I just bought the Covan dash for my '68 SS...planning on purchasing everything separately here and there to save $$$. I want to use UltraLight II gauges - they look awesome day and night. I'll spend a few extra dollars there. What I need to know is mech vs. electric??? What is the difference and what do I need to do to install one vs. the other? The car currently has el cheapo 3-gauge cluster that is going to the trash can. I need to know if the UltraLight II only has the electric option for the speedo & tach...and if so - do the rest of the gauges need to be electric? There is a harness for mech and one for electric gauges. I am confused as hell...:confused: - someone please help or point me to another thread with some answers. The more I read, the more confused I get.

I'm interested too. I've searched and found some good info, but I'm still confused. I need to get my gauges done sooner than later since I need to get the car inspected and registered soon.

I use all electric as I wouuld rather deal with wires then oil tubes and mechanical temp. Ever have one of those nylon tubes break and spray 200 DEGREE oil on your legs in the traps at 146MPH? No factory car that I know of uses mechanical gauges!

BTW, we have some good deals on Autometer. Give us your part numbers and send a price quote request to sales@GPSuperStore.com. We should be able to save you money or tell you where to buy it cheapest. And if you decide on mechanical, we can sell you those too.

I use all electric as I wouuld rather deal with wires then oil tubes and mechanical temp. Ever have one of those nylon tubes break and spray 200 DEGREE oil on your legs in the traps at 146MPH? No factory car that I know of uses mechanical gauges!

BTW, we have some good deals on Autometer. Give us your part numbers and send a price quote request to sales@GPSuperStore.com. We should be able to save you money or tell you where to buy it cheapest. And if you decide on mechanical, we can sell you those too.

GM has used mechanical oil pressure gauges for years, My 65 Impala had it and my brothers 85 Chevy pickup. They did use copper lines!!!

My question still remains - if I use mechanical oil and water temp, then what wiring harness do I need? There is two options from American Autowire - electric or mechanical. I think the tach and speedo only come in the electric version with the UltraLite II gauges?

Lets make this simple - what I WANT to do is this:
- New Covans Classics dash panel (already purchased)
- Autometer UltraLite II speedo, tach, water, oil, volt, and fuel
- Wiring harness for gauges, blinkers, high beam, etc.

The next question is - what about all the other wiring for the radio, ignition, interior lights, etc? How does that tie in with the Autowire harness for the gauges?? I really hate buying the wrong parts and not finding out until 6 months later when I find time to install them!!

My question still remains - if I use mechanical oil and water temp, then what wiring harness do I need? There is two options from American Autowire - electric or mechanical. I think the tach and speedo only come in the electric version with the UltraLite II gauges?

Lets make this simple - what I WANT to do is this:
- New Covans Classics dash panel (already purchased)
- Autometer UltraLite II speedo, tach, water, oil, volt, and fuel
- Wiring harness for gauges, blinkers, high beam, etc.
Go electrical. Electrical gauges have come a long ways from the old days, they are just as accurate as mech gauges.



The next question is - what about all the other wiring for the radio, ignition, interior lights, etc? How does that tie in with the Autowire harness for the gauges?? I really hate buying the wrong parts and not finding out until 6 months later when I find time to install them!!
What harness, or harnesses do you plan on using?

I do not think we can sell the American Autowire Covans Dash harness. I believe it is only available through Covans as a exclusive, I do not believe AAW can sell it direct. Each gauge comes with it's own harness. It is no big deal to make a stand alone gauge harness. As for the under dash, we do not have a Classic Update yet for your year, so you will need to use factory reproduction (American Autowire) harness.

if you have any more questions you are not getting answered here, you are welcome to call me

four zero seven 832 1752

I have a nice original under dash harness that I will use for everything other than the gauges - but how does the gauge harness tie into the rest of the system? Just curious - I'm sure it would come with some directions.

Had I known there was a harness for the covan's dash, I would have bought it. It wasn't terrible but would have really cleaned things up.

FWIW, using all electric in mine.

Using the electric gauges saves you from having to cut the giant hole in the firewall for the water temp sender, and allows you to avoid having the pressurised oil pressure gauge tube in the car. The water temp sender tube is a pain to run, you can't cut it so there is usually a big wad of tube under the dash that you have to figure out what to do with when you are done. After a couple of oil stains and one oil fire from a poly oil pressure gauge tube that melted, I use the copper oil pressure gauge hookup. Running the copper tube into the car is still a pain though. It won't route as nicely as a wire. These days, there probably isn't much difference quality or accuracy-wise between mechanical and electric gauges. With teh electric gauges you will need to buy the senders seperately. It looks like with the electrics you get a choice of 90 or 270 degree sweeps. Tach and speedo are going to be electric, and you will have to get the sender for the speedo. Electric tach is normal these days, so unless you have a tach drive on your distributor, you will be doing that part like everyone else.

With electric gauges you get that cool needles-jump-to-start-position when you hit the key. Mechanicals work when the key is off.

K

I already had the sending units ran for the cheapo gauges that I am taking out. That's not an issue - although I wouldn't mind getting rid of the poly oil line. I used a high pressure one and not the stock version and never had any trouble, but it always made me a bit nervous. I guess if I want to do this right, I will go electric. I will be spending a lot more than I wanted to. The Ultralite II gauges (lights) are awesome...and you pay for it through the nose. Any other cool (similar) gauges that might be a bit less expensive? Where do I find a cheap gauge harness? I have see them for about $120...which seems like a lot for what it is.