gauge cluster mods

[Rusty Nail]

Granted I'm new here, and surely not the first guy to want this. I gave sincere effort at the search feature but it doesn't work?

Boils down to I need a tachometer in place of a five inch diameter fuel gauge. Seems ridiculous beyond any manner of comprehension. In a perfect world the gas gauge would occupy space of the (I assume) oil pressure light. Reality is that I have no desire for a speedometer at all, I'd swap it for tach in a heartbeat.
I don't know much about it but I guess I need a manual trans cluster or something? Yeah. Easier said than done, I'm sure.

Will someone be kind enough to link a thread about this subject or provide aftermarket solution? I joined this site for the wealth of knowledge. This is my first Square and a step towards 73-75 k5 or CUCV.

One of the last things I would ever do is run a tach that reads to 10 grand...LoL.

 

[bucket]

There's several things you can do. The easiest would be just to swap in a tach meant to go in place of the fuel gauge. It has a little fuel gauge made into the bottom of it. The maker's name escapes me at the moment.

Or you can buy a factory tach cluster for a '77 (hard to find, '78 and later doesn't easily swap) and hope the original tach works. If not, you can buy a new one from LMC.

Or you can rob an 80's Camaro of it's gauges. The factory tach is the right size to swap in, but it has an oil pressure gauge made into the face of it. You would need to remove the oil gauge and install the Camaro's fuel gauge in the tach face. Only works if the Camaro is around '88 or earlier. By '89, the oil gauge face was not a removable piece from the tach.

 

[Rusty Nail]

AWESOME!!!!!

Wait. Are you familiar to me Bucket? Do i know you? THAT is right up my alley, it's uncanny. I'm kind of freaked out!

I can contribute this link to aid the forum... Tell em I sent ya - I used to work there and Gary will hook. you. up.
Yes, that's really my name.
Dude only owns 300 or so F bodies, he'll have what I'm after.

http://www.americancamaro.com

 

[bucket]

AWESOME!!!!!

Wait. Are you familiar to me Bucket? Do i know you? THAT is right up my alley, it's uncanny. I'm kind of freaked out!

I can contribute this link to aid the forum... Tell em I sent ya - I used to work there and Gary will hook. you. up.
Yes, that's really my name.
Dude only owns 300 or so F bodies, he'll have what I'm after.

http://www.americancamaro.com

Awesome! I've got several 80's Camaros... I always need stuff.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Bucket I found the gauges threads finally, I'm not real hip about this internet stuff.
Can or will you move or delete this thread so I don't look like such a moron ? There is some good info but I gather it doesn't belong here.

 

[bucket]

I think it's fine, and you don't look like a moron

 

[Rusty Nail]

Reading that other thread I was shocked at how much money that guy paid for his tach.
Ummm , no. The salvage yard solution you suggested is a more desire able option TO ME and perhaps others. I anticipate some issue making it work, but we're gonna find out! I'll be able to hit the yard tomorrow and I'll have some more info then. Gary's knowledge of Camaros is limitless and I'm sure he'll have something to add.
STAY TUNED!

 

[89Suburban]

Subscribed!

 

[bucket]

It's something I planned on doing myself, but I wanted to use a matching Camaro speedo as well. Not the crappy 85 mph unit, but the later 115 mph unit. I have a 145 mph speedo too, but that's just overkill for my pickup.

And no, it's not a direct swap, it does take a little tinkering. But once it's fitted, the gauge fits and looks good.

 

[Rusty Nail]

**update**
02-09-2015

Finally made it to American Camaro and Firebird today.
I bought these three gauges for 40 bucks with a guarantee to work.
They were sourced from an '82 V8 Camaro. I chose these because they look like the gauges already in the truck and less like Camaro gauges. My truck has factory gauges, not lights.

Anyway...the speedo in that cluster is mph/kph dual function ... beside the point, I'm thinkin about it. He said he would sell me the volt and water temp gauges for another 30.

TACHOMETER CONNECTIONS

1 o'clock : tach signal from HEI.
9 o'clock : ground.
4 o'clock : switched 12v power.

FUEL GAUGE CONNECTIONS

12 o'clock : ground
3 o'clock : fuel level signal (from sender)
9 o'clock : switched 12v power

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[bucket]

IIRC, that style print is '82-only. Although the dual needle speedo itself continued through '84.

 

[Rusty Nail]

LoL!
'82 only huh? Rad. Reckon I'll run back tomorrow and fetch the others then. I'm not mad about the dual function speedometer but it certainly is unique and I think it even read to 115? Maybe not...85 is plenty either way. I asked dude how I wire them to my PCB and he said "they call me Gary Camaro not Gary big-ass old truck - I have no idea."
It was pretty funny.
He looks at the Camaro PCB real quick and labeled the terminals on the gauges, I laid a pair of 20s down and made off.
Effing sweet.

After lookin in my truck again I can't justify spending the cash to buy them all - looks TOO MUCH alike and I know the other ones work.

So there ya have it. I will no doubt remove the correct wires from the PCB plug and avoid it entirely.

TOO EASY! FORTY BUCKS!!!


One year only print that's a near perfect match...I must be doin somethin right. Told ya he'd have what I was after! I saw at least three more '82 parts clusters in there...(405) 495-9114 - ships worldwide -

He also made a very specific point to mention that it would only work through '87 gauges.
I'm engine swapping ATM, I'll put em in later.

 

[bucket]

He also made a very specific point to mention that it would only work through '87 gauges.

It's actually through '85. The reason is the printed circuit pinout is just slightly different. If you put in the wrong one, the backligting doesn't work quite right or the brake light can be lit all the time. Then '90 clusters were all electric, and a different layout. Of course, non of this matters in a truck with just a couple gauges swapped in.

 

[Kelly Mac]

Check out 73-87.com, in the garage section under interior is a excellent article on the tach issue.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Installed.
Fully functional.
We had to change the oil pressure sender to a later model electric - the gauge in the tach reads engine oil pressure correctly and the oil gauge in the top corner is intended for trans temp one day. Place holdin.
Camaro fuel gauge replaced the parking brake light where it oughta be.
Again, functional.

I'll work on a better picture later as the sun sets or something.
I think that's how it went....I can't turn it on right now but clearly recall using a 1982 Camaro oil pressure sender because I had to go buy a new one.

The new gauge face trim panel came out of Noble, Oklahoma @ Cheyenne Pick-Up Parts.
Pretty dope huh? Give em old boys a call why don't ya!
https://www.cheyennepickup.com

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