ok this is my new project i wanna do i got a 84 with the digitial speed. and tach. the hole 9 yards well i want to convert every thing to analog gauges. i want a speed. that goes to like 180 or 200 instead of 85 and all that cool stuff. im tired of it looking like a video game plus the cluster does not work. would this be easy to do like a weekend project if so what would i need to do this. woudl it really be hard to do

thanks for the help


sorry about the spellings kinda late


Cory :auto:

 

I have thought about doing the same thing...and awhile back I saw an article with pics and everything about the same thing....but I can't remember where I saw it for the life of me...if I think of it, I will post it!

 

I have the same idea. I saw the thread your talking about with the link, but that person used aftermarket guages- and I dont think they were nice ones if I recall. The problem with the swap is that the brain for the cruise control is in the cluster- so it wont work after the swap. The other thing is that the cluster half's the signal from the tranny's speed sensor and sends it back to the ecm. I cant find out exactly what it needs this info for except for maybe converter lock-up. So my thought was to use a cactory type cluster- and the 3rd gen Camaro is almost perfect in size and shape. But the up to 1990 they had mechanical (cable) speedos, only the 90,91 and 92's had electronic. I bought one of those and started to figure it all out but I havent finished yet.
The simple things work like the directionals, check engine light etc, but the tach was reading funny- jumping and seemingly the wrong rpm. I bought it on ebay and the guy said it was a V8 car, but you never know when you buy it used like that. I know the cuise still wont work but I was hoping the cluster would have the speed signal feedback Im looking for.
I hope to get it working because the size and shape are nearly perfect. The bad thing is that it is roughly a 110 mph speedo and the higher mph units (with elec speedo's) are signifigantly more $ and harder to find. Let me know what you find and maybe we could collaborate to get something working.

 

You can find some info on the conversion here. http://www.batee.com/corvette/index.shtml

 

I repaired my digital dash myself.Its easy,all you do is tear it apart & solder everything.I put on magnifying glasses & I could see all the broken solder joints.Really dont be imtimidated by it.Its as basic as changing spark plugs.

 

I was thinking of doing a similar swap but decided to buy a cluster instead. I got one off e-bay for $290. If you are considering it what I was going to do is remove the old cluster use it as a template for a piece of plexi glass then paint the plexi black. After that cut the holes for the gages and mount. A few notes the speedo will have to work off your VSS sensor or you will have to install a gear adaptor in the trany and run a cable. You may have to rerun the TC lock up strait to the ecm but I dont think so.

 

Check out this 84 on eBay. Big block, analog guages, etc.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2418473181

Not a great pic of the dash, but maybe you could email the seller and ask for a better pic of the guages.

 

I have this book marked as a source for dash repair.
http://www.unitedradio.com/auto_main.shtml

 

I did it in my 85. It's challenging - definitely not a weekend project. I had the
dash (and most of the rest of the car) apart for a bunch of other stuff and
did this at the same time.

But well worth the effort in my opinion.



Dan



[Modified by danno85, 9:55 PM 6/14/2003]

 

The only reason I stay with earlier C4's is for the digital dash. I've had three of them. The dash is dead-nuts accurate, very visible and in the case of the other gauges besides the speedo, a whole lot better than a needle resting ambiguously between two widely spaced numbers, as with the later C4's.

IMO, going away from the digital dash is like going back to 14" wheels.

FWIW,
BIG JIM