You can check with the list and see who's actually
done it successfully for better tips. Mine still isn't
wired.
The premise is that the gauge runs to a small
controller box which then has one or two leads
(depending on the brand) which go to a sensor in the
exhaust. These gauges and sensors are sold by a
variety of vendors.
J.C. Whitney and Nordskog sell a linear backlit
bar-graph style gauge and Autometer sells a radial
backlit gauge. Nordskog also sells a couple of analog
gauges and an LED number read-out gauge which gives
you a value read-out.
What I did, was to use a Nordskog analog gauge and
dismantled it, I then put the innards into a Smiths
fuel gauge. see image at:
http://www.firespitter.com/images/spitimages/smithsairfuel.jpg
http://www.firespitter.com/images/spitimages/dash.jpg
(you have to be patient. The server is crap).
The original smith's gauge was $5 at a swap meet, and
had seen better days (I got it because it had a chrome
bezel that, though grimy and dirty, hadn't started
pitting or blistering). I cleaned and painted the
internal face plates and used rub-on application white
letters (like you use in modeling) to make the
indication lines and lettering.
There are two holes in the dash of late model
spitfire's where the GT6 air-vent nozzels would go,
(one to the left of the speedo, and one to the far
right of the climate controls) that you can mount the
spare gauge. You just need a 2 or 2 1/8" (if you keep
it's original housing) hole saw to be cut a hole in
the fascia for it.
With the dash inplace, reach behind it with a sharpie,
and trace an outline of where the hole in the metal
dash support touches the back of the wood fascia. That
will give you a perfect line-up for where to cut the
hole. And clamp a piece of wood with heavy duty
clamps, to the face of the facia you're cutting, to
keep the venier fom pulling away or splintering on the
front of the dash.
Once the hole is cut and dash is in place, you just
need to run the wires to an ignition on hot source
(white wire) and route the wire(s) down to the exhaust
manifold, down-pipe or main branch. At that point,
you'll probably have to extracate that item you're
going to put the sensor into and drill a hole for a
BUNG or threaded insert (I think some people use
sparkplug non-foulers) and have it welded into place.
This is because the sensors have threaded bodies and
you can replace them when/if they ever wear out.
Larry Elswick (Spitfire and a GT6 owner)installed a
Nordskog digital Air/Fuel gauge and a toggle switch
with 2 seperate single-wire sensors. So he can check
the oxygen sensor in two of his exhaust branches (one
for the front carb, one for the rear) in his Spitfire
to see if he's running rich or lean.
The gauges run about $49.99-$149.99 and the sensors
about $39.99. The threaded bungs run about $1-5.
For more on the various types of gauges, visit the
vendor sites:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=4571&BQ=jcw2
http://www.nordskogperformance.com/airfuel.html
http://www.autometer.com/
Check-out Summit racing for better deals on some of
these. I got my Nordskog from Summit for 49.99 (the
manufacturer's have it listed for $89.99).
http://www.summitracing.com/
-Terry
P.S. The majority of these air/fuel gauges just tell
you whether you're close to the stochiometric level or
not. It won't tell you if you'll pass emissions.
Though the $150 nordskog does give a percentage read
out in the hundredths of CO2.
---------------------------------------------
Could you tell more? I would be interested, I guess
the list may be
interested too.
Thanks
Dean Rayner
Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage
http://sports.yahoo.com/
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