gauges mechanical or electrical
#124623
09/22/08 04:58 PM
09/22/08 04:58 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 377 Michigan Troll
blk00rt
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which ones for inside the car and why? I have heard you are not suppose to use mechanical inside the car yet it appears everyone sells them and electrical are harder to find on the shelf. Thanks
Rob Dunn 1976 Dart Sport 360 2000 dakota RT 408 with 150 nitrous 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi 2009 Jeep Patriot
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: Pacnorthcuda]
#124625
09/22/08 05:18 PM
09/22/08 05:18 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195 Snowing in the north!
Dart 340
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Quote:
I prefer 270 degree (full sweep mechanical) anyday. The only in car restrictions I know of are NO FUEL PRESSURE and if you have an Oil pressure you want to use Copper tubing---not vinyl.
Oh I and I do use an electric tach..
You can use mechanical fuel in the car. You just need an isolator. No big deal to install.
For all around accuracy, get electric stepper motor driven gauges. The recalibrate every time you start your car and the accuracy is within 3%.
Mechanical gauges are not as accurate, however they will cost less than half of a good quality electric gauge, ie autometer cobalt, C2, Nexus etc.
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: blk00rt]
#124626
09/22/08 08:20 PM
09/22/08 08:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,482 Lake Orion, MI
goldduster318
pro stock
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pro stock
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Posts: 1,482
Lake Orion, MI
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I have autometer short sweep electric gauges and they're working well and seem to be rock solid accurate. I would HIGHLY suggest an Electric Speedometer if you're going to replace all your gauges.
'70 Duster 470hp 340/T56 Magnum/8 3/4 3.23 Sure-Grip
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: goldduster318]
#124627
09/23/08 06:38 AM
09/23/08 06:38 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
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We run mechanical ones.Lots of people say elec are accurate but have no oil pressure and what does everyone say.Put a mechanical gauge in to see what the real pressure is.I run braided line for the oil pressure.Better than copper and less likely to break.The plastic they give you is junk.Fuel pressure must be outside the car unless you run an isolator.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: Dart 340]
#124629
09/23/08 01:00 PM
09/23/08 01:00 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
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Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
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No issues with running a mechanical temp gauge. I think we can all agree on that. If that little capilliary tube breaks, big deal, no harm. Oil is the messy one. I run a braided oil feed hose to a mechanical gauge. If I was to do it again, I would go with an electric oil gauge. Why? Well yeah the mechanical oil gauges are cheap, but those vinyl hose they give you with it are cheap crap. So what do you have to do? Drop another $25 on a braided hose and or fitting adapaters to guarantie a leak-free setup. But by then you've spent what an electric gauge would have costed in the first place. So to conclude, oil = electric, temp = mechanical.
But I do agree with rocky, whenever you have an oil pressure problem, first thing everyone says is to put a known working mechanical on it to see what's really happening. Less accurate, yes, sometimes it's nice to just be able to rule out electronics as a source of problems and move on from there. As far as accuracy with mechanical gauges goes, yeah they could be less accurate. I know when I swapped cheapie mech oil pressure gauges, according to the gauge my oil pressure suddenly dropped 5psi across the board. Am I worried about it? No.
For tachs and speedos, well I think almost everyone runs an electric tach, and no reason why not to. I like the electric speedos. You calibrate them by driving them, no need to change speedo gears and such, but just too much $ over the mechanical speedos by the time you buy the gauge(for the same or more price than a comparable mechanical speedo) and drop another 30 bucks on a speed sender.
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: Dart 340]
#124631
09/24/08 12:05 AM
09/24/08 12:05 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 377 Michigan Troll
blk00rt
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thanks everyone, looks like I will be going with electrical gauges for the ones I want to add to the dart. Oil pressure, voltmeter, and probably fuel pressure.
Now I just need to decide on a style of autometer.
Rob Dunn 1976 Dart Sport 360 2000 dakota RT 408 with 150 nitrous 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi 2009 Jeep Patriot
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: therocks]
#124632
09/24/08 02:15 AM
09/24/08 02:15 AM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 247 DuPont, Washington
DZJim
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DuPont, Washington
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Quote:
We run mechanical ones.Lots of people say elec are accurate but have no oil pressure and what does everyone say.Put a mechanical gauge in to see what the real pressure is.I run braided line for the oil pressure.Better than copper and less likely to break.The plastic they give you is junk.Fuel pressure must be outside the car unless you run an isolator.Rocky
Hmmm. The Autometer company supplies nylon tubing with their expensive mechanical pressure indicators. Nylon will melt in contact with a hot exhaust manifold. So I just isolate the line well and support it and provide strain relief. I have no doubt that the nylon is tougher and more resistant to fatigue failure and /or kinking than copper. Braided line? What's under the braid? Rubber? Teflon? Teflon is "plastic"?
just...My $0.02
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: DZJim]
#124633
09/24/08 06:32 AM
09/24/08 06:32 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
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Well go to the track with 15 feet of rubber hose from the gas tank to the carb.They will bounce you out.Now go with braided.That and what are your brake hoses made from.Braided rubber.Just the plastic is too vunerable to melting.I had run it before and had no problems.But now I run steel braid.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: blk00rt]
#124634
09/24/08 08:19 AM
09/24/08 08:19 AM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195 Snowing in the north!
Dart 340
moparts member
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moparts member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
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Quote:
thanks everyone, looks like I will be going with electrical gauges for the ones I want to add to the dart. Oil pressure, voltmeter, and probably fuel pressure.
Now I just need to decide on a style of autometer.
PM me if you want any info on Auto Meter gauges and the differences. You might be surprised at what you will learn.
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: Dart 340]
#124637
09/24/08 04:34 PM
09/24/08 04:34 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,075 United States
STLDuster
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super stock
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Posts: 1,075
United States
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Quote:
Final question on the sender, what does it look like? It is large and brass, or chromed on the body?
Which is better? I picked up a chrome bodied one last year, I was planning on using it on my fresh 440 here in a few months... I am going to be keeping an eye on this thread too...
Last edited by STLDuster; 09/24/08 04:34 PM.
"No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness." - Aristotle
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Re: gauges mechanical or electrical
[Re: STLDuster]
#124638
09/24/08 04:36 PM
09/24/08 04:36 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195 Snowing in the north!
Dart 340
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moparts member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
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Quote:
Quote:
Final question on the sender, what does it look like? It is large and brass, or chromed on the body?
Which is better? I picked up a chrome bodied one last year, I was planning on using it on my fresh 440 here in a few months... I am going to be keeping an eye on this thread too...
The one with the chrome body is better. The short of it is that it quite a bit lighter. There was potential for vibration to snap the brass one off at the neck. The one you have most likely says SSI on the body someplace. I have a couple laying around somewhere if need be...
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