SPA gauges are IN! Thanks BigDaddy!

[Wheaties]

Well the new SPA gauges are installed on the pillar and they look and work great!!



Thanks to Patrick at SPA Technique for taking good care of me, in spite of the Queen Mum dying. And a very special thanks to BigDaddy for going way out of his way to help, above and beyond the call, ALL DAY!!, at his home, making sure the install went better than planned. I could never have done this as quickly and neatly as we did without you guy!! You Rock!!



Numbers: Boost 0-26

EGT peak 1075

Fuel Pres 6-14

Oil Temp 170-190 (not that it matters much)



Thanks Joe!



Matt

 

[BigDaddy]

Matt,



The SPAs are Top Shelf The new series gauges are the best yet. Better connectors at the sensors and setting up the menu is much improved.



The Painless Wiring Kit that you bought from Geno’s really cleaned things up.



It was my pleasure



Joe

 

[Dave MacArthur]

I'm ready to do the same setup. What are the model numbers? Do you know if they have a dash pod? I don't see your signature but am guessing you have a manual trans hence the oil temp. I have an auto and want to do trans (oil) temp. I think they are the same guages as yours. Also, did you buy them straight from SPA? And finally, do you guys have any tips on the install since it is fresh in your mind?



Thanks for the info,



Dave.

 

[Batman]

Congrats Matt, Bigdaddy is one hell of a guy!

Geo

 

[BigDaddy]

Dave,



You will want DG211 for Boost/EGT and DG212 for Fuel Pres. / Oil Temp.



I have not seen a 2-gauge center dash pod. I do not think they make one. Someone does make a 2-gauge pod that mounts to the left or right of the steering wheel where the bezel meets the dash (kinda hard to explain).



Follow this link to about 12 photos of my SPA Installation – Center Dash Pod.



Tips on the install?

1. Use Ray’s Tapped Banjo Bolt (available from Geno’s) for pressure source and a 1/8” NPT, 90 degree fitting at the bottom of the fuel filter canister. I usually get a 4/1 or 5/2 kit and change them all.

2. Use a Hex Bushing 3/4" x 1/8” (male x female) at the plug just in front of the MAP sensor for Boost source. Other options: Piers adapter or tap the intake horn.

3. Attach the Thermocouple Signal Conditioner (amplifier) to the engine firewall using Velcro.

4. Use Massdiesel’s Transmission line for your Temperature source.

5. Use a LittleFuse mini add-a-circuit or Painless wiring kit for power source.



If I can help further let me know.

 

[BigDaddy]

George,



Thank you for the compliment.

 

[Wheaties]

Dave,



What BigDaddy said! Also, yes we got them direct from SPA Technique. Order them well in advance of when you need them. They're making gauges as fast as they can, but there's usually a two week wait give or take.



BD didn't mention the painless wiring kit, I think that saved us a lot of time. If you know someone who has lots of NPT fittings and a good stock of electrical connectors, that helps enormously :-laf Thanks again BD! Also, he had the right taps, which you'll need if you want more than a couple of threads holding the transducer on the banjo bolt. We used yellow teflon tape which is rated for fuel. White tape is not.



Beyond that, it never hurts to get help from someone who really knows what they are doing. Listen to what they are trying to tell you

 

[Brandon]

kinda familiar, pm gtackett. I did the same for him 1. 5 years ago.

it looked nice

 

[Okie-Go]

I have the boost and pyro combo gauge from SPA on the pillar. I really like it a lot. No trouble at all from it.

 

[lyengoyan]

I too am thinking about this same setup. Can someone recommend a place to buy the necessary pieces as well as the gauges. I'm very new to this and a bit leary of doing it myself. I'm hoping to find someone that will sell me a complete kit with everything I need as well as be available to answer a few questions.



Thanks

 

[LSMITH]

lyengoyan, the guy a couple posts up, Brandon, is the one to talk to. PM or email him, he will take good care of you.

 

[Wheaties]

Originally posted by lyengoyan

I too am thinking about this same setup. Can someone recommend a place to buy the necessary pieces as well as the gauges. I'm very new to this and a bit leary of doing it myself. I'm hoping to find someone that will sell me a complete kit with everything I need as well as be available to answer a few questions.



Thanks

Maybe I can help a little. The gauges come complete with cabling and appropriate transducers. What else do you need?



1) A gauge pod, or pillar mount, or whichever mount you prefer. A can of interior color if you wish for it to match

2) Banjo bolts, one or more with tap(s) if you have a fuel pressure gauge

3) Appropriate drill and tap for the exhaust manifold if you are measuring EGT's

4) Bushing to reduce the plug hole on the intake manifold to transducer size if you are going to measure boost.

5) I'd toss in a painless wiring kit if you don't already have one. Makes adding electrical components a breeze.



I got the banjo bolts, the pillar mount, and the painless wiring from Geno's. The fittings are available in brass from an auto supply. BigDaddy prefers to re-tap the banjo bolts with an NPT tap to get a better connection on the banjo bolts.



I hope this helps,

Matt

 

[BigDaddy]

Wow! This is an old one. Glad to see the search engine is working



lyengoyan,



Let me first welcome you to the greatest site on the web, the TDR



As with any aftermarket gauge the term, one size fit's all, does not apply. More than likely, you will have to adapt your gauge sensors to your trucks components and in some case's, purchase an aftermarket cover or modify an existing component.



Sent me a PM and I will be more than happy to help you in any way I can.

 

[lyengoyan]

Thanks for all the replies! I will definitely be contacting Brandon about the Gauges and probably some of you as well as I get into the project. Perhaps you all can answer a quick question for me. I just placed an order with Geno's and I need to know if I should modify it before they ship it. In addition to some Tune-up items, I ordered 1 tapped Banjo Bolt. Should I have ordered the 4/1 Kit? I'm not clear on why I would want to replace the other bolts if I don't need to. Also, I ordered the 4ignition/3hot waterproof painless wiring kit. Is it better to go with the 7iginition. I'm not really sure what type of accessories I'll be adding later (TC lockup switch and exhaust brake, Fog Lights ???). Which one do most of you use. Again, thanks for the help.

 

[Wheaties]

I suppose it depends on what you want to do. I got the 4/1 kit so that the fuel flow could be improved from the lift pump forward. Those banjo bolts aren't just for pressure taps, they're tapped out so there's less restriction to fuel flow.



As for the painless wiring, again it's your preference that counts. I want most of my accessories to be linked to the ignition so that I won't forget, leave something on, and drain down the batteries. Things like work lights, back up lights,... stuff you'll want to use with the ignition off call for the always hot circuits. Pick a kit that will suit the majority of the accessories you see in your future.



Matt