Bonnet Gauges

[[Tonko]]

I have been having trouble deciding whether or not to mount my 3 mecanical gauges (volts, oil pressure, water temp) on the bonnet in chrome cups or leave them on the dash,
The reason i cant decide is that they are apparently so easy to steal, just a matter of sliding out the pod from the bracket and cutting the lines, they wont be functional to the theiving bastards, but usually thats not the point, its just to **** someone off... but they just look so tough and easier to keep an eye on...
Does anyone else have or know anyone else that has them and would it be worth the risk?

[BJ]

Anything in chrome cups mounted out side the vehicle is also illegal. Now if they were in black cup you would be OK.

[[Tonko]]

from reading the Vicroads guide book, it says that if they reflect no more than the immediate bodywork (e.g chrome around the windscreen). if you have none of this black gauges are the only way to go..

[BJ]

I have been booked twice for this type of thing. If i was you i would leav them inside, and you do know you carnt have an mecanical oil guage inside the car dont you.

[LTDHO]

Leave them inside.
Don't give vandals/theives an excuse!

[deesun]

And they give cats something to hold on to.

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by deesun

And they give cats something to hold on to.

Not to mention they are:ymca: as, gauges outside the car have become way too rice for my liking.

[protd]

i have 5 outside my car temp,oil,fuel press,trans temp,trans press.. it looks tough as put them out there unless u leave the car parked everywhere for hrs.. the ricers r doin it now but they dont even now how to read the things unless the got a gauge that tells u how big ur wing is or how many stickers u got..

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by BJ

Anything in chrome cups mounted out side the vehicle is also illegal, cant have a mechanical oil gauge inside the car also

Thanks for that John - always wondered

Can you have mechanical gauges on the outside?

I thought you cant have them on the inside just in case the spring a leak and then some one also said the same goes for the outside as if they spring a leak it will go all over the windscreen?

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by protd

i have 5 outside my car temp,oil,fuel press,trans temp,trans press.. it looks tough as put them out there unless u leave the car parked everywhere for hrs.. the ricers r doin it now but they dont even now how to read the things unless the got a gauge that tells u how big ur wing is or how many stickers u got..

The thing I have with all the guages outside (even some inside) is that you have no way in hell of keeping an eye on them while driving,especially racing, I have the fuel pressure at the BG reg as it is only used to tune/adjust pressure, my autometer tach is on the column covering the dash tach,oil press and water temp are on the dash in front of the consol.
The only guage I really use is the tach(no shift light) and the oil press only after exiting a fast long sweeping bend and only then sometimes,theres just no time.
I bet most people only look at them when some weird noise comes out of the engine or it stutters,by then it's usually too late.

[BJ]

I just think they are **** value, or as some say for the summer nats crowd. Like all the 5" monster tacho's you see getting aroung. All i have ever used is a shift light. As you say Nugget buy the time you hear the noise it's to late.

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by BJ

I just think they are **** value, or as some say for the summer nats crowd. Like all the 5" monster tacho's you see getting aroung. All i have ever used is a shift light. As you say Nugget buy the time you hear the noise it's to late.

I use the big tach,mounted on the column,beeing a manual I always would hit the limiter relying on a shift light,so I just start my shift at 7400 on the tach.

[protd]

so u guys r sayin u never check gauges b4 or after a run as for not seeing them i have autometer lights similar 2 shift lights for oil press and temp and a cut out switch if oil press drops below 35psi..

[MRJUCY]

Originally Posted by BJ

I just think they are **** value, or as some say for the summer nats crowd. Like all the 5" monster tacho's you see getting aroung. All i have ever used is a shift light. As you say Nugget buy the time you hear the noise it's to late.

Often yes but my old car revved way past what the original tacho went to so I needed something.

I had external gauges too, they looked trick & were handy at the drags but I had some flogged & also got defected for them.

[BJ]

Originally Posted by protd

so u guys r saying u never check gauges b4 or after a run as for not seeing them i have auto meter lights similar 2 shift lights for oil press and temp and a cut out switch if oil press drops below 35psi..

All of the cars i have had, all ever use is a pro-light for oil, shift light for rev range with a limiter and fuel pressure gauge on the fuel log, and if it do get low fuel pressure I have a fuel cut of for that anyway. When i worked for a top fuel team the only gauge we used was for fuel and even then it was mounted in the engine area.

[protd]

we all no top feullers dont use gauges so dont talk to me like i'm an idiot.. and how many top fuell engines r made to do more than 1 run so yes they r **** value in that case and if u put them an ur vn commodore..

[xc 460]

I have a tacho and shift light and oil and temp on the column as the original tach didnt go high enough and the factory temp and oil pressure were all over the shop. I'm not a fan of them on the front scuttle panel though.

[BJ]

Originally Posted by protd

we all no top fuellers don't use gauges so don't talk to me like I'm an idiot.. and how many top fuel engines r made to do more than 1 run so yes they are **** value in that case and if you put them an your vn commodore..

I didn't mean to be condescending. I was just tyring to make a point.

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by protd

so u guys r sayin u never check gauges b4 or after a run as for not seeing them i have autometer lights similar 2 shift lights for oil press and temp and a cut out switch if oil press drops below 35psi..

Before and after sure but I can see them just as easy on the inside,but for me personally I just dont like them on the outside,just my opinion thats all,I spose it's probly because of all the ricers that do it,good a reason as any I spose.

[Auslandau]

....if they fit neatly inside leave them, the only reason to putting them out is the 'ricer factor' They dont look too bad though, but I rekon they would be harder to read easy to pinch, even if they are no good to anyone else



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[LTDHO]

I use gauges so i know what the engine is doing and I am forever checking them.

Also outside gauges are not rice as they were on race cars before they were the 'in thing'..

[BJ]

Also outside gauges are not rice as they were on race cars before they were the 'in thing'..

Oh realy which ones??

[agony]

Originally Posted by BJ

and you do know you carnt have an mecanical oil guage inside the car dont you.

John I think you mean fuel pressure not oil, if it leaks yes you end up with wet feet but thats all. If it is a fuel line that leaks god knows what might happen.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by BJ

Oh realy which ones??

Look in any old race magazine, you were see that the gauges were practical before they were stylish.

[agony]

Originally Posted by BJ

Like all the 5" monster tacho's you see getting aroung. All i have ever used is a shift light.

Now now John! Stewart Warner gauges havent always been around. You ust to have your 5" monster tacho hanging off your steering column, not a good look now that you look back at it, and does not even compare with using those little shift lights with built in digital tach.

[OLDFORDNUT]

so Mini's MG's Jag's, and a heap of other cars are illegal as they come stock with mechanical oil guages.very interesting,
lots of old race cars in my 1970's and 1980's magazines have guages on outside,
mind you when i see them on a ricer i have a little chuckle to myself but when some tough sounding older car pulls up near me with them i think they look good as i know the car suits the guages with its lumpy V8 or 6cyl

[BJ]

Originally Posted by nicholas

so Mini's MG's Jag's, and a heap of other cars are illegal as they come stock with mechanical oil guages.

If you look at them all of the capilary lines are copper, no nylon.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by nicholas

so Mini's MG's Jag's, and a heap of other cars are illegal as they come stock with mechanical oil guages.very interesting,

Just because they on factory cars doesn't make it legal.
Also it doesn't matter whether the lines are nylon, copper or braded. You can not have oil inside the inside of the cabin!

[Sorted]

Ok so its NO to ANY mechanical gauges inside the cabin

That means FUEL and Oil and Water ????

Is this correct - PLEASE ADVISE

[Redrum]

Biggest problem with roadworthies etc is whether or not they impede driver's forward vision.