Oil Pressure Guage?
- Thread starter kcav8or
- Start date
MikeK
Well-known member
Not sure what you mean by 'option', but the easy access point is to replace the screw-in plug on the side of the engine, in line with the distributor, just above the oil pan line. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND a brass 90 directly into a 0.010 - 0.016" flow restrictor before any tubing fittings. That way a tubing or line break will be a small dribble, not a gusher. It will take a few seconds for the gauge to respond, but the reading will be unaffected. Expect ~5 psi with a cold engine, less when hot. A 0-10psi gauge is ideal if you can find one. Flow restrictor:LINK
Purdy Swoft
Well-known member
You can see the oil line in this pic. It connects like mike says. I run the line arround the front of the engine to avoid having to run it under the exhaust pipe. I run the line up the steering column opening up to a double gauge holder that attaches to the upper steering column bracket. I also run a mechanical temperature gauge that I consider to be the most important. The oil pressure could hurt you if you wanted to sell. It could be hard to convince a person that knew nothing about the model A, that 5 psi was good oil pressure.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
There is not room in the intrument panel to cut a hole for a gauge. As you know, the gas tank is all around the instrument panel and can not be cut or drilled.
kcav8or
Member
OK, that makes sense. The car is at a different location, so I have to rely on photos and memory for details like that. I am surprised to hear that the fuel tank actually comes all the way back to the dashboard. I would have expected a gap. I'll have to take a better look next time I'm over there.
John LaVoy
Well-known member
There were a couple of options for gauges. There was a bracket that used the bottom two screws for the instrument panel to attach a one or two gauge pack, this is the most common. Then there was the "Aristrocat" instrument panel that adds two gauges to the instrument panel. The other option was the Apco cluster that goes around the steering column and holds two gauges.
Bob-A
Well-known member
Both my "A's" have oil PSI gauges. The '31 has a NOS Rochester "30 lb"
gauge under the instrument panel and the '29 has a repop Rex-A-Co 10 lb gauge in the same location. The Rochester I found on eBay for $15 and the repop one I bought off a fellow FordBarner. Both use plastic lines coming from the hole in the block under the distributor. The line comes straight out on the '31 and curves around to go up throught the speedo cable hole/grommet on the firewall. On the '29 the line comes off a 90 degree elbow screwed into the block pointed to the rear. The line curves out and around the "Hi-Boy" air filter and then also goes throught the speedo hole to the gauge. Neither line comes near the exhaust, however I do run 3/16" ID asphalt wiring loom over the lines to help protect and hide the plastic aspect of the lines. The wiring loom only goes as far as the speedo hole. As to whether the gauges are accurate, I have no idea, but they do let me know the oil is'a flow'n...!
Bob-A
gauge under the instrument panel and the '29 has a repop Rex-A-Co 10 lb gauge in the same location. The Rochester I found on eBay for $15 and the repop one I bought off a fellow FordBarner. Both use plastic lines coming from the hole in the block under the distributor. The line comes straight out on the '31 and curves around to go up throught the speedo cable hole/grommet on the firewall. On the '29 the line comes off a 90 degree elbow screwed into the block pointed to the rear. The line curves out and around the "Hi-Boy" air filter and then also goes throught the speedo hole to the gauge. Neither line comes near the exhaust, however I do run 3/16" ID asphalt wiring loom over the lines to help protect and hide the plastic aspect of the lines. The wiring loom only goes as far as the speedo hole. As to whether the gauges are accurate, I have no idea, but they do let me know the oil is'a flow'n...!
Bob-A
Bob-A
Well-known member
kcav8or,
Generally Model-A oil pumps are pretty reliable pieces of machinery and don't go bad. If you have checked the dip stick and it shows plenty of oil.
And the car starts and runs and does not make any "unusal" noises at first or later on. Then I would say she be pump'n..!
Bob-A
PS: Unusal is a pretty relative term especially not knowing the condition of your motor.
Generally Model-A oil pumps are pretty reliable pieces of machinery and don't go bad. If you have checked the dip stick and it shows plenty of oil.
And the car starts and runs and does not make any "unusal" noises at first or later on. Then I would say she be pump'n..!
Bob-A
PS: Unusal is a pretty relative term especially not knowing the condition of your motor.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
It usually marks it's territory by leaving a few drops under the bellhousing.
If it's not marking it's territory then it's out of oil or not pumping.
kcav8or
Member
Thanks. We're still working on getting it started. It's turning over and firing, but I'm waiting on a replacement carb part before we can actually get it to stay running. The engine seems to be in pretty good shape for a car that hasn't run in over a decade. The fact that it's kept in a heated garage helps immensely.
CarlG
Well-known member
This bracket is modified from one I got at Berts:
Attachments
Purdy Swoft
Well-known member
Here is a pic of the under the instrument panel gauge bracket on my roadster. This is a temp. gauge but an oil pressure gauge could be used with the same bracket. This pic shows how the repro gear shift lever is very close when this style bracket is used. There are several style gauge brackets availabe, new and old.
The gas tank isn't flat under the instrument panel. With the original gauges and wire connections , it is very close under the instrument panel, especially if the pop out switch and cable are used.
The gas tank isn't flat under the instrument panel. With the original gauges and wire connections , it is very close under the instrument panel, especially if the pop out switch and cable are used.