July 2009

1955-72 Replacement Billet Aluminum Freeze Plug With Pipe Thread Sending Unit Fitting

Article By Randy Irwin

After installing all the shiny bling you can afford on your engine to dress it up, you still have to install an ugly temperature sending unit somewhere. Usually it ends up somewhere up front on the intake manifold or in the thermostat housing for everyone to see. There’s just no hiding that sending wire or capillary tube. Many times you have to install more than one temperature sender; one for the temperature gauge, one for the cooling fans on the radiator and one for an ECM if your engine is computer controlled. This can really start to make the top of your engine look sloppy and cluttered. Most engine blocks do have at least one pipe plug down low on the side of the engine that enters a water galley but it is usually too small for the temperature sender. Also, with the plug down so low, sludge tends to build up in this area which prevents the sender from getting a clear reading. Eckler’s Classic Chevy has developed a replacement freeze plug that has female pipe thread in the center. The replacement freeze plug is made of billet aluminum and is available two sizes, 1-5/8” which fits all small block engines and all MK V and MK VI (75-up) big blocks and 1-¾” which fits MK IV (65-74) big blocks and with 1/8”, ¼”, 3/8” or ½” pipe threads. By installing the sender down on the side of the engine block, you are able to hide both the sender and wiring and you will be assured of an accurate reading because the sender is totally submerged in coolant. You can install multiple billet freeze plugs to install additional senders if you wish.               

Click Here For This Month's Tech Article
You Will Need Adobe Acrobat Reader to View this PDF