Well you guys made me think I could do this myself ... and the bad news is I did, now here are my plans
i intend to replace the wiring harness, all bulbs, test and replace as needed the gauges (center as well as speed and tach), re-run vacuum lines, actuators etc, as required.
is there anything else i should consider at this point?
oh yeah ... tunes

 

this is your golden opportunity to take care of any headlight switch issues....good luck...jackson is in my cruising range so if you see a black 77 on a saturday/sunday morning out for a country cruise its me....

 

If you have a few miles on the car you may want to send out the tach and speedo to be rebuilt/restored. You may also want to consider having the gauges cleaned and repointed/detailed. It is really neat to get in a C3 with like new gauges.

I was amazed at how good my gauges looked and worked when complete. I also have the piece of mind knowing that I will not have to take the dash back out on my 70 because the odometer/speedometer or tach have stopped working.

Depending on who you use to do the restoration, if you do, make sure you let them know what your expectation is. I thought I wanted just a clean and test but when I saw a set restored to NCRS like new condition I knew that was what I was truly looking for after seeing the results.

If your original harness is in fair to good condition including the fuse block I highly recommend getting it rebuilt and wrapped because it will fit much better than a replacement. It has already taken the shape it needs to fit behind the dash. Also take detailed pictures of the routing of the harness. You will be shocked out how tight it is when you go to put the dash back in.

Good luck and have fun. If you have not pulled the column yet you may want to becasue getting the dash back in is even more challenging then getting it out. I slightly damage mine, but it was repaireable, because I did not pull the column. I stopped repaired the dash pad and pulled the column. It does make it a lot easier. I also have my top pad off. You may also want a second set of hands to hold the das while you lie on your back hooking everything back up.

Bill

 

Great, now you have me wondering what I should be doing. I have had mine apart to fix the speedo and now I am upgrading the radio to a CD player (DIN). You might want to take apart the A/C ducts and check the heater core while you have it part.
Good luck

 

you know replacing that switch while i am there sounds like a good idea...
let me know when your in the area ...

 

I am testing my gauges ... i already cleaned the center cluster and installed a new bezel .. that made a huge difference..
I lowered the column to get it out ... I will probably take your advise on pulling it as it was a puzzle even with the dash pad off and the column lowered... i imagine it will be quite the time trying to get the lights in place and back in ...
i found that i am missing parts of the ductwork ... and intend to replace the insulating material ...
i have definitely been taking pics ... i only hope it I have taken enough ...

 

Cant wait to see the pics.Well at least you know youll have working guages going back in.

 

we want pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!----

 

Ok, well, my dad and I are refurbishing a 77 he bought new, and we need to know where would be a good place to send the speedometer/odometer and the tach to get them rebuilt. Before we took the tach out of the car it was stuck at 3500 r.p.m. The speedometer works fine but the odometer doesn't work, nor does the trip odometer. Do any of you know where we should send them?

 

I replaced the wiring harness with one from Lectric Limited and it fit well. While I was in there, I replaced some parts on the heater box. I also replaced that heavy cast iron piece above the steering column with light weight stamped steel pieces from a later model. I got it from a corvette junk yard in north-east PA:

Contemporary Corvette
1-800-367-8388

More importantly, I had the Mechanical Tach converted to electronic. The Amp meter was converted to Volts. Clock was replaced with an Oil Temperature Gage. And the dirty Oil Pressure Gage was converted to electronic. All the work was done by:

Corvette Instrument Service
9627 Begonia St.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
561-627-9345

This guy will make all your gages look the same and correct according to the year of your car. Turn around is about 4-weeks.

John

 

^

how much did it cost to convert the Tach and Oil gauge?

 

Tach conversion cost $240.

Oil Pressure gage conversion cost $100 + $30 for the sender.

Volt Meter conversion was $100

Oil Temperature gage reface was $90

Shipping and insurance $20.

 

Why didn't you just buy new gauges for a later model C3...it would have been less expensive.

 

Check the speakers and replace if necessary. The paper cones on the
Original ones may have deteriorated. Ask me how I know

 

I did this job last year....its one of those "have I gone too far?" deals....but as you start putting it back together the puzzle isnt too bad.

Buy a heater core and do it while your at it...because you dont want to do this again!