Reply to "Suggested mods/upgrades for stock wiring harness"

Bill, the oil pressure gauge was Italian made (Veglia) while the sender was a Mustang part made in the U.S, so its no wonder there was a mismatch affecting accuracy. The simplest 'fix' for this one is to install a Tee fitting in the rear of the block where the electric gauge sender is. Add a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge in one leg of the tee and the electric sender in the other. Start your engine and note the difference in readings: it will be from 10-30 psi. In a few minutes of running, you can 'calibrate' the gauge yourself. It's safe to leave the mechanical gauge in place indefinitely- mine has been there for over 20 years. I use 'real' readings while tuning.

The water temp had either a 0-220F (1971-1973) or a 0-260F (1973-up) face with two quite different mechanisms inside. I changed gauges and found that the 0-260 gauge read quite close to true, once the 'factory' resistor was removed. Substituting a small value variable resistor allows one to easily 'calibrate' either gauge. Note that with the earlier 0-220 gauge, the normal operating temp of a totally stock Pantera will be 190-210 so this gauge is less valuable- it will run 'pegged' a lot of the time. And of course if the engine or cooling system has been modified, it could read almost anything.

The fuel gauge reads correctly. The ammeter may or may not, depending.... as mentioned, there are English Lucas, Italian Fiamm and German Bosch components in the wiring and most Panteras have been modified here. But the ammeter is arguably the least important- all you really want to know is whether the alternator is charging or not; the exact value is not very important. Finally, the Pantera is VERY sensitive to good grounds of all its electrical components. If something doesn't work or works funky, first, check the ground. This practice will save you much time & money.