Gauges, Meaningful Ones

Bob Bidonde

Bob Bidonde

Well-known member
I have an accessory gauge mount the goes on the steering column and has room for 2 gauges. My car already has a temperature gauge, and it has a Model "B" engine. What 2 gauges do you suggest I put into the steering column bracket?
 
Maybe a tachometer

These things don't build much oil pressure, so I wouldn't bother with that. What might be pretty handy is an air fuel ratio gauge. But, you'd have to weld a bung in the exhaust for a wide band O2 sensor
 
I have tachometer and water temp .
 

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The nice thing about having an oil pressure gauge is that you know that the oil pump is working. What could be more important?

Ours runs around 10 to 13 pounds cold and 3 to 5 pounds warm.
 
I find a voltmeter, in conjunction with the ammeter, very handy. Hook it up so that it comes on with the ignition switch. When you first turn on the ignition it will tell you how good your battery is. You can view the voltage when cranking the engine to see if the battery is good under load. While you are driving you can monitor the battery voltage. If you have an alternator it will come up to a fully charged state, 7 or 14 volts, and the ammeter will be at zero. My battery shows about 8 volts when I am cranking the engine (12 volt system).

My alternator failed once while I was on a trip to a friends house. The ammeter showed a slight discharge, but the voltmeter was a spot-on clue. I monitored the voltage while I completed the last few miles to make sure that my ignition system was going to make it. The alternator was changed out at my friends house.

The oil pressure is important, of course, but I find that I am looking at the tachometer a lot more than the oil pressure gauge. I have an overdrive so I can keep the engine rpm in the right range for the conditions, such as climbing a grade or cruising down the highway.
 
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Volt meter and vacuum gauge. However, an oil pressure gauge can be fun when you point out it dropped to 5 PSI to a passenger!
 
If you are going to have gauges, you need to have them so you can see them without distracting you from driving. That means looking at them with your peripheral vision. In other words without taking your eyes off the road.This is one of the first things you learn in racing and high performance defensive street driving school.
Mounting them so that when they are reading normal running value with the needle pointing straight up makes it very easy to recognize if something goes out of normal while driving.
 

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Hi Pete, A wire connection failed at the end of the field winding. I cleaned up the stub and soldered it to the lead. I encapsulated the area with epoxy. I can't remember the details but that is the gist of it. The alternator is on the shelf as a spare. It appeared to be a manufacturing flaw.
 
Thanks all for your recommendations. My choices are a voltmeter to watch over my 12V alternator, and a vacuum gauge.
 
If you feel the need for gauges at all, why not an o2 sensor gauge that tells the fuel mixture ratio so you can adjust the GAV for the best mixture? Maybe add a Pyro or a Vacuum gauge to set the timing to optimum??
 
I think Brent has a great idea. I'd love to see how to do that. I assume mounting it inside the muffler. Brent, tell us what to do here.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
If you feel the need for gauges at all, why not an o2 sensor gauge that tells the fuel mixture ratio so you can adjust the GAV for the best mixture? Maybe add a Pyro or a Vacuum gauge to set the timing to optimum??
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Brent, are you being serious or messing with peoples minds?

Happy Holidays to all.

Enjoy.
 
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