Best way to monitor engine running temperature

[RichMason]

Summer is just around the corner and I expect to continue driving my 73 1.7 everyday. The more I drive it, the more confidence I have and I anticipate putting in some highway miles for scenic road trips. Having owned a 71 bus that I burned a valve or two on, I appreciate the need to know how hot the engine is running. With the bus, you could use the dipstick as a guide (if its too hot to touch you have a problem) but I would like something a little more precise for my 914. I bought an oil temp/fuel guage combo without numbers that I am considering installing but I wanted people's opinions on the best way to monitor the engine temp first - head temp sender and gauge, oil temp, both, do they need to be calibrated or will the gauge that I have (assuming it is reasonably accurate) be enough? The engine and car are completely stock and I have factory FI.

[Joe Bob]

The VW shops have a VDO gauge and sender that replaces the dip stick, the gauge goes in the cockpit. OR you can get a pyrometer and shoot the temps when you pull over. DO NOT use and old VDO one w/o numbers....waste of time and energy.

180-200 fine
200-220 getting warm
220-240 hot
240-250 real hot
250+ melt down time

[BenI]

A buddy of mine did a clever mod to his Type 1 engine. Old Volvos used VDO gauges. He got a couple of gauges and senders from old Volvos at a junkyard, and mounted a temp sender in each head. A bit of overkill, but it was cool to watch the gauges. He could even tell which carb was running rich with this setup.

[karlp]

I bought a sender and gauge from the FLAPS and put the sender in a tee where the idiot light sender is. Left out the idiot light sender and picked up pressure for a pressure gauge.

Karl P.