Capillary temperature gauge

[Bill_qaz]

Planning to fit temp gauge and would like to know is there an existing suitable hole through the bulkhead big enough to pass a smiths type temperature sender through,before I start drilling. It's an 60-62 mk3.
Thanks for any info.

[geoberni]

The big nut tends to be the problem.
I can't think of a hole that has the room to spare, without some effort.
I suspect many cars have odd additional holes they have collected over the years.
If you are set on it, I imagine you could, for example, disconnect all the electrics under the bonnet, feed the loom back into the passenger compartment, install the capillary tube and then put the loom back....
Any specific reason you're going for the capillary type?
I suppose they can be a little cheaper than an electric one, but they have their drawbacks (aside from needing a large hole to feed through), for example some of them can have quite an excess length of tube to hide somewhere. It's quite bulky.
I fitted one many decades ago to a Mk1 Ford Escort, I wouldn't bother to do it again.

[MorrisJohn]

I fitted one to my last car and had to drill a hole in the bulkhead (or rather widened an existing one) to allow it to fit. As Berni says, there’s quite a lot of extra wire there to try and keep neat and tidy. On the upside, it’s a useful instrument.

You need a “TE5” adaptor to fix it to the where the blanking plug is removed from. See minispares if you don’t already have one.

[Bill_qaz]

Thanks that exactly the same gauges and I assume the plastic pipe is the oil pressure.
Are the two holes you drilled and grommets in your picture on passenger or drivers side of the bulkhead?

[MorrisJohn]

Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better

[Bill_qaz]

Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better

Same with me live gauges rather than electric and like yours gone for the cream faces as I think they look better suited. Thanks for the info

[jaekl]

I passed mine through the windscreen wiper cable hole. I don't recall if the wiper tube needs to be removed, but I don't think so. The rubber grommet no longer has the thin rubber sealing the tube so the capillary simply passes through.

[MorrisJohn]

Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better

Same with me live gauges rather than electric and like yours gone for the cream faces as I think they look better suited. Thanks for the info

Depends on which speedo face you have I think, but I think the cream ones are nicest too. Oh, and my Minor wasn’t almost at boiling point…the photo was taken while I tested it out using a kettle!