[corkmt]

maybe a dumb ?, but i am buying aftermarket gauges, water, oil, volt. but i am not sure if i need mechanical or elcetrical guauges. most catologs ask this. I have a 69 firebird with idiot lights. the temp sending unit is in the intake manifold but has the temp sending wire off it to the idiot light, same for oil pressure, i'm sure you all know this, but which do i need to buy? I simply want to monitor the water pressure with a needle guage. excuse my cluelessness for i still have much to learn, from you older wiser ones...

[corkmt]

maybe a dumb ?, but i am buying aftermarket gauges, water, oil, volt. but i am not sure if i need mechanical or elcetrical guauges. most catologs ask this. I have a 69 firebird with idiot lights. the temp sending unit is in the intake manifold but has the temp sending wire off it to the idiot light, same for oil pressure, i'm sure you all know this, but which do i need to buy? I simply want to monitor the water pressure with a needle guage. excuse my cluelessness for i still have much to learn, from you older wiser ones...

[george kujanski]

My preference is for electrical gauges for the following reasons: I have had mechanical in the past, the awater temp capillary tube broke and was inoperative, the oil pressure tube would leak oil into the interior, etc.

With the electricals, the connection to the interior is with wires, easier to run thru rubber grommets, etc. You will get senders with the oil and water temp gauges. I would keep the temp and oil pressure idiot lights if you can, also, just for safety, they are already there. Do not get an ammeter, get a voltmeter instead, as an ammeter is more difficult to connect, requires large wires.

A word of caution: get quality guages, the cheaper ones do not have good tranducers (senders). I can comment on VDO gauges as being of good quality, as I have examined them.

Regards, Georg