Im thinking this will be an easy one for someone.. just need my head put on straight about sending units, ohms, etc.. Ok i am going to use an instrument pod out of a 56 Olds in my A build any idea what fuel sender i should use? Engine coolant temperature sender Oil pressure sender. all of the above are electric , no mechanical in 56 olds these will be used on an SBC, and the fuel sender will be in a Deuce tank. any good sources? what should i look for? any part #'s? I assume , if i scored an oil pressure sender and temp sender from a 56 olds it should be right..but, would the standard SBC senders also be correct? (being all gm here) lookin for some schoolin' thanks
You are on the right track, trying to match the ohms range for these instruments. Spend some time on some of the suppliers like Summit Racing and/or Speedway and you will (or should) find info on the ohms range required by brand (GM. Ford etc.). For instance, fuel senders.....if GM requires, maybe, 0 to 33 Ohms, you can buy any brand of sending unit that offers a unit in that range and it should be compatible with your dash guage, providing the float arm is correctly adjusted upon installation. For temp, a OEM '56 Olds unit would be great if you can find one, but an Olds shop manual will probably list the range under "troubleshooting" tips and, again, you can source a replacement, either later GM or aftermarket. Maybe someone on here has this info at their fingertips, but if not, it's available from various sources if you dig for it. Best wishes, Ray
Certainly the CORRECT 1956 Oldsmobile senders should work. And adapting a OLDS fuel sending unit to a Deuce tank should not be difficult. I would cut the surrounding area around the fuel sender and then weld it to the Deuce fuel tank. Problems solved
I'm stumped too. I'm in the same boat as you, 48 Ford gauges, I have found that several companies make the sending unit for the tank, match your fuel gage up in ohms to the original and then buy a sending unit that is rated 6V to 18 v or 24? The temp and the oil are unknown to me right now I was just going to use the stock 48 sending units for water and oil, if you find out anything different please post it Thanks!
I thought I was having trouble wondering why my Chevy cable wouldn't screw onto a VDO speedometer. I still don't know. To help you with your question, any 0-90 ohm would work with that. There are plenty of universal styles out there including an adjustable depth. They have a mounting ring. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Fuel-Level-Sending-Units,453.html http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-290260/ http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-290180/ Just watch the depth for float empty/full. And don't cut on the tank with fuel or fumes in it, I like to rinse mine out with water and leave the water in it till I'm done.
But the senders from NAPA, or similar, for a '56 Olds. If you have to adapt anything, it's just pipe thread. I would guess a '56 Olds is a typical GM 0-90 ohms sender for the fuel. I'm not sure though...
Cool thanks guys I thought i was on the right track..just needed to be sure. I can get all the sending units that a 56 olds would use as far as the oil, and coolant temps go, and they will or should be adaptable to an SBC..i kinda figured that should be a no brainer.. I have a Vintage inc fuel tank 32 ..do they offer different sending units to fit their tanks? or who would, that would have the correct ohms for the olds dash pot?
With a multi-meter on the ohms setting, you could figure out the correct ohms range on the sending units. Let me know if you still need help with this. Also, assuming Olds is the same as other GM/Chevy cars in 1956, the fuel level sending unit is likely 0-30 ohms (empty to full).
I dont have any of the sending units, all i have is the instrument cluster. all of indicators on the 56 olds were idiot lights, so its down to just getting the right fuel sender. I will run analog type guages for water , oil etc.. the idiot lights in the cluster will be wired up for other needs.
OK, then to test the fuel gauge to see what it's ohm range is, first, supply power and ground to the gauge (cluster). GM fuel gauges are typically 0 ohms at empty, so supplying a ground signal with no resistance (0 ohms) to the signal terminal on the fuel gauge should keep the needle at empty. If you can get a 30 ohm resistor (Radio Shack, Fry's, etc.), put the resistor in line between ground and the signal terminal on the fuel gauge. If the gauge is a 0-30 ohm gauge (Early GM), the needle will move to Full, if the gauge is a 0-90 ohm gauge (Late GM), the needle will move to somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2. You'll be fine with the other gauges assuming you get the sending units and gauges from the same source, since they need to be matched up.
thanks for the help figuring out the fuel sender, i will give this a shot. i will buy some SW guages for the other stuff and run them seperately
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