Still looking for a gauge, found digital 200psi... even dual 200psi... still looking for something REALLY affordable, prefer electric/digital...

Thanks.

 

i hate to be "that guy" but I've been following your progress for well over a year now and am aware of your bizarre situation. why is this necessary? no one does this. get a mechanical gauge, verify your pressures on the first drive then remove it. done. if you have trouble down the road, hook the gauge back up. all these extras you want to do (pressure gauge, cooler, forced induction,etc), it's just delaying you. get your vehicle back on the road and worry about this stuff LATER. you need to get mobile!!!

 

Hey @tayto, I am truly glad that someone here follows my progress. Really. Brian too. YES, it is a bizarre situation. I'm literally building this '60e in my lap, in my living room, with pumps and input shafts & drums all over the floor or on boxes. It's almost one year since a vehicle I bought and had delivered and put 281 miles on, blew a cooler line on the Interstate. It took me another 3+ months to find a core--it's not easy when you can't walk and your only vehicle's down.

I'm almost done with the build but I don't have any way nor place to put it in yet.... no two legs to stand on, no garage, no carport, no lift, no tools... no neighbors to help... no family, kids nor siblings... no friends left, all died the last few years--two on the exact same day a year apart--ironically, both Torino GT owners. Lucky me, the Chevy guy, outlived them!

Finishing this trans will be a huge accomplishment. Getting it R&R'ed will be even bigger. I haven't rebuilt transmissions since the 1990's. I left that life at the turn of the century. The fastest way to get mobile is to get the new AC-Delco lines installed and driving without 3rd & 4th. Slightly faster is a compression fitting and braided line or approved hose to a new cooler. It would ease my life tremendously--but it's not the ultimate goal. The Transmission From Hell needs to get installed... somehow.

 

have you checked to see how much a mobile mechanic would charge? or1 ads on Craigslist & marketplace to hire someone as labour? wish I lived closer bud, i would just come over and help put it in!

 

You could also advertise on Craigs list in the wanted section, My sister found a retired guy (ex mechanic) to fix a problem on her car, she made it plain she had a budget but needed a little help. (Her car was stolen, they took the cat off and jacked up the ignition and door lock. ) He did it for a hundred bucks and some cookies. Just keeping buysy and earning a little cash under the table to go fishing Win wIn

 

Thanks both for the suggestions...It must be hit or miss--I bought this vehicle because I owned an '02 ZR2 that I ALSO lost 3rd & 4th around Xmas '19... I searched Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace for months to R&R that trans with no luck... then while searching nearly every Car-for-sale search site every day, multiple hours/day I found this & borrowed $$$$ from 3 "loan sharks" from my past and had it delivered from VT. Took me 7 months searching. I sold the ZR2 and the buyer wanted me to meet his wife at DMV to sign the PA title and on my way there lost 3rd-4th in the new vehicle!

I still have 2 places to try after I get the trans finished, but places don't like you bringing your own transmission/parts. One is a chain that gave me a price around $1995.00 (plus tax) for the trans in the ZR2... plus another $200 for the MAF they said was bad. I talked them down to $1250 cash... they actually hand-wrote the negotiated price on the computer printout, if I took care off the MAF, and itemized the labor at $450. I'm hoping someone--either them or someone else--will do the R&R for that amount. I figure throw in the lines at the same time.

By the way, I'm living "Check-to-check", month to month--and DID NOT get additional $300/week payments the last year...most of my income went/goes into this trans & XUV...