One thing I've noticed in all the conversation about
oil temps in our cars is the mention of not enough heat in the
oil at cruising speeds. With the standard electric gauges that have only a 90 sweep in the needle it's almost impossible to tell exactly how much heat is in the
oil when the engine is running, as the needle barely moves a 32nd of an inch off the peg when cruising. I'd have to agree that oil temps do tend to spike up (around 230 degrees) when running the standard SPF set up on track and usually tend to stay well below that when running on the street. I intend to modify my system to run larger 12AN lines but, BEFORE I do any of that, I also plan to install 270 sweep gauges so I can get a more accurate reading of what is actually occuring to the system's oil temperature in the car at speed. Since Stewart-Warner does not make any 270 degree sweep electric gauges, those of you trying to adhere to some sense of authenticity will have to switch to SW's Bourdon tube "mechanical" gauges. This is an easy swap and looks even better in the instrument panel. (keep the electric gauge and plug it into the transmission for more data) If you'll check out the historical photos from "the era" you'll also note that many of the factory racers converted from the 2 1/16" gauges to the 2 5/8" gauges...much easier to read! Especially if the gauges are all "clocked" so the needles point stright up when all the temps are normal. Generally speaking the water and oil temps should rise and fall together as speed increases. If you find that water is staying in the 190 range and oil is going to 230 when you track the car you'd better think about modifying your oil cooling system. No problem here for guys who keep it on the streeet but if you track your car it's a good idea to know where your temps are! Badger