Hello,
Bought 3 gauges, oil, volt , water temp gauges. is there a website that shows me where to install like picture wise? i;m new to installing these and dont want to F*** something up. i have 350 4 barrel. preformer intake.

1) do i install the water temp in the left side of the head where the little green wire goes to the temp?
2) does the oil temp gauge hook up infront of the HEI goes?
3) what operating temp i'm i looking at??

Thank u in advance!!!

Are the gauges mechanical or electric? The hole for the oil gauge on a smallblock is on the back of the block behind the distributor. It's a really little hole. If you have "dummy lights" you can buy a T fitting so your gauge and the lights will still work. I usually just use the gauge though.
You could use the hole in the head but if I were you I would leave the factory "dummy light" sender in that hole. That way you have both. I would put the temp sender for the gauge in the hole on the intake beside the waterneck. There's less chance of burning it on the exhaust. Put some anti-sieze on the fitting before you put it in the intake.
The volt gauge will just go to a place on the fuse box. You'll want to run the lights for the gauges to a wire that is hot when the lights are on. I usually find a place on the fuse box for this too.
I know I'm probably skipping a lot of stuff. Your gauges should have come with a set of instrutions. Are you going to use a gauge panel? If you do you should make sure that you can easily see them while you're driving. I try and use holes that are already there to mount the panel to. I drill new holes in the panel instead of new ones in my car.
Gauges are one of the most basic things for any performance car. I have friends that spend all kinds of money on their cars and skimp on the gauges. Drives me nuts. Your temp shouldn't be over 200, but I like mine to be about 180. Over 220 really makes me nervous. Your oil press depends on a lot of different factors. Less than 20 or 30 makes me nervous too. I think your volt gauge should read about 14 if everything is okay.
Sorry for such a long post. If you still need help I could PM you with my phone number and answer any questions. I have installed a lot of sets of gauges, always mechanical though. Plus I still have the instructions.
Good luck man---Josh

PS What kind of car is this?

hey josh,
its a 1972 chevelle 300 deluxe. the gauges r mechanical and have an electrical light in them.

do i have to drill or do anything to where the fitting should go (oil port)? it looks like just an opening but i cant feel if theres anyhting blocking it.

THank you for the long post, i like reading them for the help, thank u!

The oil pressure port is already threaded. Just screw in the fitting on the end of the oil pressure gauge line. If the gauges came with the plastic line for the oil pressure, you may want to consider going and getting a copper one. I have never used the plastic, but there is always the chance of melting it or otherwise breaking the line and spraying hot oil everywhere. You should have somewhere around 10 PSI per 1000 RPM for oil pressure, depending on how warm the engine is. Higher then that is fine, but shouldn't be less.

Incidentally, if you have trouble breaking the plug on your intake free (like I did), if you run the engine at operating temperature for a while, and then shut down the engine and put some ice (or other liquid) on the plug, you should be able to free it up (the plug contracts from the ice while the hole remains expanded from the heat of the engine. Just an idea in case you have the same problem as me.

hey brad
thanks for the help! can i get the copper line anywhere? and what size would i need? same as the plastic?

Yeah, it would be the same size as plastic. I really don't know the best place to get it, I happen to have had some lying around when I needed it. But I am sure you would be able to get some at a hardware/home store. If not that, someone at the parts store should be able to point you in the right direction (or someone else here might chime in where the best place is). It will not be hard to find one way or another.

Good Luck!