Smith oil pressure gauge - how to reattach black plastic hose to fitting

[BR021219]

Hi all - I found this forum while searching for the best way to reattach the black plastic oil pressure line to the fitting. I own a 1964 e-type that I am hoping to race - but this question is for my other car which is a 1963 Mk2. The new gauge line we bought needs to be cut which requires reattaching the line to the fitting. Do I use heat? And if so, what is the best way to do that? Any ideas would really be appreciated.
Thank you.
- Bruce R

[mgcjag]

Hi Bruce..welcom to the forum...lots of info here im sure you will enjoy....re oil pipe.....best way is heat the fitting and push onto the pipe....same as with nylon type fuel lines...Steve

[Heuer]

Agree with Steve - heat the fitting ( probably in a vice) and then push on the pipe. Easy!

[JJC]

A cheap cigarette lighter works great.....used carefully, and an inch or two away. You will get a feel for it once you give it a try.

JC

[BR021219]

Steve, David, JC - thank you for the quick response. Your ideas are just what I was looking for. Great forum and I look forward to reading and sharing experiences about our great cars.
-Bruce and Lois

[christopher storey]

I am puzzled : what sort of oil pressure gauge is this ? the normal gauges are electric and have no pipe connected to them

[Quattrofrank]

Probably this: https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/sm ... auge-cb-op

[JJC]

Chris: This car must have changed over to a more accurate Smiths mechanical gauge, and ditched the useless, inaccurate electric gauge. It really is the way to go, and very easy to do. Of course, the new gauge fits in original hole, and basically looks exactly the same.

JJ

[tim wood]

It’s a shame they don’t make a gauge that reads to a max 60psi as per the original.
Didn’t stop me fixing a mechanical unit though.

[JJC]

After a while, you won't even notice the difference. Besides, in real-life , everyday driving in any E-Type, except on very cold start-up, its rare to see anywhere near 60lbs. As I recall, over many years with a V-12, I'm looking at between 10 and 35lbs all day long. Happy motoring !

JC

[BR021219]

The gauge is a Smith mechanical - 0-100 lbs swing needle type.

[JJC]

I was addressing Tim's concerns. Yup....mechanical gauge goes to 100.

[MarkRado]

I changed over the dial to keep the original looks. You need to check real vs indicated pressure and learn by heart though. (in my case it is quite easy: 40 lbs indicated equals 4 bars real press, 20 equals 2 and so on)

[Quattrofrank]

Depending on what have been done to the engine I belive you could exceed 60lbs
So its not useless to have that extra 40lbs on the gauge

[JJC]

Yup....sometimes on cold start up, it will go to almost 70 lbs, but briefly, 60 lbs gauge has enough room to show that. Normal operation on any E-Type motor , 6 or 12, rule of thumb, once warm, is 10 lbs of oil pressure for every 100 revolutions (+ or - a few lbs).At idle, should indicate around 10 lbs of o.p. Cruising at 3000 rpm, around 25 to 30 lbs, depending on engine temperature. And so on...... Basically, 60 lbs gauge does the trick.