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Yep thats a good point, I certainly do not want to do any drilling, I have ordered the correct plug, and i will see if it will screw in just depends on damage to the tread in the hole, fingers crossed it will be ok. On the oil pressure front its running at 40 when iam driving along and just about 20 on tick over. is this ok.

Howard,

Those numbers look good!

I like the idea of of an oil light think i may well go down that route. Well i topped up the front shock asorbers with jack oil and it transformed the ride there was no where near the bounce on the front of the car.

I am After a bit more info on the speedo dial on the dash board, i have wired in the arrows for the left and right signals. there is also a round red light on the left this denotes high beam head lights. I have looked in the manual online and there is also a green light on the right side of the speedo this denotes the econo gear but i dont have that. But i have noticed that the light iluminates when i turn on the lights. any ideas. I thought i could use this for the low oil pressure light or is it coorect for it to be on with the lights
Thanks. Howard

A few possibilities. If there was a factory bulb and socket in the position ready for OD perhaps someone miswired it and it is now coming on with the dash lights. Not likely because I don't believe any OD wiring would be in the loom for a non OD car.

There is supposed to be a cardboard tube inside the speedo case around those four openings to direct the light to the colored spots and prevent other lights from bleeding thru and being seen. Perhaps the tube is damaged or missing and the spot is being illuminated by another bulb. Another thing to look for would be is if nothing is in the hole could some extraneous light behind the dash be shining into the opening.

There is one other possibility and this is where you could satisfy something I have wondered about.

All Clipper schematics show a pointer light. That light causes the pointer to change colors as the speed increases. I know that feature was available on some prewar senior models and maybe the Clipper too but was not on the postwar Clippers even though schematics show the bulb.

Here is a photo of the 46-7 instruments which would be the same layout as yours. I have marked the bulb locations and am wondering if your speedometer has the same 5 holes or is there possibly a 6th hole for a pointer light. If you do have a pointer light where is the opening located? Based on the schematic layout I suspect it would be under the trip reset cable opposite the dash light opening or maybe on the side. If it is there, perhaps that bulb has been placed in the wrong hole and is illuminating the OD position instead of the pointer.

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Hi Thanks for that, there is certainly no bleeding through of light from another bulb. I will have a look to see if there is a hole to iluminate the pointer I have to admit that would be nice the dash board in the dark is poorly lit and the pointer is hard to see. you could well be right as a miss wired or even a dash light in the wrong position I shall look tomorrow morning. I will let you know how I get on. Thanks again Howard.

I think i found the problem one of the lights was missing from the temp and fuel gauge side. So i moved the light over.I also found an extra hole on the speedo think this is for the pointer. are find out when i take it out at night. I am off for a run out today with friends to an aviation museum. Let you all know how i get on.

Well I took the car out today and did a total of about 43 miles, running out the temp gauge stayed at about 140-150, i did notice it did not like to start when it was hot, it would start in the end but not quickly, could I put this down to fuel Evaporation or could this be some thing else. Also what is a good running temperature. Do these straight 8 engines run hot. Thanks Howard

Do these straight eights tend to run a bit on the hot side, mine has been running at between 150 and 200 is this ok. Also regards the oil plug that was missing I managed to get one and it fitted with out messing up the thread. Thanks

200 sounds a bit high although it can get that high after a run and then hitting idle speed in traffic. They will generally cool down after a few minutes if that caused the higher reading. I believe the typical average depending on thermostat chosen is around 170-180 but it does vary.

If the car has been idle for a long time and its condition beforehand was marginal there could be some issues with rust or sediment in the engine covering the water jacket. The radiator flow could be compromised or the water distribution tube in the block behind the water pump could be clogged or deteriorated. Those are typical conditions that would tend to cause the car to run warmer as would timing or a stuck closed heat riser valve or a restriction in the exhaust system.

There is also a distinct possibility the old temp gauge is not reading correctly. You could check with an infrared device to confirm the high temps if you haven't used other means already. If the temp gauge does appear to be off one thing to be aware of is the sensing bulb in the head has likely not been removed for decades if ever. There is every chance sediment and corrosion has caused the bulb to become stuck in the head. Use every precaution if you try to remove it -- penetrating fluid and time but even then it may be damaged or the bulb twist off the tube when being removed.