Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man
...you have to remember that was right in the middle of the 'first' OPEC Oil Embargo...everybody was getting FE-smart suddenly...even us "hot rodders" (I had a 340/6BBL which only got 12-14 mpg!)
...it was never OEM, just an "after-market" unit. I think I ordered my from J.C.Whitney, but can't really recall.
...DST is still around in Romulus, MI. Apparently Mr. Spacek passed away in 2003--he was an inventor and worked (mostly) in microwave devices.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeremyinIndy
Last weekend I went to a local ham fest (Amature Radio thing) It's always cool to check out all the fun and nerdy stuff people bring to the swap meet part. I found some cool stuff.
On one table, I ran across an interesting looking gauge setup from the first Gas Crisis. Man, that's badass! So, ofcourse I start looking it over, then wonder what's in the cardboard box behind it. Oh, it's a complete one with all the setup paperwork and specs!!! I call the guy over.
Gauge, Vehicle Speed Sensor, Flow Transducer, Calibrator Stick, and either a Capacitor or Resistor i haven't played with it that much yet.
This particular unit has the setup info for the Pinto, Maveric, Mustang, Thunderbird... So late 70s.
It talks a little about alternate setups for some MPG Challenge. The flow transducer apparently can go on either fuel line or off intake vaccum for FI cars, the gauge could pull speed signal off the spinning magnet in the speedo on the dash if placed correctly instead of mounting the VSS.
I've asked my dad to get the papers scanned so I can share, but as we all know spare time is hard to come by.
One complete and NewInBox. The other looks to be complete but without the capacitor, calibrator rod, and paperwork. Got them both for $5.
I'm thinking since I've got a spec sheet, if anybody feels up to helping search for some parts, we might be able to get a parts list together for a Pre-Everything fuel consumption gauge. |
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Lookit that! A real SpaceKom MPG computer! From the '70s....I had one, still got the read-out gauge and the flow transducer ( somewhere ).
Put it on a Honda 600 sedan ( 2 cyl. motorcycle engine ), then put it on a '77 Gremlin, then pulled it off & hung on to it when I scrapped ( crushed ) the "car" ( whatta dog!).
I learned much from these initial installations : the effects on MPG of velocity, traffic, rain (yes, the wet road saps MPG...something to do with "bow waves" on the tires?), and terrain.
I also learned about instantaneous MPG vs. average MPG (which the SpaceKom could NOT give). The instantaneous MPG number is wildly erratic ( varies from one parameter after another ... and there are hundreds! ) and is of little use to your wallet. So what if you get over 60 MPG going downhill? Fun...but after awhile, so what? The average number ( ScanGauge II) is sooooo much more useful! My current ScanGauge II is a jewel!
Thus sayeth the engineer from NC ....