1973 duster temp sensor question

Hey guys, my first post here. I have no idea where im supposed to post this question. I hope this is the right place. I have a 1973 Plymouth duster with a 360la motor from some other unknown vehicle. The temp gauge is not working. It stays on cold and does not move. I have taken a jumper wire from the purple sending wire at the sensor and grounded it and the gauge jumped to all the way hot so I know the gauge is working. I replaced the sending unit or sensor twice but still does not do anything with engine running even though the engine gets warmed up. I tested voltage at the wire where it connects to sending unit and the voltage jumps around or fluctuates between a couple volts on up which I’m assuming is normal but not sure exactly. Can anyone give me an idea on what I’m missing here?
Try removing any Teflon tape from the sending unit if it has any so that the sending unit makes a good ground connection. The threads are npt and do not require any Teflon tape/paste although I have seen it installed on them out of the box.