What Aftermarket Gauges are Important in a 60/62?

[jackhossross]

Hey guys,

I will be using my truck mostly for fire roads and easy 4x4 in the high country of Colorado. Obviously, the truck needs to get me there comfortably and reliably.

I would like to monitor my systems and I wanted to hear what seasoned 60 series owners' like to monitor. Oil temp, ATF temp, etc, etc?

Also, would like to hear what brands ya'll are using. I come from Subaru and VW world, so I have my favorites from there but would like to hear from the Toy community as well.

If this has been answered, sorry - can't find it on search.

 

[g-man]

what aftermarket gauges are important?.....none

Don't junk up your dash and drill holes etc. Next owner will just have to work 2x as hard to get it back to stock. Fix or correct the problems with the gauges so they read correctly. Sorry ...it's not a street rod. just my .02 cents.

 

[g-man]

Now if you want to impress the chicks you should get one of these

Inclinometer wiring help.

 

[jackhossross]

what aftermarket gauges are important?.....none

Don't junk up your dash and drill holes etc. Next owner will just have to work 2x as hard to get it back to stock. Fix or correct the problems with the gauges so they read correctly. Sorry ...it's not a street rod. just my .02 cents.

It is not that I am going to replace an OEM one - there are very creative ways to install aftermarket gauges that can be easily removed for resale. I am looking for peace of mind, knowing that all systems are a go as I am pushing up a 1000 ft climb.

Surprised by your animosity towards gauges .. the more information we are supplied with the better we can diagnose issues in the field.

 

[jackhossross]

Now if you want to impress the chicks you should get one of these

Inclinometer wiring help.

Not looking to impress, if I was looking to impress I wouldn't have purchased a 30 year old vehicle haha.

Simply trying to arm myself with as much information as possible.

 

[g-man]

I constantly watch my temp gauge and oil pressure gauge. They work. It has saved me in the past when a thermostat locked up.

 

[g-man]

Also my volt meter showed me when I needed to rebuild my alternator. Then again when the ignition controlled VR went out.

 

[g-man]

search for a used 4 gauge inst cluster and buy it as a spare. You'll be glad you did before the prices go up to unobtainium.

 

[cps432]

I'm going to put a vacuum gauge in the cabin as has been suggested by many people here. I've also looked into putting a fuel ratio mix gauge in there too, but that's pretty pricey and requires a bit of welding. Still, I think those two things will help better monitor what's going on with the truck and help you catch problems early. The thing with these old trucks is you have to check things yourself. The Toyota engineers didn't insult us with idiot lights all over the place.

 

[db3]

I was always annoyed that the stock temperature gauge did not give actual temps, so I installed an old school, mechanical gauge, with the probe in upper tank of the radiator. Another, unappreciated gauge I installed was a vacuum gauge. Once you learn how to use it, it provides a wealth of information on the condition of the engine. As for brands, lately I've been using standard Autometer gauges, which seem to work fine.

 

[FJ60Seth]

In a 62 I’d want an AT temp gauge. A vacuum garage in the cab would be very useful.

 

[FJ Silver]

I'm working on a 3-cluster as well myself in my 62. The obvious 3 for me are, oil pressure, water temp and ATF temp. ATF temp would be the one I'd watch the most...

 

[tmxmotorsports]

I want a gauge that tells me i get better gas mileage

 

[db3]

I want a gauge that tells me i get better gas mileage

Drive using a vacuum gauge will do just that, although you might get run off the road here in California. My first car was a 50 Ford two door coupe. I installed an 'fuel economy' gauge, which was nothing more than a vacuum gauge with green, yellow, and red areas denoted. IIRC, green was around 14 - 20 inches, yellow 8 - 14, and below 8 was red. Obviously a light throttle resulted in a higher vacuum, and better mileage.

 

[MANUCHAO]

I want a gauge that tells me i get better gas mileage

they have those.... I believe the come attached to either a Toyota Diesel, or 6.0 Vortec.......
They fun too....

 

[MANUCHAO]

Hey guys,

I will be using my truck mostly for fire roads and easy 4x4 in the high country of Colorado. Obviously, the truck needs to get me there comfortably and reliably.

I would like to monitor my systems and I wanted to hear what seasoned 60 series owners' like to monitor. Oil temp, ATF temp, etc, etc?

Also, would like to hear what brands ya'll are using. I come from Subaru and VW world, so I have my favorites from there but would like to hear from the Toy community as well.

If this has been answered, sorry - can't find it on search.

Try @lcwizard

60 series dash

 

[HemiAlex]

A proper temp gauge.

 

[OSS]

I don't want to see a vacuum gauge while I'm driving (too distracting) but I do want to have one in the cab for idle diagnosis to keep an eye on the EGR valve. So I installed it out of my line of sight down near the floor. There's a threaded insert already where I installed it, so all that was required was to screw in a bolt. No drilling.

 

[Seth S]

Better to go the warning light route, I think this summarizes the setup nicely.

 

[cps432]

Better to go the warning light route, I think this summarizes the setup nicely.

Most people don't have PHDs though...