Newbie with questions

[azjim1]

A little background. 10 plus years ago I bought a 65 Chevy C10 Longbed Fleetside pickup. It originally belonged to a friend of mine in high school and he had painted it, custom wheels, stereo, sidepipes!, etc. and we used to go cruising in it etc. Anyway he sold it to a guy I worked with and that guy needed money and sold it to me cheap. So, it has sat for all these years and even been moved by flatbead tow truck into its current position in my garage. So my son turned 16 this summer and has been guilting me into fixing it up. So we have started!

Not having done much of this kind of thing since I was a young man and not ever owning a Chevy before I will no doubt be having some questions along the way and this forum seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable people to ask so here I am.

Not having much money these days (economy, daughter in college, etc.) I have started working on it with the intention of getting it running again hopefully without spending too much money over the winter months (I live in Phoenix so won't be doing a lot of wrenching in the summer!) and then slowly over time doing the hot rodding stuff I want to do to it as time and money allows.

So we have started with a intake manifold swap. The truck had the original 2 bbl intake but came with a 1968 cast iron 4 barrel intake that I got installed last weekend. I have a rebuilt quadrajet that I bought on ebay a few years ago that I will install. Anyway the first problem in need of a solution is the 4bbl intake does not have a mounting hole in it for the coolant temp sensor. So my thought was that I would buy a water neck with the threaded boss for one in it . . . but I have the original oil filler tube so I have to use a straight water neck and all the ones with the sensor holes that I have found are all the 45 degree angled ones that will run right into my oil fill tube. So now I am thinking about a spacer under the water neck and have found a couple with either 3/8" or 1/2" holes in them for sensors, etc.

So a lot of background for hopefully a simple question . . . I believe the stock sensor is 5/8"? Is there a 1/2" or 3/8" sensor that will work with the stock gauge?

Thanks!
Jim

[CRGRS 66]

Welcome aboard Jim!
My original 283 set up had the temp sending unit on the top of the water pump. I have recently bought a 350 crate engine, and as new water pump. The new water pump is still in the box... not even sure if it has the same port in it. Maybe have a peek at the water pump see if there is a port there for it.

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum Jim

You could also put a 'Tee' where the heater hose connects to the manifold. The size for that would be 1/2" pipe thread, which is the size for the correct sending unit. You will have to use the original style sending unit.

You do know we need to see some pics.......

[bk2life]

Originally Posted by azjim1

I have started working on it with the intention of getting it running again hopefully without spending too much money over the winter months (I live in Phoenix so won't be doing a lot of wrenching in the summer!) and then slowly over time doing the hot rodding stuff I want to do to it as time and money allows.
Jim

Jim,
What part of phx do you live in? I’m nw phx, bell road 51ave. no wrenching during summer? You’re crazy!! That’s the best time!
Post some pics of your truck/motor, there should be plenty of ports for your temp sender to mount in/on that intake you got.
I’ll be home in march, but once I’m home got no problem lending a hand to help you out, but I gotta get out of this crap hole of a country first..

[jbgroby]

Welcome Jim, Glad to see another added to this fine family of fellow 'Bolters.

[bj383ss]

Do they 283 heads not have a hole in the heads to put the temp sensor like the 350's?

Bret

[Captainfab]

The '67 and earlier small block heads do not have holes for a temp sender.

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Do they 283 heads not have a hole in the heads to put the temp sensor like the 350's?

Bret

[MikeS.]

Welcome Jim! Now let's see the pictures.
Posted via Mobile Device

[azjim1]

Thanks for all the welcomes!

My water pump does have the plug in the top but I might change it out before I fire it back up as its seals, etc. are now pretty old. And if I did put the sender in the top of the water pump wouldn't it sense the coolant temp of the water coming back from the radiator? As opposed to the temp of the engine coolant?

I had thought of the tee idea coming out of the intake. Might have to try to find one somewhere. Knowing it is 1/2 thread helps as I thought it was 5/8 or something? If I could find a tee with female threads all the way around and a double male thread nipple to go into the front of the intake I think that would be the best solution. IF I can get the hose fitting out of the front of the manifold that is . . . It has probably been there since 1968!

I will also double check my heads but I am pretty sure they are the original 1965 283 heads.

So, if I can't find a suitable tee fitting or can't get the hose fitting out of the front of the manifold I would be back to using a thermostat housing riser like the one vintage air sells PN 706001-VCQ. Their catalog says it has a 1/2" NPT port in it. So if my original sender is 1/2 that would be easy but maybe a little more expensive. If I do that it will raise my water neck a little and I was planning on using the hard pipe upper radiator hose that I have but I think it would still work.

[azjim1]

Originally Posted by MikeS.

Welcome Jim! Now let's see the pictures.
Posted via Mobile Device

I will work on that! I have some that I have been taking but haven't downloaded them yet. I will then have to figure out how to get them to the forum. I assume that it is similar to other forums where I can post them to a picture site like picassa or something and then copy and paste links into my posts?

[azjim1]

Originally Posted by bk2life

Jim,
What part of phx do you live in? I’m nw phx, bell road 51ave. no wrenching during summer? You’re crazy!! That’s the best time!
Post some pics of your truck/motor, there should be plenty of ports for your temp sender to mount in/on that intake you got.
I’ll be home in march, but once I’m home got no problem lending a hand to help you out, but I gotta get out of this crap hole of a country first..

Not too far from you . . . 7th Street and Greenway area.

That is when you get back . . . I saw in one of your posts that you are in Afganistan? I assume you are military? Air Force from Luke? Or National Guard? Anyway hopefully you will come home soon!

As for the intake it is a factory 1968 cast iron Q-Jet four barrel intake. It does have several vacuum ports in it and a flat spot where there could be a hole for a water temp sensor but I think that whatever engine the intake came off of had the temp sensor moved to the heads . . .

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by azjim1

Not too far from you . . . 7th Street and Greenway area.

That is when you get back . . . I saw in one of your posts that you are in Afganistan? I assume you are military? Air Force from Luke? Or National Guard? Anyway hopefully you will come home soon!

As for the intake it is a factory 1968 cast iron Q-Jet four barrel intake. It does have several vacuum ports in it and a flat spot where there could be a hole for a water temp sensor but I think that whatever engine the intake came off of had the temp sensor moved to the heads . . .

Jim, I think the Captain offered the simplest solution for you. If for some reason you don't wish to use it, you could get an original hard-pipe and hose ends (see pics at: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=378572 ) and have a bung welded in anywhere along that pipe. It would be sensing heated water from BOTH heads in this position.
sam
...and we do not have any pictures yet...

[MikeS.]

Originally Posted by azjim1

I will work on that! I have some that I have been taking but haven't downloaded them yet. I will then have to figure out how to get them to the forum. I assume that it is similar to other forums where I can post them to a picture site like picassa or something and then copy and paste links into my posts?

Store them right here on the board, no Picasa or photobucket needed. Just look for the gallery tab. Then add your link from there.
Posted via Mobile Device

[bk2life]

Originally Posted by azjim1

Not too far from you . . . 7th Street and Greenway area. . .

Yes in afghan, Army Reserves, this isn’t my first deployment, not the 2nd or the 4th..lol
And yeah 7st greenway is not a bad spot. Goin to guess you’re on the east side of 7th. There is a good sized car show at castles-n-coaster dec 8th.
And ill be home in march, very much lookin forward to it..

[corvettejim1968]

welcome to the forum. we like pictures here

[bk2life]

Originally Posted by corvettejim1968

welcome to the forum. we like pictures here

and pistons!!