Aftermarket Gauges

[Shawn0331]

If I buy aftermarket gauges for my '87, are there any that I can just replace the OEM ones with directly?

[bake74]

     I know that Dakota Digital has some that are direct replacements, so I assume there are other company's that have them also.

[slammed79]

The dakota digital kit is the closest thing to a direct replacement available that I know of. I believe they involve some wiring to get them all working right.

[apchas]

There are a couple of options out there. If you have the money the digital gauge setup is nice but pricey. On my 77 I removed the 3 factory gauges and all of the connection tabs. surfaced mounted them to the metal plate that's on-top of the gauges. other guys will surface mount them to a new bezel plate that covers everything. look around the net and here and you will see a lot of options. 

[1980c10]

Dakota offers quite a few options for digital and analog versions that are direct replacements. Be prepared  to do some wiring. Not at all that bad to install but plan for a little more than a weekend. They are a little pricey but offer quite a few extras that made it worth it to me. Your best price will be found through this site.

[Captkaos]

The wiring really isn't that bad, I am a dealer for Dakotas and both the analog and digital is in the catalog.  If you have bought from me prior and have a login, you get a discount over the normal pricing.
I am putting a set of analogs in my 87 with the LS conversion right now.  If I had the time, I could have it all finished in probably a day.

[blazing816]

I know this topic is old, but I just posted what I did with my truck. Different idea:
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,24709.0.html