aftermarket temperature sending unit/gauge

[70Tom]

OK, I have a couple of stupid questions. Car in question: 70 Sport Fury w/ a 69 440 engine in it.

I'm currently in the process of restoring my interior. Part of that is removing the crappy Summit temp and oil gauges stuck at the bottom of the dash. Oil gauge has been removed/uninstalled. Now on to the temperature gauge. Goal is to use the original, in-dash temp gauge.

I've attached a pic of the temp sending unit that goes to the under dash Summit gauge.

What steps do I need to take to resume using the original in dash gauge?

• What do I need to put in the place of the current after market sending unit
• What wires am I looking for to use the original unit?
• To what does this wire hook onto the engine?

Sorry for the elementary questions, but I've never had to deal with this issue before.

Thanks and here's the pic.

 

[CanCritter]

you can use same sender...will need a wiring schematic and find out where your temp gauge wiring routes to and hook that wire to it....shouldn't be to hard ...should be a lose wire under there somewhere. ...wire may still be taped up on intake....Previous owner may have had a issue with temp gauge and installed a aftermarket one so don't be surprised if gadge in dash dosnt work...least don't rule it out or youll go batty tryin to sort it out

 

[70Tom]

Thanks. I don't see anything else in the intake, so I think that's it. I'm hoping the original gauge still works. If not, I think I've seen a NOS temp gauge here and there which I'll have to purchase.

 

[Big_John]

Is that an electrical wire running to the sender? It looks like a bourdon tube to me, but the pic isn't the best.

If it's a tube, there's really no sender there. If it's a wire, then, yes, the sender will probably work, provided it's a 10-80 ohm sender like the OEM.

Look in your FSM and trace the wire from the gauge to the firewall connector and figure out what wire it is coming out of the connector. Look at that wire under the hood and see if they cut it. If the stock connector is still on the end, I'd spend the few bucks and buy a stock sender so it will just plug in and you're done.

 

[70Tom]

Is that an electrical wire running to the sender? It looks like a bourdon tube to me, but the pic isn't the best.

If it's a tube, there's really no sender there. If it's a wire, then, yes, the sender will probably work, provided it's a 10-80 ohm sender like the OEM.

Look in your FSM and trace the wire from the gauge to the firewall connector and figure out what wire it is coming out of the connector. Look at that wire under the hood and see if they cut it. If the stock connector is still on the end, I'd spend the few bucks and buy a stock sender so it will just plug in and you're done.

Actually, when Critter posted, I was going to say, "I thought that was a tube", so I actually think it is a tube. It runs directly from the back of the cheap Summit temp gauge to the unit in the engine. Which I guess that means it's not a sender.

Basically, it looks like I need to a) buy a stock sender [are these still available], and b) locate the correct wire from the back of the OEM temp gauge and the wiring harness.

 

[live4theking]

The sender's for 68's are available so, I think it would be safe to say you can get one for a 70. Rockauto lists 5 different ones.

 

[Big_John]

Here's how they work:

How Automotive Temperature Gauges Work