Hello BITOGers,
I finally got around to installing an auxillary set of Sunpro gauges to supplement what's already buit-in the dash on my '68 Polara. I ran into a couple of problems however.
1) My voltmeter readings are a bit erratic at times. At idle the needle is very steady. Also when I rev the engine on the driveway the needle moves up and down as expected very smoothly. When I drive down the road at a steady cruise is when it gets weird. It centers around a nice normal 14v or so but the needle is very erratic. Lots of bouncing. I'm guessing some of that may be due to bumps in the road but this also happens on very smooth roads. For reference, I'm using a Pertronix Ignitor II ignition system with their Flame Thower II Super Coil with a hi-output alternator the old owner installed. I also made the voltmeter connection off of the Accessory fuse circuit under the dash. I'm thinking it's not really ok to have erratic voltage readings but the car seems to run ok. Radio works, lighting works, etc.
2) I couldn't get the plug out of the water pump housing to install the sending unit for the mechanical water temp gauge that was in the kit. I tried everything I could think of to remove it. Sanded down the area, tons of PB Blaster on the threads, tried whacking the plug a few times with a hammer to try and loosen up rust, tried removing it with engine hot and cold, etc. I also managed to destroy a neighbors "cheapie" breaker bar during the process. The plug basically has a square hole in it which a 3/8" extension fits into nicely. The factory electrical sender hole is too small for the mechanical gauge "bulb" to fit through. Anyway, I gave up on that one and I'll stick with the temp gauge in the dash.
3) At least my oil pressure gauge and the tachometer and lighting for all the gauges works nicely. Oil pressure at hot idle is around 30psi.
Anybody have any ideas regarding the voltmeter readings?
Thanks,
Ed B.
I finally got around to installing an auxillary set of Sunpro gauges to supplement what's already buit-in the dash on my '68 Polara. I ran into a couple of problems however.
1) My voltmeter readings are a bit erratic at times. At idle the needle is very steady. Also when I rev the engine on the driveway the needle moves up and down as expected very smoothly. When I drive down the road at a steady cruise is when it gets weird. It centers around a nice normal 14v or so but the needle is very erratic. Lots of bouncing. I'm guessing some of that may be due to bumps in the road but this also happens on very smooth roads. For reference, I'm using a Pertronix Ignitor II ignition system with their Flame Thower II Super Coil with a hi-output alternator the old owner installed. I also made the voltmeter connection off of the Accessory fuse circuit under the dash. I'm thinking it's not really ok to have erratic voltage readings but the car seems to run ok. Radio works, lighting works, etc.
2) I couldn't get the plug out of the water pump housing to install the sending unit for the mechanical water temp gauge that was in the kit. I tried everything I could think of to remove it. Sanded down the area, tons of PB Blaster on the threads, tried whacking the plug a few times with a hammer to try and loosen up rust, tried removing it with engine hot and cold, etc. I also managed to destroy a neighbors "cheapie" breaker bar during the process. The plug basically has a square hole in it which a 3/8" extension fits into nicely. The factory electrical sender hole is too small for the mechanical gauge "bulb" to fit through. Anyway, I gave up on that one and I'll stick with the temp gauge in the dash.
3) At least my oil pressure gauge and the tachometer and lighting for all the gauges works nicely. Oil pressure at hot idle is around 30psi.
Anybody have any ideas regarding the voltmeter readings?
Thanks,
Ed B.