Oil and Temp senders to square body manual gauges finally

[LSSierra]

Ok. I spent hours searching this site as well as LS1Tech and could NOT come up with a viable solution to keeping my factory gauges for OIL and TEMP while using some kind of senders in the LS motor to keep my stock gauges. SOLVED. Here is what you will find:

Most tell you to drill/tap the passenger side head or water pump. I didn't want to do this...cause why would you. Others use a T in a heater hose or something to that affect...why do that? I ordered the Summit Adapters and realized pretty quick that my stock 87' senders didn't fit through the new adapters because those adapters are for ELECTRIC gauge senders. I wanted MANUAL.

So...I found a place called "FASTENAL" here local which has all kinds of fittings. After all this research, head scratching, avoiding tapping/drilling because my motor is together and running - gauges were the last step for me -I ended up with a simple, one piece adapter for both the OIL and TEMP senders.

Stock OIL sender thread is 1/2" and I simply got 1/2" to 3/8" adapter. I know this sounds crazy cause it isn't "Metric" but the threads matched up and I put thread sealer on there. What do you know...I have a working, stock, oil pressure gauge with a simple adapter NOT sold by Summit for 500% mark-up. Don't get me wrong, Summit is awesome, but they don't have adapters to use for an Gen III/IV motor to a square body gauge setup using stock senders for manual gauges.

For Temp, I simply got the same kind of single piece adapter (looks just like all the ones from Summit etc but different size) and went from 3/8" for stock temp sender end to 1/4" to put in passenger side of head. Now I have a temp reading. Once I get the coolant back in tonight, I'll update on where my gauge reads hot since it's the original sender, but funny enough, it always ran a one third level with my 305 hot, so I'm gonna go on a limb and say it'll be near center.

I wrote this lengthy thread because I'm sure there will be other square body swappers wanting to use stock gauges and senders. I'll post pics of my adapters tonight or tomorrow. Good luck all.