Auto Meter gauge install

[CruzinHigh]

Got my new gauges in for the gauge install project the other day!

I screwed up and ordered the 3 3/4 ones for the tach and speedo though. I sent em back for the 5" instead.

Looks like this will be a really easy swap, just cutting out the back of the bezel a bit with a trusty air saw.

Good thing Scott has a housing I will be getting from him since I broke the tabs off my old one when removing! DOH!!




I will try to post up some pics when its done.

[aort07]

Here is a pic of mine.



Those are 2 5/8" and 5" gauges. They fit really well with a little cutting and grinding.  

[CruzinHigh]

Looks good!

I will be getting the 5's soon and will post up when I finish.

[Blazin]

I mounted oil, volt, and temp gauges in the face plate years back, but once in the truck they don't face you. They point downward. I just got done installing the same in my 86 got rid of the idiot lights, but I mounted them in the metal that goes behind the face plate. They look alot better as they are set in like the factory style. Just had to remove some material from the back of the face plateto make room for the hight of the gauge face trim ring.

[roundedline]

Mike Ervin has a detailed writeup for his recessed guage install for the do it yourselfer.  It looks the best in my opinion.

73-87.com/7387garage/inte...cessed.htm

Chris Lucas
www.73-87chevytrucks.com
www.captkaoscustoms.com
Project Su
Jimmy 2WD Project

[CruzinHigh]

Here's the first part of what I will be doing with the cluster.

I had a couple Autometer liquid filled pro comps laying around I aquired long ago that I figured would be perfect to find a home in this bezel.  Since I have no A/C in my truck I didn't have a vent in the upper part of the bezel anyway.  

Here's the back of the factory Bezel.  I had to cut part of the back out to make my aluminum plate fit in there.  If you don't have an air saw and you want to do this gauge install, I guess you could try a dremel, but the air saw is a PERFECT tool for this job.



Making the plate.....







The end fit of the plate ended up being so tight that the thing almost would have retained itself just sitting in the bezel.  The awesome thing about this little spot in the bezel is that it accomdates (2) 2 5/8 gauges almost like the darn thing was made for it with the right plate.  There is a 2nd ridge that reduces the size of the opening below the top of the bezel, perfect for the plate to butt up against.

I used a 2 part epoxy and plus when I put the backers on the gauges, 1 arm will hold behind the bezel.



I decided to use emory cloth to sand and then just clearcoated the aluminum, it ended up matching the brushed aluminum on the bezel almost perfect.

Here's the finished product.  



By the way, this is a pretty easy job.  With air tools and some patience, anybody could do it.  You can even find little sheets of aluminum like this at Home Depot or Menards.

The other half of the job for the pressure gauge requires installation of the isolator, since you don't want to route fuel up to your dashboard.  

I made another plate to cover the huge hole I had in the firewall from where the harness used to route through for the old ECM I won't need anymore.  The Isolator uses anti-freeze for fluid inside the cab to match pressure seen on the engine side of the system.





Just this part of the gauge install has taken significantly longer then I had wanted, lots of little details I didn't think of when I just decided to "drop these in".  I sill have to install the oil temp sender in the pan too.  The primary gauges should be pretty easy with all electrical senders.

More to come!  When I get the cluster housing I bought, I can start the install for the other 6 primary gauges.

[Tire Burner]

I did Jeff Drew's Install From 73-87. Com and it worked well. I really took my time with it and the whole time i was scared of replacing ALL of the Gauges in my dash, but it worked out nicely. The Problem that i had though was that the Turn Signal Lights and High Beam Indicator Lights weren't taken into Consideration in the Write Up. Turned out that was pretty easy to do though. I went to the Local Parts store and they had some 1/2'' aftermarket colored lights. All you have to do is Drill a 1/2" Hole where you want it to go and push it in from the front. It just clips right in by it's self. The Billet Dash from   already had Two 1/2" Holes where the Turn Signals go, but i had to Drill another one for the High Beam indicator. I think these Lights were about 2 bucks each and they look REALLY cool. I hope my Link works, but here's a pic of MY install.



Sorry about the Picture Quality. I need to get a New Digital Camera, but i've been spending all of my Money on my Truck. Can You Blame me?

Edited by: Tire Burner at: 1/23/07 8:56 am

[Tire Burner]

Sorry to post again, but i just finnished a similar install and made some mistakes that i feel may help anyone else that wants to do this. When i changed to an aftermarket Speedometer, the connection was no longer held in by a retainer Clip. The New Speedo had a Screw Connector. This means that you will probably have to Replace the OEM Speedo Cable. When i Replaced mine, i wasn't careful enough i guess. Make sure that there is enough space behind the Guage to handle the Cable without Kinking. I just pushed mine all back in and the Cable became Kinked. It went 14 Miles before my Speedo Quit. When i removed the Dash, the Cable had a 90 Degree Bend in it. I didn't think it was that bad when i installed it. MAKE SURE it's not Kinked before you bolt it down. Also remember to Lube the Cable housing with the included Greese. The way i did it was i Squeezed the Greese out of the Package until it filled up the end and then i inserted the cable and moved it in and out in the housing until the Greese went down. then Repeat. It's Time Consuming, but better than replacing your Speedo Cable, Trust me.

[bigblock73]

tire burner, install looks sweet!  I added my signals after the article was written...and I put my high beam where my shifter indicators once sat (floor shift now).

Looks like you got it all figured out just fine though.      

Jeff

'73 swb 2wd

73-87.com

[bigblock73]

cruzinhigh, your install looks great too...you cab might look like a cockpit of an airplane when you are finished!  

Keep the updates coming.

Jeff

'73 swb 2wd

73-87.com

[CruzinHigh]

Quote:you cab might look like a cockpit of an airplane when you are finished!

Yeah, its probably overkill for sure, but I figured what the heck while I've got the dash and harness all ripped apart for my re-wire project!

More to come, I am working on the engine harness this weekend.

[shaved80]

sometimes i wish i had gone this route instead of digital...now is one of those times  

Edited by: shaved80 at: 1/28/07 10:20 pm

[Tire Burner]

I was toying with the idea of digital before i began. What is it that makes you feel that analog is Better than digital? I was still considering changing to digital at a later date and selling my setup to a friend. I would like to know BEFORE i make the change that i'm not making a Mistake.

[shaved80]

nothing is wrong with them, they look sweet and get a lot of compliments. it's just i love the way the autometers look in these clusters too. i guess i'll just need to get another truck and put the autometers in that one  

[SUX2BU99]

Wow, looking really slick!! I'd love to redo my guages all in AutoMeter but after exchange and all that, it's really expensive! I put an AM Ultra-lite tach on my a-pillar but that's it so far. I really like the idea of putting the two small guages in the unused pocket. Mine has the same, and I was thinking of putting in a tranny temp guage somewhere.