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back to Pauls' Triumph home pageThe Dual Function                                  
Oil Pressure / Water Temperature    
                           Gauge Installation 

   Whitey - 1975 Spitfire Specific Tasks and Procedures
Transmission    The vibration    second rebuild    Clutch    O/D    driveshaft 
Special Update Whitey finally gets it's 6 cylinder engine, Fuel injected at that!
Section #2 - Whitey's Spit6 conversion Process                     F.I home page

5/2001

The Temperature Sensor Section

      The reason the new dash was designed was so  I could add a third gauge. I wanted to add an oil  pressure gauge, but the Spitfire dash doesn't leave a lot of room to do so. My options were limited. I  didn't want to give up any of the present gauges or cut another hole somewhere 'out-of-pattern'. So I  opted for the Smiths Dual gauge that incorporates an Oil Pressure gauge and water temperature gauge in one casing.

     The model number I used is GD 1301/21. This particular gauge has the oil pressure on top and the scale numbered. The Water temperature is simply marked C-N-H. Center scale on the temperature gauge is pretty close to 180°F. 

 


This isn't the gauge I installed, but it's the exact same model (a second I had laying here so I used
it for these web page photos) 

    I simply swapped chrome bezels with an old fuel gauge, so it would have the same black painted ring as the rest of the stock Spitfire gauges.

 

     The temperature probe threaded boss will thread right into the stock temperature sensor location on the 1500 engine.  The problem is there isn't anything to seat the sensor against.


mechanical temperature probe and mount boss.

       To properly mount the sensor you need the adapter that is used (among other places) on the  1275 MG A-series  engine. The standard 1275 A-Series MG Midget unit is what I used (part number 11K2846)  Thread this into the block with a stock brass compression washer.  Then thread the  sensor into the adapter. The sensor clears the bottom of the thermostat without any problems. 


Adapter in place (with washer against block
and the sensor mounted in the adapter.


The back of the gauge showing the
permanent connection of the temp
sensor line, and the o-ring seal (usually made
of leather) of the oil pressure pipe connection.

      The temperature sensor is part of the gauge and can not be removed from the back of the gauge. I ran my sensor through the dash, and created a few 'loops' (like the clutch line for flex-ability)  in the pipe to give me the ability to pull the dash without major flex of the gauge line. I ran it through the bulkhead at the choke cable grommet  in the firewall. This brought the line out just under the horn and starter relays, and up along the  support next to the brake master cylinder.



     I ran the line down the edge of my homemade side boards to the front of the engine, and then out up and over the alternator to the mount. You can see the service 'flex' area bent into the gauge line where it leaves the firewall and joins the side board.

 


      The homemade side boards had the aluminum riveted to the boards. The three black screws are mounts that hold the temperature sensor line under the edge to protect it.

 

The Pressure Sensor Section

       A stock Sunpro kit for pressure gauges will thread directly onto the pressure port of the gauge. I used an o-ring to seal the brass adapter onto the gauge. The engine end of the adapter is made from standard 1/8" NPT threaded pipe adapters and a T, available at any large hardware store. The fittings shown attached to the white line in the photo above came with the Sunpro gauge kit. Not shown here, is the original pressure switch which will mount in the end of the T, opposite the threaded adapter that will thread into the engine. The pressure line will be threaded along the  same route as the temperature line.

      The adapter 'T' threads into the engine with the original pressure switch threaded into the homemade adapter. I left a gentle curve in the pressure pipe, allowing for engine movement without stressing the pipe. I ended up running the pipe along the route of the electrical harness and then up the firewall and through the same hole the temperature sensor runs through.

 


     This above shot shows the 'service loops' in the pressure and temperature lines. These 'loops' allow me to pull down the panel without stressing the lines to the gauge. The fog light wiring (right side of photo) taps the main headlight switch for power (left side switch) This way shutting off the headlights kills everything. The fog light switch drives a relay for the lights. So the switch has very little load on it. The yellow/green twisted pair feeds the voltmeter. (I twist the wires to keep them together and minimize wire clutter.)  The small red/black pair just in front of the cadmium colored press/temp gauge, feeds the alarm system indicator on the dash. 

Note: I left the gauge panel out when I started the engine the first time to make sure there were no leaks. With pressure up, I loosened the pressure pipe to let the air bleed out and oil reach the gauge. With no air in the line you get a quicker response to pressure changes with no 'bouncing' of the readings.

 


Half a tank of gas, engine at about 1/2 normal running temp (still warming up) with 60+ PSI oil pressure, and the alternator putting out a solid 14.3 volts.

 

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last edited 
3/15/08

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