1965 Temp Sensor Question

[JGross]

I'm putting a 5.3L in my 65 C10, you guys that have done a similar swap what did you do with the temp sensor? My sensor is over 3/4 of an inch and I don't think there's enough room to drill and tap the head.

Thanks
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[71chevystep4x4]

You dont have to drill and tap anything. Theres a alan plug behind the passenger side rear exhaust port on the head, just remove it and get Auto Meter #2277, which is an adapter, then the temp sender for that (dont have the part # on hand).

[71chevystep4x4]

Auto Meter temp sender #2259

[JGross]

Originally Posted by 71chevystep4x4

Auto Meter temp sender #2259

Will this work with the original temp gauge?
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[71chevystep4x4]

yes

[TR65]

Hey guys,

There are a couple of issues here. The port on the LS heads is metric not 1/8" pipe. 65 trucks use a lower resistance sender than the later models. See the attached data.

I have been trying for some time to get a sender that will work with the original gauge. No luck yet.

TR

[71chevystep4x4]

Yes the port is metric, which is why you use the adapter first stated #2277, which you then install the sender #2259 into. Resistance wise, I do not know, just everyone else is running that combo as am I.

[TR65]

71 Chevy,

I think the 71 OE used the late model sensor. I think they changed in 67 maybe? JGross has a 65.

TR

[ls1nova71]

Originally Posted by TR65

71 Chevy,

I think the 71 OE used the late model sensor. I think they changed in 67 maybe? JGross has a 65.

TR

Are you saying that a 65 uses a bigger sender than a 67-72? My 71 uses a sender that's almost 3/4 inch and there's enough room to drill and tap the head. There's pics in my build thread of my 71 in my sig that show exactly what I did.
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[TR65]

LS1,

I think drilling and tapping the head is a good way to go and solves the problem. I just want to avoid that if I can, don't want to pull the engine back out. The 65 sender is the same 1/2" NPT as yours.

What I don't know is what year they changed the resistance to the higher value.

TR

[solidaxel]

I just found a nut to fit the plug in the pass. head and it is a 12M X 1.5.
Did I read on here that someone took the stock 70's sending unit and turned it down to a 12 X 1.5 thread?
Is there enough meat left on the stock sending unit to do that?