Hey everyone -

I just finished my 12a rebuild, and and am preparing to drop it back into my FB so I can hear it run for the first time.

I really want to make sure I get a nice aftermarket coolant temp sensor/gauge setup and wanted to reach out to ask for some direction: What should I run and how should I go about it?

I assume the OEM one is the connector on the water pump? My connector there is really chewed up, so a direct replacement would be awesome.

I apologize if this is detailed nicely elsewhere. I searched to no avail. Thank you guys.

 

Thats the temp switch for the choke mainly. It activates at like 159 degrees and is fully open at 180 I think. Anyway, the temp sender is under the beehive but you might want to get a oil filter mount that lets you put a modern sender in for a gauge setup in the console somewhere if you want an accurate measure of temps. That would be oil temp and pressure, for coolant folks usually put sender that goes in the one of the radiator hoses.

 

If you go the route of a new oil pedestal to get the oil temp, make sure to do the work before the engine goes into the car... the mounting fasteners and banjos for the beehive are really annoying to reach otherwise.

 

There are two ways I've done aftermarket water temp gauges to augment the factory. One method is to use a 1986-1988 aluminum water pump housing and re-tap the hole that is used on the back for a water line. I have a write-up in the first gen section somewhere. It's involved. The other is to either use a 1979 aluminum water pump T-Stat neck and tap the flat spot on top. It's almost like they made that spot for a sensor. Those necks can be really hard to find. The other is to have a 1/8 bung welded into your current neck. Using the neck puts the sensor before the t-stat and using the 2nd gen aluminum water pump housing put it on the engine side. Having a bung welded in is the easy route right now. The other option would be to get one of the hose inline adapters for the top house. I don't like those, but some folks do.

 

I went this route for oil temp/pressure. Make sure to ensure the oil temp sensor fits right after placing the engine in place and before removing the cherry picker. Those sensors can be big and if it points towards the firewall, it can be hard to get in.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm leaning towards running the inline adapter into a coolant hose. As KansasCityREPU said, I assume topmost hose coming out of the rad and into the motor would be the best bet for location of the sensor?

I plan to custom design and 3D print a mounting bracket to the A pillar for an aftermarket guage.

For a budget but good setup, can anyone recommend a solid sensor/guage for this application?

Thank you

 

The temp sensor for the factory gauge is on the rear iron, below the oil filter.

I placed an aftermarket sensor in the water pump housing, deleting that switch that is in your pic in the pump housing.

I have a set of Innovate Motorsports gauges/sensor, and integrated them into the factory center console in place of the storage cubby. It started as a sheet of plastic that I bonded into an enlarged cutout in the factory plastic. Fill, sand, prime, sand.. then paint.

 

Tommy, your setup looks insanely clean. Great job and thanks for the input.

 

So I've decided on this cheap Amazon kit (only $26)

https://a.co/d/083cAyic

I understand that this may not be the best long term option, but I'm looking for something easy and cheap. I can't measure my rad hose right now as I'm away for a few days and would like to have the new setup waiting for when I get back and get to installing the motor.

So according to what I could find, looks like ID is 38mm? If so then this kit looks great for what I need.

But let me know if there are any red flags.

Thank you

 

I used iEqqus electrical gauges in my 1985. I modded the factory center console to fit a single DIN and the gauges.

 

I really like the interior and engine bay on your car.

 

I would do it once and do it right to save yourself the trouble later. On my DSM I installed aftermarket Greddy water gauge, exhaust temp. gauge, and Boost Gauge onto the driver pillar. For the water gauge I went the same route you did where I got an aftermarket temp sensor adapter (greddy as well) to on the coolant hose. The whole time I owned the car I never had a single issue with these gauges except for one of the tiny light bulbs going out and then having to buy a new one from Greddy aka Greedy for like $15. The gauges were super accurate as there were times where the car wanted to overheat due to 100+ weather and the Greddy temp. gauge alerted me right away while the factory temp gauge took a few mins before it started spiking. The same goes for the boost gauge always being accurate when I would crank up the boost at the track. For the hassle it took to fish the wires through the firewall and install the parts - i would be super upset having to do it all over again because one of the gauges failed. It's been a while since I have bought gauges but I would stick with a reputable company such as Greddy or AEM. Even autometer has been know for being reliable and they are on the cheaper cost.

 

Very nice! I like the high level positioning of the gauges. I currently have a double DIN head unit, but I'm starting to question if it's worth the real estate on the center stack.