H Steven Dolan wisely said:
>> Check your plan of
>> action real careful before you start cutting tho, coz' you shouldn't have
>> to.  I often run into situations where I spend hours doing that I could
>> have saved with a couple of minutes of thinking. 

Here is a short update: The extension wire (the 2 wires that connect the
sender to the gauge) that comes with the VDO cylinder head temperature kit
_is_ 15 ft. long and hence long enough (though barely), even for a bus. So
no shortening or lengthening of the wire is necessary.

Here is a new question: The ring which constitutes the sender is to
replace the compression ring of the (#3) spark plug, per instruction. But I
find this ring to be much softer than the compression ring and I'm not
sure how much I should tighten the spark plug. I'm afraid of damaging the
sender. It just feels different. (Normally, it is easy to screw in a spark
plug almost all the way by hand and the final tightening with the wrench only
requires a 1/4 turn at most. Here, however, I can keep on turning at least
1 or 2 complete turns, although the ring is not warped.)
So, I'd like to know: 
1) can the sender easily be damaged? 
2) how much torque should I use to tighten the spark plug?
3) what's the consequence of a loose spark plug?

Thanks, 
Sami
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