need help on temp guage sending unit on 390

[DanH]

Let's start with the confession I am not a mechanic, as anyone who attended Slickstock and tried to help me with my brake issue can attest. Please don't berate me for asking a stupid question. I have a 390 in my 66. I had an Edlebrock intake put on it. I had my truck re-wired by a Chebby mechanic during the restoration process. Temp guage doesn't work. Took it to another buddy who is also more of a Chebby guy. He says the guage doesn't work becuase there is no sending unit on the motor and no place to put one (something Chebby mechanic # 1 failed to tell me). Can anyone tell me where the heat gauge sending unit is supposed to be? I only have one water inlet/outlet on the intake manifold for the heater. Can I T that to put a sending unit on?

[totten]

Yes you can tee the fitting. Not sure the sending unit fits in one of the heads. Some one will chime in. Tony

[jkimbrel65]

The water neck on some intakes has the plug for the sending unit.If yours doesn't pm me I have one I can send you.Did you get the brakes fixed?What was the problem?

Mike

[PFM-64f100]

So I looked up an edlebrock intake for a 390 and found the #2105 one, I hope this is your mainifold or most of what I say next is invaild. See pic below. The red circle is where I think you temp sensor should go. The yellow might also be another spot for it to go. Hopefully this might help. You can also put it in the water neck as Mike suggested.

I also want to know the fix for your brakes. That still is puzzling me.

[ICEMAN6166]

i had mine in a tee, the tee came from a 70s FE with some type of heat activated vacuum sensor

[DanH]

Thanks guys for the quick responses. I'll look again, but I think my intake only has one bung and my water neck coming out of it only has one outlet (unlike the one in Iceman's picture). Does somebody have a water neck with two outlets like the one in Iceman's picture? Or do they make a thermostat housing with a bung in it?

PS I'd like to have that metal plate that covers the hole in the center of the cowl in Brian's picture. As you know, the 66 has a rubber plug.

PPS: I think my brake issue at SS was due to a semi stuck fron caliper and misadjustment of the read shoes, not the master cylinder or booster. I should have replaced the calipbers and wheel cylinders when I was getting it back on the road. After all they had been sitting for almost 11 years. Should finish with the brakes this weekend.

[ICEMAN6166]

Or do they make a thermostat housing with a bung in it?

that is not the correct place for a sending unit as it must take the temp on the engine (hot) side of the thermostat.

[HiBoy63]

So I looked up an edlebrock intake for a 390 and found the #2105 one, I hope this is your mainifold or most of what I say next is invaild. See pic below. The red circle is where I think you temp sensor should go. The yellow might also be another spot for it to go. Hopefully this might help. You can also put it in the water neck as Mike suggested.

I also want to know the fix for your brakes. That still is puzzling me.

This is pretty much where the stock castiron 2 and 4 barrel manifolds place the sensor.




The yellow circle in the top photo is where your heater hose will connect at a fitting and the red is where the temperature senser will go. If you look just to the right of the heater connector you will see the temp sensor in the photos of a stock FE manifold.

[DanH]

Ok here's the proof I am not a mechanic but I'm smart enough to know it. In just a few posts I had three guys send me pictures and tell me what I needed to know. Thanks. My mechanic buddy just drilled and tapped my existing water neck to install the temp sending unit. Now we discovered the gauge sticks. Anybody have a temp gauge for a 66 custom cab?