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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Instrumentation => Topic started by: bobcooter on July 29, 2011, 09:15:31 pm

Title: New instrument cluster
Post by: bobcooter on July 29, 2011, 09:15:31 pm
 I can't afford it, but it's really cool!
http://www.classicdash.com/shopping/1973-87-Chevrolet-Truck-Complete-Black-6-Gauge-Panel-with-5-inch-Speedo-and-Tach-Autometer-Gauges.html?page=1
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1980c10 on July 29, 2011, 09:53:43 pm
Dakota Digital is supposed to be coming out with a new analog version and supposed to be priced at 798 from their website, but maybe cheaper here? I'm putting off my gauges a little while longer to see them. Latest I heard is sept/oct time frame.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: reload on July 29, 2011, 10:29:37 pm
Spendy!  But sexy!
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: beastie_3 on July 30, 2011, 01:23:38 am
That dash is crap. I saw them at a booth at a car show, they are thinner than pillar gauge pod plastic, perhaps half as thin.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 69byrd on July 30, 2011, 09:51:38 am
You can buy the autometer guages and put them in your stock instrument panel.  That would save you some money on that set up.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: big bear on July 30, 2011, 11:49:13 am
i agree with you 69byrd.   plus, thats an insane chunk of change wow
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 69byrd on July 30, 2011, 04:47:08 pm
Also if you do it yourself you can mount the guages from behind like the stock guages.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1979C20 on July 30, 2011, 04:51:23 pm
Also if you do it yourself you can mount the guages from behind like the stock guages.
I did this with my gauges. I like the look of it, and it was fairly simple to do. I just had to cut out the metal cluster cover and threaded the gauge into it. At first I cut out the clear plastic that covers the gauges, but it eventually broke the clips that screw it down so I removed it. I did my brothers gauges like the cluster listed in this post, It was a bit more difficult, but it also looks good.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 69byrd on July 30, 2011, 10:19:39 pm
Mine are mounted behind too. Your right it was not hard and it was a fun project too. Also you can sit them at an angle to where they are easier to see.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: pedigo78 on July 31, 2011, 05:55:38 pm
I would like to see, some of yalls gauges that yall did.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1979C20 on July 31, 2011, 08:40:24 pm
Pedigo, ill snap pics of mine an my brothers tonight. And when we pull apart our intetiors I will snap pics of how we did it
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 69byrd on July 31, 2011, 09:27:47 pm
Here ya go, I have put the billet dash piece on it now but dont have a pic with it on there.                    (http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr299/69byrd/truck005.jpg)

(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr299/69byrd/P6090528.jpg)
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: bobcooter on August 01, 2011, 04:33:58 pm
Really nice.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: pedigo78 on August 01, 2011, 06:54:26 pm
I really like the look of that. do you have any pics of the back, or of when you were doing it?
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: pedigo78 on August 01, 2011, 06:56:02 pm
Disregaurd my above post, haha i didnt read the post above your pictures. haha
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: big bear on August 02, 2011, 04:39:13 pm
looks good man
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1979C20 on August 22, 2011, 10:19:09 am
Here is how I did mine.

(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-08-13194257.jpg)

I cut out the black metal piece to fit the gauges and use the mounting threaded ring that is included with the gauge to install it.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: beastie_3 on August 22, 2011, 10:31:06 am
Do you have a picture of it complete? Did you use the clear plastic as well, or just put the outer bezel on?
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1979C20 on August 22, 2011, 10:52:13 am
Ill have to take a new one complete, I cant find my old one  I used the clear plastic piece when I first did it, I had to cut out circles around the gauge so it would sit flush, but the plastic broke one of the times I was working on my dash.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: paniolo on August 22, 2011, 01:07:00 pm
I just added in an a/t temp gauge in the clock spot.  You can see the clock adjuster hole in the plastic still, but it blends very well with the oem gauges.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xGY8EgdlU0I/TlKYSFBUzuI/AAAAAAAAARY/Otl_ZwoBxC4/s800/IMG_3299.jpg)

I tried mounting it to the clock face plate, but that was too small.  So I just used a scrap of sheet metal.  I spend too much time trying to match the oem bend.  I just a flat section with enough bend to get to the mount screws would be fine.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YA5BzuEr2wU/Tkhzr300JrI/AAAAAAAAAPw/PliagyjG9tI/s800/IMG_2881.jpg)

On my '81 they did away with the metal cover over the gauges and it is flexy plastic you couldn't mount anything to that.

Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: ssapach on August 22, 2011, 01:48:12 pm
I like the looks of some of those aftermarket gauges, but what bothers me the most is the 8k or 10k rpm tachometers.  I would only want something up to 5K rpm maybe, but it's not as common in some of the gauge series that I like.

I'm not knocking anyone else for using the higher rpm gauges, it's just a personal preference of mine that's all.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: bobcooter on August 23, 2011, 11:48:43 am
I don't recall ever seeing a tach that only went to 5 grand.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: reload on August 23, 2011, 12:19:41 pm
Other than 90's and early 2000 stock tachs, I haven't either. 

I don't see a problem with an 8k tach or even 10k.  A sbc has no problem making power to 7k with some love :)
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: beastie_3 on August 23, 2011, 12:21:06 pm
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-2697/
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: reload on August 23, 2011, 12:50:09 pm
Cool ;D
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 1979C20 on August 23, 2011, 03:21:09 pm
Diesel tachs only go to 5 or 6, redline.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: Skunksmash on September 08, 2011, 05:06:34 am
Here ya go, I have put the billet dash piece on it now but dont have a pic with it on there.                    (http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr299/69byrd/truck005.jpg)

Now that's more like it! I hate the surface mount look. Looks cheap and tacked on. I'm not doing 'em unless I can recess them properly like you did. That is the way they're supposed to be. What was the exact size that you used for the RPM gauge?

If only I could afford this:

http://autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?ref=search&gid=4237
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: Captkaos on September 08, 2011, 11:58:14 am
This is how you do it:  http://73-87.com/7387garage/interior/gauges_recessed.htm
Jeff (bigblock73) will probably sell you brackets for this also.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: 69byrd on September 08, 2011, 08:05:16 pm
Those are the instructions that I used to do mine. Now that he has the brackets I am sure it is alot easier.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: Skunksmash on September 11, 2011, 10:52:22 pm
Ok cool I'll use that guide.
Title: Re: New instrument cluster
Post by: Captkaos on September 12, 2011, 05:18:28 pm
I should have a preliminary Dakota Setup here in a couple of weeks.