Help with header install

[Chillin014]

85 el camino with a supposed swapped 350 in it. have owned the car for a year, previous owner did alot of shady stuff.


Alright i've been working on these blackjack headers I bought from Summit for the past two days. I'm about done but have run into a problem.

There is an oil switch /pressure unit which connects to the gauge in the dash. Here is a picture of it, I believe with an extension on it that wouldnt normally come on it.

I can not remember which hole on the block this came out of, but there's only a few in the general area I took it from when installing the header (near the oil filter). The hole in this next picture is the only one that would allow clearance for this unit to come off of and clear the header.

I have been trying to thread it into that hole with no luck I think the threads are different and after seeing a hole about 2-3 inches below it right above the flange that would be the end of the block/bell housing area or whatever I believe it came from down there. The problem is that there is NO ROOM at all to mount this thing there. I shined a light up where the flexplate is and I can see through the hole in the picture I just posted, the light shines through. Would this confirm that would not be the right hole for this oil switch? And what is that hole for/ why would it just be open?

The real question though, is what do i do now? Is there a way to remotely mount this? Honestly I have no problem living without the oil pressure gauge...can I just plug this hole? Has anyone else had this problem? Are there any other suggestions in general about this whole install?

It's been frusterating but I'm real close to being done after I finish this. I just want to hear from people with experience with this type of thing.

 

[R/T kota]

That hole if I am seeing it corectly, is the mounting hole for the clutch assembly on a standard trans.
No need to plug it.

 

[Chillin014]

That hole if I am seeing it corectly, is the mounting hole for the clutch assembly on a standard trans.
No need to plug it.

oh thank you. but what about plugging the oil pressure hole? is this okay? i dont think i have much of a choice

 

[R/T kota]

Plugging it would be ok as long as it is sealed good.
I`m a little old school when it come to small blocks and the only oil pressure switch/sending unit I remember is on top of the block behind the intake.
Is there a plug there? or something similar to what you took out of the side?

 

[Chillin014]

Plugging it would be ok as long as it is sealed good.
I`m a little old school when it come to small blocks and the only oil pressure switch/sending unit I remember is on top of the block behind the intake.
Is there a plug there? or something similar to what you took out of the side?

i dont believe there is. The only thing I saw back there besides the distributor was some piece that had a plug going into it right at the edge of the rear of the intake manifold. Half of my gauges dont work and god knows what this guy did who swapped this motor in...I find stuff rigged that blows my mind sometimes.

 

[R/T kota]

That is most likely it.
There should only be one plug back there.
Just to confirm it is on the block behind the intake right around where the intake curves around it.
That is for the sending switch.
The switch you have in the pic has some kind of adaptor on it. Looks to me if you take off that adaptor you should be able to put that switch where the plug is behind the intake, run the wire to it and you should have a working oil gauge.
Then just plug where ever you got took the switch out of.
Hope that helps you.
Kind of hard guessing from a couple of pics.

 

[Chillin014]

That is most likely it.
There should only be one plug back there.
Just to confirm it is on the block behind the intake right around where the intake curves around it.
That is for the sending switch.
The switch you have in the pic has some kind of adaptor on it. Looks to me if you take off that adaptor you should be able to put that switch where the plug is behind the intake, run the wire to it and you should have a working oil gauge.
Then just plug where ever you got took the switch out of.
Hope that helps you.
Kind of hard guessing from a couple of pics.

hmmm. here's what im talking about. why would there be two switches though? I know it has an adaptor i took it off and realized why it was on there because the switch is so fat it bottoms out on the flange at the bottom of the block and wouldnt allow it to thread into the hole, the adaptor sets it out far enough. Another thing though...the threads on the adaptor are much larger than the fine threads of the switch. anyway, here's a picture of the piece behind the intake manifold.

EDIT- after looking on a parts website I see that both of those style switches are carried...why would there be two though? are 2 necessary? or how does that work...the smaller one on the intake manifold area has 2 prongs where the fatter one has only one. hmmm maybe one is for the gauge and one is for the computer or something? I tore out my computer because most of the wires werent connected by the way...

 

[R/T kota]

That is the oil switch.
I`m old school like I said before. Also as far as I know, Canadian cars never had the computers in the early years and all I have dealt with are the Canadian cars.
Also out of all the G body cars I have had, none of them had a full gauge dash so all they had was the one sending unit you see in that last pic. But that is where I hooked the aftermaket oil gauges in to.

 

[Chillin014]

That is the oil switch.
I`m old school like I said before. Also as far as I know, Canadian cars never had the computers in the early years and all I have dealt with are the Canadian cars.
Also out of all the G body cars I have had, none of them had a full gauge dash so all they had was the one sending unit you see in that last pic. But that is where I hooked the aftermaket oil gauges in to.

i see i see. so there is a little oil pathway under that switch behind the intake manifold or something?
I appreciate your help btw.

 

[R/T kota]

No problem

Yes there is a passage that goes to the oil pump. The oil pump is driven by the distributor right beside it.