[MW67RS]

I am planning to install a Covan 6-gauge panel in my 67 and I am trying to decide which gauges I should get. I am planning on using the Ultra-lite II gauges. I know I want MPH, RPM, and Oil Pressure. What should I use for the final 3? I am thinking water temp, fuel level, and volts. But maybe I should have oil temp or fuel pressure instead.

What do you guys think?

Matt

[LukeWarm]

Can't argue with those choices. Another possibility is an O2 meter.

[HwyStarJoe]

Well, fuel level and water temp are a given.

An Amps gauge is a give or take, since all it tells you is if your charging system is working. You'll know if it's not when the battery dies.
I'd put an A\F meter gauge in it's place like Mark suggested.

[mnm99]

Covans
-Speed
-Tach
-Boost/vac
-Fuel pressure
-O2
-Fuel gauge

Console
-Temp
-Volts
-Oil Pressure
-Trans temp

[Straight-line-69]

I like your choices. In a perfect world, an acccurate vacuum gauge would be worthwhile, but it would be down the list, below the essentials; MPH, RPM, Fuel, Oil Pressure, and Coolant Temp.

For the 6th pod, yeah, I'd probably go with either amps or volts. Most like volts but amps is more informative.

Oil Temp is worthwhile. All Vettes since the mid-80's include an oil temp gauge. You want the oil's temp to be just over 212~ degrees to cook out (vaporize) moisture and other blowby gunch.

FWIW

[zlek131]

I have AutoMeter II gauges as well. Speedo/RPM up front. Volt/Temp/Oil Press/Gas on the console. I also have 3 gauge cluster mounted of the bottom of the dash on left side between the e-brake lever and steering column with Tranny Temp/O2 wideband/O2 wideband (two O2's, left/right exhaust)

[69-Pace]

your not looking for stock so I would skip the amps and go with volts. Better to know what in the battery system is doing then to know just that the alt is sending out juice.

[Geezer]

I use to have a little hotrod with an Aluminum tank in the trunk and only a sight glass. I ran out of fuel several times. A fuel gauge on the dash is nice to have.

[srode]

I'd stick with the gauge choices you made, including fuel, water temp and voltage. The other ones are cool but not sure how much value they add.

AF ratio as an example: unless you have a max built machine and may have a fuel delivery problem, seems more like a set up tool than a monitering gauge to me. Assuming a good set up and adequate fuel delivery, why would that change? Same with Vac? They could give information that will avoid a problem I guess, just seems they would be much less likely problems than the other 6 you have mentioned.

Maybe more information about the car you are installing the gauges on would help.

[6D9 Matt]

Originally Posted by HwyStarJoe

Well, fuel level and water temp are a given.

An Amps gauge is a give or take, since all it tells you is if your charging system is working. You'll know if it's not when the battery dies.
I'd put an A\F meter gauge in it's place like Mark suggested.

x2

[Steiner]

Right now
Stock dash:
Speed
Fuel

Tach on column:
RPM

Auto Meter console kit:
AFR
Vacuum
Oil pressure
Water temp


Moving everything to a car with in dash tach and clock with factory console gauges. Going to move my Auto Meter console over so I'm replacing the clock with a reproduction center fuel gauge. I had purchased a fuel gauge to replace the vacuum gauge but Year One had one of their 30% off sales so I went ahead and got the center fuel gauge and bezel.

[Steptoe]

Gauges in most cases are just pretty ornimemts...
Hard in or on a long trip idiot lights for critical stuff like oil press, water temp, ign
useful orniments
Fuel oil pressure
Volts
vaccuum
Rpms
water temp.

O2 as a gauge, impressive but not responsive enogh to be of any real tuning or montoring use...handy to pick up a spark plug dieing ..thu vac will do that to...good bragging factor thu.
A clock in case u dont wear a watch or dont have a cell....even so I dont have either and still doing have a use for a clock...

[all bad 81]

If you know how to read a vacuum gauge its one of the most useful to have.
I had a car that held 17ins of vacuum, one day I started the car and it was running different and only had 12 inches of vaccum and I blamed it on bad gas.
The next day the vac was at 5!!
I pulled the PCV valve and nothing changed, I tried to pull the oil cap in the opposite valve cover and it wouldn't come off with the car running????
I shut the car off and then the cap came right off.
Started the car and I had 17ins of vacuum again.
It was the old, used valve cover chrome air breather that was stopped up with a big piece of dried oil and stopped the engine from breathing.
It would have been awhile without the vacuum gauge trying to figure out that problem.
When I use the 3 pod gauge panel I always put the vac gauge right in the middle hole.

[Vicinity]

Mines simple.

MPH
RPM
Fuel
Water Temp
Volt
Oil Pressure

[Z15CAM]

When cursing, a side from the Speedometer, I monitor a Full Sweep Manual 80 PSI Oil Pressure Gauge (It's a good as the Tach) another thing would be a Vacuum Gauge as you can cruise at the highest Vacuum for best Gas Mileage and it quickly picks up Vacuum problems.