ss dash question

by bykpainter Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:44 pm

I have a full guage cluster with tach from a ss or laguna i would guess. I want to install in my 74 non guage dash....anyone done this successfully without paying the ungodly price wanted for a new upper harness. Im thinking it would mean adding a couple wires to plug that plugs into dash cluster.

by Limey SE Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:48 pm

http://www.g3gm.com/t57-switching-from-sweep-to-round-gauge-cluster-re-wire?highlight=round+gauge+switch

by Bruisr Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:54 pm

Pay careful attn. to above posting. 2or 3 wires might need to be added, but most is there. You just need to remove wires from plug in back of cluster and relocate proper color wire in its place. I've done this to my el camino with the tach cluster, and to my sons elco, which has the idiot light cluster assembly.

by bykpainter Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:57 pm

Ok rewired according to the post i was directed too but have one question...it gave me one wire for amp guage but the second it says is not used.....should i not use the amp guage...i remember some amp guages were real fire hazards.....

by Bruisr Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:56 pm

True they are real fire hazards! I personally wouldn't run one. On the link, it says the one ammeter wire isn't used because some tach cluster assemblies didn't have the ammeter gauge. My setup had the voltmeter and that is why the wire port wasn't used. If you trust it, you could hook it up, But, I don't like that kind of power running thru those little wires.

by thatfnthing Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:23 pm

bykpainter wrote:Ok rewired according to the post i was directed too but have one question...it gave me one wire for amp guage but the second it says is not used.....should i not use the amp guage...i remember some amp guages were real fire hazards.....

The problem with ammeters is that in order to tell you anything useful, the entire electrical load for the car must flow through them -- then you can tell if the alternator is actually keeping up with demand. So the main feed from the starter is run first through the ammeter and then on to the rest of the electrical system. You can't have a fuse on the circuit, and the highest-rated automotive ammeter I have ever seen tops out at a measly 60 amps. So when your new kickin' stereo and power accessories start drawing 80+ amps from your new 100-amp alternator, all 80 amps are going to come screaming through that thing -- and that's about the time when they burst into flames.

This is as opposed to a voltmeter, which measures the electrical "pressure" in the system, which is the same across all circuits, so just about any little 18ga fused circuit will do.

by bykpainter Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:31 pm

No,im not hooking it up,did they make a voltmeter for these dashes?

by Bruisr Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:35 pm

I don't know what the criteria for getting one was, but I did this swap to my 74 chevelle and 73 el camino, and both dash clusters I bought had a voltmeter, I bought both sets from a local junk yard, I was really only after the tach, the voltmeter was, I thought standard equipment. I've seen some with either or now. I do know both my gauge sets came from monte carlos.

by bykpainter Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:51 pm

Completed my dash change over a couple weeks ago ,havent put the correct sending unit fot a gauge in it .can anyone tell me where to get the correct one? Tried a "genericic"one from oriellys they said would work but it registers way to high.the car has a cheaper mechanical i left under the dash and the car runs 200 degrees on it but the stock gauge is registering 240.

by 1973montec Sun Aug 18, 2013 12:51 pm

NAPA has them. it will have a "button" terminal not a spade.

by 1973 454 MONTE Sun Aug 18, 2013 1:27 pm

what he ^^^^^^^^^said

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Temp-Sender-Switch-Gauge/_/R-ECHTS6469_0162091626

by Oldschool454 Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:27 pm

bykpainter wrote:Completed my dash change over a couple weeks ago ,havent put the correct sending unit fot a gauge in it .can anyone tell me where to get the correct one? Tried a "genericic"one from oriellys they said would work but it registers way to high.the car has a cheaper mechanical i left under the dash and the car runs 200 degrees on it but the stock gauge is registering 240.

I'm getting my new dash with gauges tomorrow and I'll be doing the same conversion from idiot lights. Just wondering how yours went and if the gauges and tach worked ok?

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