Re: New guy here from Florida

by dynchel Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:13 pm

Look under the valve cover and find a part #. Look online to see what you have. I don't remember what site I used , but googling it should get results pretty easily. My guess is You probably have 76cc "smog" heads, but you may get lucky depending what has been done to your car in the past.

by 77mali Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:31 pm

It's expensive to do any kind of engine build these days.

by thepossumface Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:45 pm

yeah your telling me, on another note has anyone seen or made a dash with custom gauges?
http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?91679-69-camaro-gauge-cluster
or you think i can get away with getting the camaro one?

by thatfnthing Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:48 am

thepossumface wrote:yeah your telling me, on another note has anyone seen or made a dash with custom gauges?

How about fitting aftermarket gauges into the existing dash? These are the VDO Cockpit series. VDO is the only gauge manufacturer I could find with a 4" speedo and tach available, and they have almost a full complement in this series, including the transmission gauges I have on the pillar. The only exception is the fuel pressure gauge from Nordskog on the console.

New guy here from Florida - Page 5 Dash210

New guy here from Florida - Page 5 Dash210

by thepossumface Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:48 pm

i think i saw this pic on google once, but yes I would like to keep the dash just aftermarket gauges like these but know the name of them? or what they run?
i like your setup looks clean but the tach and speedo is 4"? i thought it was 5 maybe i measured it wrong

by thatfnthing Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:11 pm

I used the VDO Cockpit series of gauges, though the Vision series is also close, and there are other series available. They're reasonably priced at egauges.com, though you can get them from a lot of vendors. They're also backlit -- you can swap out the bulbs for LEDs and have them light up in color -- mine are red at night (with apologies for mediocre photography):

New guy here from Florida - Page 5 Dashni10

New guy here from Florida - Page 5 Dashni10

A 4 1/2" gauge would have been perfect, but 4" was as close as I could get. The two most popular sizes other manufacturers make are 5" (too big) and 3 5/8" (way too small). That's on a Monte -- yours might measure out differently, so you might have more choices.

by thepossumface Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:34 pm

i think 21/2 should fit in mine, but i like yours but if i can get green lights I would love that!! I got pretty much my whole inside of my car torn apart beside my driver chair and basic stuff to drive and a speed gauge no gas haha so i gotta guess

by thepossumface Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:09 pm

http://www.harborfreight.com/electronic-triple-auto-gauge-set-41017.html
found these and I got a cupon for 20% off not to bad for a temp setup I may run these with a brighter bulb and Ill need a wiring on how to hook up the lights up though, cant seem to find a shop book.

by thatfnthing Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:15 am

thepossumface wrote:i think 21/2 should fit in mine, but i like yours but if i can get green lights I would love that!! I got pretty much my whole inside of my car torn apart beside my driver chair and basic stuff to drive and a speed gauge no gas haha so i gotta guess

The smaller gauges are all 2 1/16", which is a standard size that every manufacturer makes, so you should have no trouble finding something you like by somebody. However, different manufacturers will have different lighting setups, some of which will be proprietary, and many will come with a plain-jane white incandescent bulb. One of the things I liked about VDO was that I could swap in sockets and LEDs and have any color I wanted, and the colors are truer than what you would get with an incandescent bulb. The LEDs also come in a nice green. Smile

thepossumface wrote:http://www.harborfreight.com/electronic-triple-auto-gauge-set-41017.html
found these and I got a cupon for 20% off not to bad for a temp setup I may run these with a brighter bulb and Ill need a wiring on how to hook up the lights up though, cant seem to find a shop book.

Keep in mind that gauges are one place where the rule "you get what you pay for" holds true. While those will work for a while, the gauges themselves will be mechanical, meaning you'll have to plumb an oil line into your cabin to the pressure gauge, and sooner or later those always spring a leak. Electric cost more, but are definitely the way to go, even if you have to buy the gauges one at a time as you can afford them. Also, a voltmeter will tell you more than an ammeter, and the ammeter can only handle so much juice and will be a PITA to wire.

Any respectable set of gauges will come with the necessary wiring diagrams, but if you should find yourself stumped a lot of people here have already been down that road and can offer their wisdom, and probably copies of the factory wiring diagrams. Smile

by Bruisr Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:53 pm

Do you already have the round style factory gauges? If so, why not get some white covers for them and use a green LED. You can find the covers for 20 bucks on Ebay. I and someone else has a set, they look really good!

by Bruisr Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:21 pm

http://stores.ebay.com/White-Gauges/_i.html?_nkw=73+chevelle&submit=Search&_sid=10585820 here they are!
I did mine several years ago and used blue LED's on my elco. I'll be doing a set in my chevelle but with red LED's

by thepossumface Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:27 pm

do you have some pics i may do that!! looks alot cheaper

by Laguna Budman Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:23 am

Here is mine that I did if it helps. New guy here from Florida - Page 5 00310

New guy here from Florida - Page 5 00510

by Bruisr Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:31 am

It makes the dash look a lot better and they are stickers so it doesn't matter what the original gauges looked like. I'm very happy with mine, and being in Arizona with the high heat, they have not discolored or lifted after 8yrs.. Still looks as good as they did when installed. Heck even the LED's still work great. Remember, you can get those in several colors. The LED's really bring out the gauges!

by thepossumface Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:42 pm

i may do that but got me a sunpro temp gauge to see my temp and i had to force it in the spot and cut a lil to make it fit, guess 21/2 is too big lol

by thepossumface Sun Jun 16, 2013 6:50 pm

so i may have a issue my car wont start after new intake gaskets, it spins but not enough fire to kick on i think its something w/ my dizzy i think the spring between the coil and bottom fell off when i pulled it, would that cause it

by 1973 454 MONTE Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:36 pm

could be off 180 degrees

by thepossumface Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:24 pm

i just moved the dizzy around in the spot it was taken out of i marked it, and the carb spit fire and almost kept on lucky i had a towel to put it out.

by thepossumface Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:02 pm

still wont start...found the plunger that goes under the coil but its making wierd sounds from the headers like a backfire but then dosent this is a first for me & smoke comes from my carb the back 2 barrals

by Bruisr Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:18 pm

When an engine backfires thru carb. timing is too far advanced, when it backfires in the exhaust it is too far retarded. 1 tooth on the dizzy, you can make up for on the turning of the dizzy once engine is running. 2 teeth or more and the dizzy will have to be removed and lined up again and reinstalled. You are getting spark, just not at the right time. You might still be off on the initial timing of the dizzy. I think you might be too far advanced. I recommend pulling it out completely and starting from scratch. Are you aware the dizzy turns the rotor as you remove from engine? It may have turned more than you anticipated when you reinstalled. Here's what I suggest. Remove dizzy completely, turn engine over until mark lines up with tab on timing cover. HOWEVER, you need to know for certain which stroke you are on. Remove drivers valve cover and watch the 2 front rockers as you rotate the engine. When the front,(exhaust) rocker is closing and just as the 2nd(intake) rocker is starting to open. That's where true TDC is. Make sure you get it right, you might have to spin engine over a few times to get it exact. Then turn rotor backwards to about 3 o'clock position, and install in engine. As dizzy drops, it will turn clockwise, and wont drop all the way down. When I know I got it where I want it, I rotate engine until dizzy fully drops. This is making the oil pump shaft, and dizzy connecting with each other. You could physically turn the oil pump with a screwdriver, but its very hard to get it right to line up with dizzy as it turns and drops into engine. Once the dizzy is in engine, button everything down and turn dizzy as you crank engine to find the sweet spot, once it fires and stays running then go back and time with a timing light. 8 degrees before TDC, on the timing mark and tab. Lets us know how you make out.

by thepossumface Tue Jun 18, 2013 10:12 pm

did what you said and this thing runs better than it did before, now my rad hose has a small leak lol

by Bruisr Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:34 pm

Glad to hear you got it going good! If it ain't one thing its another! My father laughs at me when I p*ss and moan about doing repair after repair, he says, "That's the joys of owning a hot rod", Unfortunately for him he can't maneuver around his car so well and calls on me to fix it for him. That's when I laugh and tell him "That's the joys of getting old", then of course I help him fix the car! I just wish right now some of my repairs were a lot simpler than what I'm dealing with. But I'll never stop! I love my cars too much!

by thepossumface Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:58 pm

yup, now did anyone ever replace there upper rad hose? i have the flex one and hate it, id rather have the rubber one but the chinatown man at autozone said they cant carry it, i know thats a lie, but can i get one from a mali or camaro?

by driveit Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:02 am

I think mine is from a truck. Im sure you can find one to fit regardless of what it goes to. Also if you can't get one to line up perfectly to your gooseneck on the intake you can buy those that swivel!

by thepossumface Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:51 pm

on another note sense i cant find a dash and everyone wants 300or more, im getting my mellin cam new timing chain and P.S pump! cant wait

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