electric oil pressure gauge

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BigDan

Member
I want to install an after market electric oil pressure gauge on my '46 Merc. It's still 6 volt. Can anyone recommend a good one? Ease of installation is another concern. I haven't done this before. Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions and thanks again to everyone who chimed in on my oil pressure relief valve posting.

Dan
 
The stock system work well and there are gauges and senders available. Staying stock would certainly ease installation! Are there compelling reasons to change?
 
When I built my '51 Merc, I ran it first on a test stand with quality mechanical gauges. When I put it in the car with the stock gauges, the readings were remarkably similar. Unless you have a pretty good reason to suspect the stock gauges, I think they would be pretty close. If you still want to check them, get a mechanical gauge and a "tee" fitting; it'll be a lot easier to install and probably a lot cheaper. I haven't priced aftermarket 6 volt oil pressure gauges lately, but if they're like the rest of the 6 volt stuff, prepare to get out your wallet.
 
I'm a fan of mechanical gauges. "T" into where your existing sender is and put a mechanical gauge on the engine or otherwise run a small tube to the dash where you could monitor it while driving.
 
BigDan said:
I just want to be sure the stock gauge is accurate.
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I also found that the gauge in the car indicated pretty close to mechanical gauge on the test stand. Be sure you have an oil pressure sender that matches your instrument, which should be 80 PSI. All 80 lb senders are marked 80 on the underside of the unit. 1941 and earlier had 50 lb instruments. Senders for 50 lb may or may not be marked 50.
 
I like good mechanical gauges also. I always start a new rebuilt engine with direct old school mechanical gauge. However, I also really like Ford's original King Seeley gauges because they always work and are very accurate. The only bad ones I have seen were killed by the owner (12V) or wrecked. They are very dependable which is why you can buy NOS ones all day long for $20 to 30 depending on faceplate. I am not a fan of running hot pressured oil into the passenger compartment. Especially the cheap ones that use plastic tubing. A dash fire or a weak ,cheap plastic tube will ruin your day ,and its aimed right you.
Just my opinion
 
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