Temperature Gauge

[Fuddy Duddy]

Dropped off the engine parts off the $400 8N at the machine shop to let them do their little number on it. Told the guy to go ahead and tap out the little flat spot on the head so I can put a manual temperature in it. He said in his opinion the electrical ones are better. I hadn't never given it much thought. I put a manual one it my pickup. I like it because you can still see the temperature with the key off. Anyone got an option as to one being better over the other. To me just having a temperature gauge is the main thing. But manual you don't need to run any wires to it. Just screw in the sending unit and mount the gauge.
 

[souNdguy]

manual don't care pos or neg ground. or voltage type.

and is pretty much auto-magic. put it in and it reads. power or no power.


me? i'd go manual. one less electrical component to mess with..
 

[Curtsat15]

Gotta go with manual. KISS principle ya know?
 

[Hobo,NC]

The issue with electric is the sender in the automotive world aftermarket senders are not as good as OEM so were are you going to get a replacement if needed.. I doubt you will ever need one tho...

He's gonna have to pop a 3/8" pipe thread hole in it might as well go with the manual set up at least the sender comes calibrated with the gauge... If you don't like the color are the bezel gets rusty for $15 you have a matched set up.... Its also bias to voltage ...

I can see his point the wire'n is no big issue...
 

[Fuddy Duddy]

That's pretty much the way I looked at it. Just threw me when the Machinist said he thought electric was better. I think I've got a good machinist. Pass one up 15 miles away for this one 45 miles away. He told me he cut his teeth on 'N's. So I think I will be all right.
 

[36 Coupe]

He may think theres not enough metal in the head to take a tap.You will have a copper pipe running to the head.These pipes break easy and let one touch a hot terminal.No more gauge.The hose tap is still the safest way.A 60 year old cylinder head could be very thin.
 

[souNdguy]

the machinist shouldn't be doing too much guessing. witht he head in hand.. he should precisely know if it can be tapped. if it can't. he can always plug it.
 

[36 Coupe]

Cast iron is never easy to tap.If you have ever looked at cracked heads or blocks you will know thin the casting is.If I could measure the thickness of the cast in the area to be tapped and found it thick enough I would tap it.You have to have an adapter for temp bulbs installed in block.The temp bulb needs a shoulder to be water tight.Cast iron can have some very hard spots in it.
 

[souNdguy]

i've been pretty lucky. have never had an issue cutting, drilling, or tapping threads in cast iron. if there is thin webbing.. I can see an issue with threading.. but that can be mitigated with a lil brass. besides. the new style heas have a boss for a temp bulb. i'd think the ford engineers probably designed it with sufficient metal for that to happen..
 

[Hobo,NC]

[oldtanker]

I went with electric with mine. I put a VDO gauge in it that came as a kit with the sender. One power wire to the gauge, one to ground the gauge and one to the sender from the gauge. Pretty simple and I don't have a cap tube that can get smashed or bent a little too much ties up under the hood.

Rick
 

[36 Coupe]

The 9n engines were used in light trucks and had heads that were different from tractor heads. the trucks had a temperature gauge.Ford did not use electric temperature gauges until 1940.
 

[souNdguy]

all replacement heads will have the boss as well as the later industrial heads too.