Idiot light to gauge upgrade

[Podagrower]

Our Caballero has a cheap (probably the cheapest available) triple gauge setup with oil, temp, volts. I'd like to get the factory gauges and put them in the dash, but. The factory oil pressure gauge tops out at 60 PSI, and our motor frequently exceeds that. I've seen that there are different sending units for 0-60 and 0-80 for various GM vehicles. Does that mean the sending unit and gauge should match in range? In other words, an engine has 40 PSI, the sending unit is 0-80 PSI and the gauge is 0-60 PSI would show right in the middle of the gauge at an indicated 30 PSI?

So would using a sending unit for 0-120 indicate 1/2 of the actual PSI on a 0-60 gauge?

 

[86LK]

your oil pressure goes higher than 60psi? do you know this for sure or is this what a gauge is telling you?

 

[dgmeadows]

I can't answer your specific question, but do want to point out that Dakota Digital has factory replacement-look gauge packages for the 78-87 El Camino/Caballero - and for those that don't know, they are NOT all digital. I used the DD replacement dash for my 1979 Cutlass, and it is great - it is the same layout as factory, but the gauges are bigger because they eliminate the idiot lights on the side. The odometer is digital, but the speedo, tach, oil pressure, temp, fuel and voltage meter gauges are all analog.

 

[Podagrower]

your oil pressure goes higher than 60psi? do you know this for sure or is this what a gauge is telling you?

The cheap (possibly cheapest) gauge currently installed shows 58 PSI cold at cruising speed, 52 PSI warm cruising. At idle its around 35.

 

[SS_Malibu]

I have Autometer Sport Comp 2 gauges and my 383 reads almost 65 psi on a cold start. It goes down to about 40 when it warms up to operating temp.

 

[Podagrower]

Changing the lights to gauges was on the list, but not near the top. Until I found a set locally for a decent price. I wound up using the oil pressure sending unit that matched the car it came the gauge came from, and predictably it was pegged over in the 60 PSI territory. I know this is the sort of thing my wife would mention every time she drives the car, so I "recalibrated" the gauge by removing the needle and sticking it back on so it shows 30 PSI.