Braided Line To A Pillar Gauges

Black Stampede · Jul 22, 2012

Hi guys,
I am going to be installing a mechanical oil pressure gauge in my a pillar and am going to use braided line to do it right. Autometer has a kit specifically for our cars but it only comes with 3 feet of line which is definitely not enough. Does and one know of a kit that is complete to do this or have any advise?

Thanks!

revhead347 · Jul 22, 2012

I always assemble braided lines myself. I don't think you are going to find a kit that has a perfect length. 3' will be about right if you run a bulkhead mount like you are supposed to. For opinions sake I should bring up that braided line is way overkill for an oil pressure line. A $12 copper Sunpro line kit is more than sufficient. It will also make mounting it much easier. I have an line going into the A-pillar for the fuel pressure and the nitrous pressure. It's an absolute pain to route it, and it's hard to get it aligned at the right angle for the gauge too. Has a tendancy to push the gauge out too. Just saying it takes a long time to get it to look right.

Kurt

Black Stampede · Jul 23, 2012

revhead347 said:
I always assemble braided lines myself. I don't think you are going to find a kit that has a perfect length. 3' will be about right if you run a bulkhead mount like you are supposed to. For opinions sake I should bring up that braided line is way overkill for an oil pressure line. A $12 copper Sunpro line kit is more than sufficient. It will also make mounting it much easier. I have an line going into the A-pillar for the fuel pressure and the nitrous pressure. It's an absolute pain to route it, and it's hard to get it aligned at the right angle for the gauge too. Has a tendancy to push the gauge out too. Just saying it takes a long time to get it to look right.

Kurt

Thanks for the reply Kurt. Are you saying it takes a long time to get it right using braided or copper or both?

RacEoHolic330 · Jul 23, 2012

FWIW, race parts solutions has pre-assembled -3 and -4 braided lines up to 84" long. Reasonably priced too.

revhead347 · Jul 23, 2012

No, the copper is a piece of cake to run, there is nothing to it because it's so thin. It lasts forever and it's sealed with compression fittings, so in my opinion it's a lot less likely to leak. There is a very small triangle between the dash and the a pillar you have to feed the braided steel through. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I had to loosen yhe dash to run the braided line.

Kurt

Black Stampede · Jul 23, 2012

revhead347 said:
No, the copper is a piece of cake to run, there is nothing to it because it's so thin. It lasts forever and it's sealed with compression fittings, so in my opinion it's a lot less likely to leak. There is a very small triangle between the dash and the a pillar you have to feed the braided steel through. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I had to loosen yhe dash to run the braided line.

Kurt

Where is the best place to get the copper line?

Also, do you guys have anything against just getting the electric gauge?

toyman · Jul 23, 2012

That was the question I was going to ask. I'm using electric gauges and they are a lot easier to install. I just don't see the benefit with mechanical gauges and I just shudder at the thought of someone running a fuel line into the passenger area for a mechanical gauge.

revhead347 · Jul 24, 2012

Black Stampede said:
Where is the best place to get the copper line?

Also, do you guys have anything against just getting the electric gauge?

The copper line kit is $12 at Advance and Autozone. It comes with the fittings you need in one kit. It's made by Sunpro, and you'll find it on the performance aisle with the Sunpro gauges.

Electrical gauges are a preference thing. I just don't trust them myself. They are certainly easier to install though. If you choose to get electrical gauges, definitely get the full sweep versions. The old half sweeps do not have enough increments to give useful information. I have seen too many of them fail to use them myself. There is also an inherent inaccuracy because they are all essentially voltage gauges. The output voltage of the alternator varies in different circumstances. Therefore, the reading accuracy is going to vary with the current buss voltage.

Kurt

toyman · Jul 24, 2012

revhead347 said:
The copper line kit is $12 at Advance and Autozone. It comes with the fittings you need in one kit. It's made by Sunpro, and you'll find it on the performance aisle with the Sunpro gauges.

Electrical gauges are a preference thing. I just don't trust them myself. They are certainly easier to install though. If you choose to get electrical gauges, definitely get the full sweep versions. The old half sweeps do not have enough increments to give useful information. I have seen too many of them fail to use them myself. There is also an inherent inaccuracy because they are all essentially voltage gauges. The output voltage of the alternator varies in different circumstances. Therefore, the reading accuracy is going to vary with the current buss voltage.

Kurt

What!! And your car runs without all those voltage signals from sensors to the PCM. Electric gauges are extremely accurate. If you are seeing failures you are seeing cheap gauges or improperly installed gauges (wires being chaffed or melting due to hot surface contact). Most electrical gauges are accurate to within a fraction of one percent. What gauge install are you thinking of that demands real accuracy anyway. Temperature reading of 200* when actual is 199* or 201* means nothing. It's not an actionable reading. Same with oil pressure. Does it really matter if the true reading is 46 psi and the gauge reads 45 or 47. Here's the irony in your position on electric gauges and readings. In boosted applications it's essential to measure and know the AFR, especially at WOT. Engine destruction is quick and unforgiving if the engine goes lean unexpectedly and the signal you are most relying on is an electrical sensing device. Go figure.

revhead347 · Jul 25, 2012

It's enough that you can see the needle move if the voltage drops at idle on an Autometer gauge. I know Autometer electric fuel pressure gauges are incredibly expensive because it took them a long time to get that gauge to work correctly with voltage fluctuations. Mechanical gauges are absolutely dead on, all the time no matter what.

Kurt

Black Stampede · Jul 25, 2012

With oil pressure isn't it more or less an on and off thing anyways? Either you have oil pressure 30-60 ish depending on idle or driving, or you dont (below 30)? Of course that is a generalization, but for the every day person isn't that all that is necessary to know?

revhead347 · Jul 26, 2012

Black Stampede said:
With oil pressure isn't it more or less an on and off thing anyways? Either you have oil pressure 30-60 ish depending on idle or driving, or you dont (below 30)? Of course that is a generalization, but for the every day person isn't that all that is necessary to know?

For oil pressure, I would say exact accuracy is not that important.

Kurt

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