Type of Gauges

[John F. Russo]

I know that I'm late on this subject.

What type of gauges and brand are you using?

I only have a boost gauge and the factory 'fake' oil gauge in front of the shift.

I intend to remove the cigarette lighter and use a under the dash two or three panel mount (black). I want the stealth look.

So what 6 gauges to use? My inital stab at this is as follows:

boost
oil pressure
volt
coolant temperature

I don't intend to do a lot of racing but want practical diagnostic information on my car's performance. I do hope to get to about 600 RWHP or more in the next couple of years. I'm not the leader here but I'll follow the leader.
_______
2003 Dark Blue Pearl 300B (Canadian) w/Light Flint (reversed traction control, mini spare, trunked 6 disc CD changer, clock-in-the-radio, heated front seats/mirrors, hood light), Born 12/10/02; converted new then used 2/28/03
ENGINE: Kenny Brown: 6th “Signature Series” conversion (450 hp), Vortech supercharger (5 to 7 psig boost; 3.48 pulley), 400 RWHP/377 RWTQ, 8.8lbs/BHP; Dennis Reinhart Cobra engine cooling kit TRANSMISSION: Stock transmission upgraded with Performance Automatic "Super Streeter" transmission version, stub shaft (defective metal) failed at 30k miles; upgraded internals (except for torque converter) to Dennis Reinhart's design; Precision, triple disc, P/N469018-3, later upgraded to 3500 rpm stall speed); Ford Racing transmission aluminum pan SUSPENSION: Metco control arms (black powdered coated), coil from each front stock spring removed to produce the “same” effect as an Eibach spring DRIVETRAIN 4.10 gears, MMX Driveshaft, Ford Racing Stud and Girdle BRAKES:14 in. BaerClaw front, (two piston, slotted rotors), TIRES: Pirelli P-Zero Asimmetrico (front 255/45ZR18 99Y, rear (widened rims)285/45ZR18 102Y), ACCESSORIES: Wheel locks (Ford), godshead valve stem caps, Dead pedal, Badgeless front grille by “Zack”; Zaino waxing; RainX; Autobhanded, FordChip, Ground clearance: 5 in.; 54,000 miles MISCELLANEOUS 18.5 mpg at a steady speed of 80 mph, one tank of gas
______________________________ ___________________________
1961 Ford Galaxie, 2 dr. Club Victoria, 390CID, 375hp, 4 barrel (gone)

[KillJoy]

Possibly Fuel Pressure..... perhaps Trans Temp?

KillJoy

[John F. Russo]

Possibly Fuel Pressure..... perhaps Trans Temp?

KillJoy

Very fast. I would like to see you draw a gun.

Thank you!

[KillJoy]

Very fast. I would like to see you draw a gun.

Thank you!

That's just it....you would never "see" it :D

KillJoy

[John F. Russo]

That's just it....you would never "see" it :D

KillJoy

You're fast with good comments!

But my Marauder will one day be much faster with black-faced gauges and green (or other) shimmering light in the night as it prowls the streets.

That's not bad for dreaming.

[KillJoy]

black-faced gauges and green (or other) shimmering light

Blue would be cool.......

KillJoy

[jim geary]

If you plan on getting your ride s/c'd than you should think about a
wide band A/F gauge also.

[SergntMac]

Both my MMs have the factory gauges in place, add a boost gauge to the A pillar on the #1x.

I don't need gauges, I need to know what's going on under my hood. My Scanguage does that for me, for now. I'd still like to own a full compliment of gauges, that's styling. Until then...

www.Scanguage.com (http://www.Scanguage.com)

Some double sided sticky tape, or Velcro keeps it in place (and anywhere in the cabin I chose). Reads the OBD II port live, I know exactly what the EEC is getting on 411 from sensors. Great at diagnosing, if I want to data log, pencil and paper still work for me, or, I switch to my Davis CarChip EX for collection of up to 300 hours of engine time. Between the two, I get what I need.

Good luck, John.

[RR|Suki]

Both my MMs have the factory gauges in place, add a boost gauge to the A pillar on the #1x.

I don't need gauges, I need to know what's going on under my hood. My Scanguage does that for me, for now. I'd still like to own a full compliment of gauges, that's styling. Until then...

www.Scanguage.com (http://www.Scanguage.com)

Some double sided sticky tape, or Velcro keeps it in place (and anywhere in the cabin I chose). Reads the OBD II port live, I know exactly what the EEC is getting on 411 from sensors. Great at diagnosing, if I want to data log, pencil and paper still work for me, or, I switch to my Davis CarChip EX for collection of up to 300 hours of engine time. Between the two, I get what I need.

Good luck, John.

I wants one!!!

[John F. Russo]

Blue would be cool.......

KillJoy
If I could get it I would!

[John F. Russo]

If you plan on getting your ride s/c'd than you should think about a
wide band A/F gauge also.

My post above indicates that I am supercharged.

At this time I have the following after the initial three : coolant temp, tranny temp, A/F gauge. This will be a full complement of six unless I add another panel mount to the other side of the steering column. I haven't inspected whether I can add a three panel mount yet. Has anyone done this?

I would like to hear from others about the pros and cons about whether this is the best or another gauge should be subsituted.

Jim, you're only two years younger than me! We're proud to state our age.

[John F. Russo]

[QUOTE=SergntMac]Both my MMs have the factory gauges in place, add a boost gauge to the A pillar on the #1x...etc..

I'm going to have to talk to you about your explanation. It is well above my head

[MM03MOK]

A Pillar Boost Gauge

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/4/6/7/A_Pillar_Boost_Gauge.jpg

Real Oil, Voltage, Tranny Temp Gauges

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/4/6/7/3_Gauge_Passenger_Flash_171504 .jpg

[Tallboy]

The part number for the A-Pillar pod is Auto Meter #10111

I got mine at Summit Racing...http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=ATM%2D10111&N=115&autoview=sku

[Donny Carlson]

My post above indicates that I am supercharged.

At this time I have the following after the initial three : coolant temp, tranny temp, A/F gauge. This will be a full complement of six unless I add another panel mount to the other side of the steering column. I haven't inspected whether I can add a three panel mount yet. Has anyone done this?

I would like to hear from others about the pros and cons about whether this is the best or another gauge should be subsituted.

Actually, Mac (got the $ and the --- is on its way) is right about gauges. You won't look at them while racing. They are helpful and entertaining between runs and every day. Coolant temp is fine (I had one installed because I was running an electric water pump), Trans temp is good, too, helps to keep an eye on things when you are hot lapping and gives -- sometimes -- advanced warning of tranny failure or fluid overheating that could lead to failure. A/F is useless other than when tuning, so that's one to ditch. Boost, certainly. You may consider an IAT gauge or something that meaures flow of coolant in the intercooler. This could predict a failure of the coolant pump for the intercooler or a too-hot inlet air temp indicating some other problem. Could prevent detonation and/or poorer performance than usual.

[grzellmer]

Both my MMs have the factory gauges in place, add a boost gauge to the A pillar on the #1x.

I don't need gauges, I need to know what's going on under my hood. My Scanguage does that for me, for now. I'd still like to own a full compliment of gauges, that's styling. Until then...

www.Scanguage.com (http://www.Scanguage.com)

Some double sided sticky tape, or Velcro keeps it in place (and anywhere in the cabin I chose). Reads the OBD II port live, I know exactly what the EEC is getting on 411 from sensors. Great at diagnosing, if I want to data log, pencil and paper still work for me, or, I switch to my Davis CarChip EX for collection of up to 300 hours of engine time. Between the two, I get what I need.

Good luck, John.

I STRONGLY second the motion on the Scangauge. I have one and it works fantastic. Use it in my MM and Class C camper.

[Ladyhawke]

Here are the gauges that we put in #8. They are from SPA Techniques out of Indy. They are dual digital gauges. You can select your combination. We picked boost/fuel pressure and volts/oil pressure.

[John F. Russo]

[QUOTE=MM03MOK]A Pillar Boost Gauge

I guess you feel that the trans temp is more important than the coolant temp.


P.S. For the the nice photos.

Thank you very much for the time you spent to take those photos.

[John F. Russo]

Here are the gauges that we put in #8. They are from SPA Techniques out of Indy. They are dual digital gauges. You can select your combination. We picked boost/fuel pressure and volts/oil pressure.

I think I like yours the best. Nice color. My 'stealth' is not compromised as it would if they were pillar gauges. The stealth look all the way! They can be read fast as compared to my dial style. What are the red buttons for? Recheck zero maybe.

Thank you very much for the time you spent to take those photos.

It there any reason tthat you didn't install a third gauge for coolant temp, trans temp or other function in the last pod? (Must be a smoker?)

[MM03MOK]

I guess you feel that the trans temp is more important than the coolant temp.


P.S. For the the nice photos.

Thank you very much for the time you spent to take those photos.No sweat. They're in my archives.

[RF Overlord]

I guess you feel that the trans temp is more important than the coolant temp.Not exactly, John. More because the car already has a coolant gauge right in front of me, but trans temp was something the car didn't have, so I elected to make that the next addition. I realise the stock coolant gauge is not ideal, but at least it works, unlike the stock oil pressure gauge.

[John F. Russo]

Not exactly, John. More because the car already has a coolant gauge right in front of me, but trans temp was something the car didn't have, so I elected to make that the next addition. I realise the stock coolant gauge is not ideal, but at least it works, unlike the stock oil pressure gauge.

Somehow I so rarely look at the coolant gauge on the dash that I neglected to include it!

How about the air/flow gauge instead of the coolant gauge for the 6th gauge? Does it make any sense?

[RF Overlord]

John if by air/flow you mean Air/Fuel ratio, it's only of value if you get a wideband gauge (one that uses a separate O2 sensor). The narrowband gauges that tie into an existing O2 (like the inexpensive one AutoMeter sells) are just a lightshow triggered by O2 sensor switching and really don't tell you much useful. Expect to pay between $350 and $500 for a good wideband.

[John F. Russo]

John if by air/flow you mean Air/Fuel ratio, it's only of value if you get a wideband gauge (one that uses a separate O2 sensor). The narrowband gauges that tie into an existing O2 (like the inexpensive one AutoMeter sells) are just a lightshow triggered by O2 sensor switching and really don't tell you much useful. Expect to pay between $350 and $500 for a good wideband.

That's a lot.

Is the information of that much value unless I'm racing seriously?

[RoNiN77]

Any mounting ideas for the Scanguage II ????

[TooManyFords]

I really like my AutoMeter Nexus gauges. They've got cool looks and data logging together in one package. Not cheap though, but you get what you pay for. Controller has a slot for an SD Card for storage of runs so you can review your pass both on the gauges and on your laptop. If you are serious into racing, you can store and compare different runs on the screen so when you make a small change you can see where it affected the internals during the run.

Everything else is just a gauge or a monitor, but not a true datalogging "system".

And did I mention they REALLY LOOK COOL? :D

John

[RF Overlord]

Is the information of that much value unless I'm racing seriously?IMHO, no. It's obviously necessary to know your A/F to get a good tune, but after that, unless you change something significant, it's overkill.
I really like my AutoMeter Nexus gauges.If I could justify the financial side to myself, I'd love to have them...they really ARE cool... :rasta:

[N40GL]

I know that I'm late on this subject.

What type of gauges and brand are you using?

John,

Check out the "Spa Technique" dual gauges Kenny put in my car. Two gauges in one - same hole size.

http://spatechnique.com/

On the left: Oil Temp (top) over Trans Temp (bottom)
In the middle: Oil Pressure (top) over Volts (bottom)
On the right: Cigarette Lighter (so far . . . )

[John F. Russo]

John,

Check out the "Spa Technique" dual gauges Kenny put in my car. Two gauges in one - same hole size.

http://spatechnique.com/

On the left: Oil Temp (top) over Trans Temp (bottom)
In the middle: Oil Pressure (top) over Volts (bottom)
On the right: Cigarette Lighter (so far . . . )

Thank you

I like the black dial with the green ligthing.