Oil gauge line

I’m working on the mechanical oil gauge line. Look at the pic and you’ll see why it was leaking. The new line kit I bought is junk! The line itself is thinner and the fittings are barely matching each other.

I’ve decided to ditch the mechanical gauge and go with electric. I don’t need the oil line going bad and starting a fire or ruining the engine

I opted for a VDO electric gauge with a VDO sender. This one is good quality and matches the other two gauges

I’m changing my plan. The VDO electric gauge that matches my set is on back order which gives me another chance to consider another approach.

The 4an steel braided line with mechanical gauge is my new plan. However I’ll need to get a new gauge also because my current mechanical gauge only has the fitting for the ferrule type line. I found what I believe to be a good deal on VDO mechanical 0-80psi full sweep gauge on eBay. It has 1/8npt fitting on it so it will fit with the braided line kit. I linked the gauge below so you can see it.

For the steel line kit I need to decide which length is best. I’m going from the back of the intake to just under the center of the dash. 3, 4 or 5’? Maybe 3 would be enough and perfect. I’m concerned that 4 would be a tad too long but not long enough for a loop. 5 should easily allow a loop. Is a loop even necessary with a braided line if it’s otherwise long enough? I guess I should mock the length up with some other hose. I think I have some windshield washer line a can use to mock up.

Here’s the gauge I’ve decided on

The “open box” VDO mechanical gauge came in from the eBay vendor. It’s got a tiny ding on the bezel but otherwise looks new. I hook it to the existing copper oil line on the car and it works perfectly. I tested the illumination and it works great. I have a 36” braided oil line on order. I’m really happy with this gauge for $25

The gauge install went nicely. I’ll post some pics and a little description later of how it went.

For now, here’s a quick video of the gauge function. I really like the full sweep all the way around the face. It really gives you a lot of action from the needle. I’m very happy with this gauge.