MG Engine Swaps Forum

I have a dual mechanical oil pressure/water temperature gauge (Smiths Telemetrix) for my binnacle and I'm searching for the right digital speedo for the centre. I'm deleting the OEM vents in the centre and I have one of the panels below to put there but I'm not sure what gauges. I thought an electrical a/f could be one but two others.....I don't think I want either a clock or oil temp in this car. Suggestions?

---

Mk1: CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67; owned since 3/77. 18GB +40 balanced. Peter Burgess BVFR head. Piper 285. 123. FidanzaFW. 4synch c/r box. Lots more as I did a nut and bolt rebuild; finished 2015. Tartan Red.

GT: December '78. VW Golf guards, flush fit front and rear valances. Torana XU1 vents, frenched indicators & Mk1 rear lights. 'Worked' Rover V8 with Monsoon ECU for EFI. GM4L60E, Lokar tiptronic & Quick4 controller. Vintage Air A/C. FC IFS. CCE 4 link rear. Salisbury with Quaife. Jaguar Storm.

A vacuum gauge might be handy.

---

'73 MGB (Sold)
'69 MGB GT/V6 Conversion (Sold)
Victor TF 1800
'03 Jaguar XK8

Voltmeter?

---

1973 MGB: Blow through supercharged, intercooled, 10psi boost. VP12 cam, aluminum flywheel, 8.9:1 compression. Black label OD, Saab 15” minilites. Goes a lot better than it looks.

Pretty much, the "required" gauges to monitor a water cooled carbureted engine would be a volt gauge, a fuel tank gauge, a tach, an oil pressure gauge, and a water temp gauge.These are essential, no way around it. A manifold vacuum gauge would be next down on the list followed by an oil temp (if it's a Ford engine) or head temp gauge. You should be able to easily set the air fuel mixture just once at the carb and be done with it, no need for that gauge for the most part. For fun, you could fill a hole with an altimeter gauge, engine hours run gauge, or trim gauge.

http://spitfirespares.co.uk/Website%20products%20154/Trim%20B%20use%20this.jpg

I consider an ammeter to be one of the more important gages, and here's why. It tells you the volume of charge going to the battery, and that tells you more about the health of your electrical system than anything else you can do. Plus then if you need to know the voltage you can plug in one of those cigar lighter voltmeters that have USB charge sockets for your phone or GPS and they are more accurate as well. OEMs went to voltmeters because they are cheap and simple, not because they were as good. A voltmeter only tells you one thing. How full is the battery. The ammeter tells you if it's full of sand with just a little voltage at the top. The ammeter tells you if your alternator is up to snuff and can handle the big charging demands. It will tell you if you have a dead cell where the voltmeter would just happily say everything is OK while your battery goes critical from overcharging and tries to melt down or explode. Sure, it's more trouble to install, but the newer ones come with a shunt that takes the heavy current and lets you run light weight wires to the dash.

Jim

Barrie if QLD is anything like Victoria and NSW where some speed limits change at with time of day (school zones for instance) Knowing the time in an instant can be important,
Would not have said this once but "now" I'm for a clock. Denis

---

68 B roadster, Daffodil yellow, supercharger, Burgess SC head, SC cam, Mikuni HSR 48 carburetor and engine built for supercharging.

73 BGT V8 conversion starting with a bare shell. Built the engine "3.9L Rover" early in 2016 with high comp pistons and a few other nice bits, plus a T5 ford trans. Started on the body late 2016 and complete late 2017, Did all the work myself, mechanical, body. paint etc.
Finished and going well, great to drive and quick. Now has a nice 3.23 LSD.

What Jim said.

---

1973 MG BGT - Harvest Gold / Black interior

1974 MG BGT - Bracken / Autumn Leaf interior - http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,11702

Good point Denis - fortunately our zones are all the same (7-9 & 2-4). Thanks for all your other suggestions.

---

Mk1: CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67; owned since 3/77. 18GB +40 balanced. Peter Burgess BVFR head. Piper 285. 123. FidanzaFW. 4synch c/r box. Lots more as I did a nut and bolt rebuild; finished 2015. Tartan Red.

GT: December '78. VW Golf guards, flush fit front and rear valances. Torana XU1 vents, frenched indicators & Mk1 rear lights. 'Worked' Rover V8 with Monsoon ECU for EFI. GM4L60E, Lokar tiptronic & Quick4 controller. Vintage Air A/C. FC IFS. CCE 4 link rear. Salisbury with Quaife. Jaguar Storm.

deleted



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-08-19 01:28 PM by NSFW.