Ford Capri - Fitting Gauges (1)

Several years ago I bought a collection of gauges to fit to my green Capri. Being a Deluxe model, it only has a temperature & fuel gauge as standard equipment whereas my white XL has the full complement of gauges (tachometer, fuel, temp, oil pressure & voltage). I have started this project several times but each time I gave it away as being too difficult. The main problem was how to fit the gauges without damaging the original sections of the dash and, secondly, not making them too obvious. The additional gauges I wanted to fit were a tachometer, vacuum gauge, oil pressure gauge & an ammeter. I have always liked vacuum gauges but unfortunately I could not obtain a genuine Smiths old school type in reasonable condition & at a reasonable price. I did find a suitable alternative.
After a bit of thought & experimentation, I put together a small metal bracket that would sit under the dash & bolt onto the brackets under the dash. This was attached to a 3 gauge mounting bracket. Here is what it looks like.



Let me discuss connecting each gauge with the easiest first, the vacuum gauge. The mounting bracket for this gauge was a different style to the others & did not fit so I had to improvise with some Selley's metal putty. In the picture, you can see it moulded around the gauge (the one on the left) as it is pressed into the bracket. Then it was very easy to attach the plastic tube to the gauge. The tube was then run through the firewall to the brake booster which had a spare outlet. This was a very similar size to the tubing so, with a little plastic adapter, it fitted really easily. Here are a few photos.



Next was the oil pressure gauge in the middle of the three. This required the small plastic hose to be fitted tightly to the back of the gauge & the hose run through the firewall to the oil pressure location on the RH side of the engine block. As I wanted to keep the oil pressure light, I had to source a suitable brass fitting so as to attach the light module as well as the tube from the gauge. After a visit to my local Autobarn, one was located very quickly & matched the engine thread (I think about 3/8) & it all screwed together quite easily. Here are some photos. I will explain all the wiring later.