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Thompson Oil Relocation Kit Install
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Now, we are ready for the oil relocation kit and the senders. Jack the car up and put it on some jack-stands. Once the car is secure, go under and look up at the intake manifold. You should be able to see several key items� one of which is a big-ass hose blocking everything. Take out the bolt and move the hose out of the way and carefully zip-tie it in place� this allows access to the filter without obstruction.

You can now see the oil filter and the intake manifold support bracket. NOTE: follow the Thompson Kit�s detail instructions on installing the filter replacement base and the filter relocation block, BUT do not install the hoses.

Once the two blocks are in place, we move on to running hoses. I used some cheap plastic hoses from Home Depot to do a mock up of the fitting and length for the hoses. A special note for those wanting to know where your OEM oil pressure sender is, GREEN arrow.

After everything is lined up, cut the hose and do a final check for clearance issue� making sure there�s no excessive bends in the hoses. Also, mount your support bracket back on when checking for clearance because we are dealing with a very small amount of room after the fittings are installed.

Since the Thompson Kit�s hoses were not the correct length for me, I stripped out the hoses to replace them with upgraded ones. The high-end kit from Thompson comes with stainless steel braided hoses already� but I opted to go with Earl�s Perform-O-Flex hoses which I have used in the past with great results. These are 3-layer stainless steel braided racing hose� one layer embedded into the synthetic rubber hose than two layers of high-tensile stainless steel braid bonded to the outside of the hose. This allows the hose to operate in temperatures between -40 and +300 degree F and pressure tested to withstand up to 1500 PSI before failure.

The only problem is that it makes these suckers a bitch to cut. You can use a 32-teeth pre-inch hacksaw� I opted for a handheld air-grinder with a carbon compound abrasive blade, which made quick work of the stainless steel braid. Whichever way you use, make sure it�s secure into place before you start cutting! You do not want to make any mistakes on the cuts, at $7/pre-ft� these suckers aren�t cheap.

After the hoses are cut, mount one end of the hose with the correct hose heads. I reused the heads from the Thompson kit because they were the same type as the Earl�s swivel-seal anodized fitting� and easily handles up to 150 PSI. I remounted the two ends with the hoses in it to the filter replacement block and ran the hose out to check for clearance. Once I�m sure the measurements are good and my clearance is not a issue, I mounted the remaining head fitting to the other end of the hoses. Pressure check the hose to at 125 PSI to make sure the fitting doesn�t pop off under pressure� than install them onto their correct location.

Once the hoses are in place, screw the senders in place using high temperature thread sealant. Here's the final view from above with both senders in placed and wired.

Anodized fitting DOES NOT conduct at all and electrical senders are self-grounding on whatever it�s screw into. This means that the oil pressure & temp senders are not grounding in it�s current state� so run a ground wire from the sender to the engine block or the nearest ground source.

Now, make sure all your wires are either connected to something or tapped up. Cleaned up the wires with plastic PVC covering and zip-ties� making sure it doesn�t contact engine block or high heat area directly. Make sure drain plug is back on, oil filter in place, everything is sealed up, all hoses connected� put some oil into the engine and seal her up. Lower the car off the jack-stand, again double-checking everything listed above� reconnect your negative terminal.

Cross your fingers and start her up. If all your wiring was done correctly, first thing you�ll notice is your pressure gauge sweeping to 75 PSI. You may or may not notice change in oil temperature since that�ll take a while to heat up� depending on what your gauge is set for. For me, I�m running a 140-300 degree gauge so I usually don�t see it move until at least 10 minutes after I start it.

Get a flashlight and see if you�re leaking oil on the underside. Double-check all fittings to see if anything is leaking. Check the oil filter for warmth� it should be warm/hot to the touch about 5 minutes into a startup. Also check your dash lights to make sure it�s lighting up the gauge also. If after about 5-8 minutes of idling and there�s no leak� take her out for a short drive.

Your oil temperature should be going up by now�160-210 degree is the range it should be hitting. Your pressure probably dropped down to about 50 PSI but if it�s still at or around 75 PSI, its fine. As you drive� watch the temperature and pressure for changes. You should notice on gas, your pressure goes up to 75 PSI� at idle, when in gear� it should be around 50 PSI. Parked should be around 25 PSI. Temperature will go up to about 210-230 degrees depending on climate and loads� of course turning on your heater or A/C should cause it to go higher faster.

Well, that�s it� give yourself a cold one on a job well done.