses together and kept the bleeder in it. And I have a sensor in my oil pan by drain can this be used for something?

Can someone please go though all the guages and install with me.I already accepted I am gonna have to pay big for them.And I like the idea of all electric if it will make this easier and not sacrafice accuuracy

I want to put in oil temp,water temp,oil pressure and a big faced tach,flush mount/inset.

Tony

Tony, the sensor in your oil pan is your "Low Oil Level" sensor. I'm using that hole for my oil temp gauge install this weekend. I drilled out this fitting once I removed it from the pan (thus destroying the sensor) and have bonded the Autometer larger adapter to the inside of this fitting. Will try it out this weekend if all goes well. The 6 ft. long cable from the gauge, mounted in my dash, above where the HVAC controls used to be, is plenty long enough. I'm sending the cable out the hole in my firewall where my cruise control cable use to go. I had to enlarge the hole some, but it wasn't bad.

Try Shoebox's site for locations of almost all our sensors, including coolant temperature: http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech1.html

Well thats where I'm gonna look into gettin mine in.But doesnt the oil temp have male threaded collar for it to be connected? And if the hole it needs to be put in(low oil sens.) is to big.You could get a male/female reducer with the appropriate sizes right?

I believe there's an oil cooler thread where Wayne F stated the part numbers for the adapters he got to make the Autometer sender work with the large thread in the oil pan (M22?). I didn't want to order all the pieces and put everything together so I spent a little time with my Dremel instead. It's not a standard adapter IIRC since it adapts pipe thread to M thread.

You can also thread the temp sender into a port that is just above the oil filter, but with headers I think that's darn close to my rear primaries, so I chose the oil pan.

OK thanks, So far I am gonna get the oil pressure in at the plug above oil filter(Jon A. showed that adapter )

And the oil temp in at the pan (low oil sensor location)but I cant find Waynes post so I need that adapter size.Or if Mikes hogging out low sensor works I may do that.

And the coolant temp I'm just gonna go into the driverside head at the stock sensor location. Need adapter size for that also. But the headers(pacesetter) I get might screw with that idea right or wrong? If so I can just "T" one of the heater lines that are looped together and put it in the T,right? what would you do?

And the tach I have no info on where to connect it to,and the store says I need this adapter to convert signal.But I would like to get a Tach thats compatable w/ our cars w/o adapters.

I'm on the fence w/ the volt meter don't think I really need that one just continue to use stock one.

I know one of the guages for the oil temp or oil pressure has a low oil level sender w/it as an extra so the oil guages locations may be switched.Depends on whitch one has the low oil w/ it,should be put where the stock low oil level is now if I'm thinking right.

How does this sound?Suitable correct? Any of these unanswered question anybody can answer I'd appreciate the help thanx.

Tony

Here's Wayne's post: http://frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=898

Are you removing the dash or something? If not, why all redundant the guages?

correct me if I'm wrong.But the stock tach is not that accurate, I don't trust the oil pressure or any of the guages on this old car,I cant tell what the oil temp is now and since I am doing this why not get a water temp(maybe more accurate) for the same area all in one spot. I don't see it as redundant I see it as wanting to be sure I am getting correct readings something reliable.
And I have had problems trying to look thru the steering wheel on track as in focus time thru the hands,cant stand it. I want everthing in my face to the right.

To answer if I'm removing dash no, but I would like just a metal simple dash across the front with just tach and guages and swithes installed,quick release wheel and so on like stock cars I've seen but...maybe later.

Tony

I see. Whatever makes you happy--that is what this stuff is all about. It's just that you start off the thread complaining about how expensive good guages are.

I spent what seemed like a small fortune on my oil temp guage because I needed one and that's the one I just had to have. I have no desire to do the same for the rest unless there's something really wrong with them. Yeah, the stock tach sucks and I'll put a shift light in to take care of that. Other than that I've seen no evidence to indicate the rest of the guages aren't accurate. About the only thing that's a bit whacky is the temp guage--but that's due to the sensor location (reading coolant straight from the radiator instead of on the way to the radiator like most SBC's do) but the guage itself seems accurate. The sensor can be moved.... Oh, and no gas guages are accurate in any car--it's a consumer satisfaction thing....

I guess it's just me, I don't hate the stock guages enough to take money away from go-fast parts in order to replace them.

$850 could get me a port job done on my heads....