Just thought some might like to see this, the panel isnt the final one, and I have yet to master getting a decent pic of these things, but I havent seen it done this way yet......

 

I think it looks nice...

 

hey Z28, are those the smaller AutoMeter guages, the 3-1/4 ( I think). Ive thought about going with the 5" guages for the tach and speedo, but dont know where Id put the rest of them since that would take up all the space on the dash. also, anything special about wiring them up?

 

Thanks for the compliment, hopefully they'll look better with the new panel and actually aligned, I got them due to my T56 since I didnt want to deal with that cable drive box crap.

Yes the speedo / tach are the 3 3/8" the rest are 2 1/16

Nothing special about wiring them, each gauge pretty much has just Sender Ground Ignition + , and the two wires for a light, the oil pressure and water temp come with their own senders.

 

nice, but isn't the speedo usually on the left and the tach on the right?

 

Yeah factory the tach is on the right and speedometer on left, but this isnt factory now is it

 

Same gauges ...... older dash setup

 

That looks great. Would it work with 5" tach and speedo?
I have phantom guages with the 5" tach and speedo in the 88 dash. I like yours alot . If it would fit I may consider swapping dashes over the winter.
Nice job.
Kory

 

changing a dash is a major PITA. I have an 89 and it had
cracks so I bought one used to put in and it took me 3 days
to get the new one in and by the time I got it in I cracked
the damn thing in 3 places. I have never been so mad in
my life. I am considering switching to the 91-92. The pre 91
dashes are contstucted like ****. There is no support
in the middle AT ALL.... I just wish they made a metal
dash.....

 

did doing this interfere with your computer system at all? if so.. what were the problems?

what about turn signals and the other lil lights?

im about to do this to my 86.. so.. i was just wanting to know.. thanks

 

I may consider this also. How much have you spent
on this and is the swap very hard?

thanks!:hail:

 

i like it, don't get me wrong, but i like mine black, then again my car is blacker than kunta kinta on a sunny day. i like the pontiac orange int. lights on the black gauge, it's cool

 

Here is the pod I made for my '86. These gauges are mechanical so I didnt rely on the factory harness for the sensor wiring. I did splice in the harness for the lighting though. The gauges dim with the dimmer switch. Here's some pics....

 

As for comparing mine on the swap, it just wouldnt work right, mine are all electronic including the speedometer, and the wiring is all custom, painless wiring chassis harness, LT1 swap with factory engine harness, so it just wouldnt work right, and the 92 dash in my older car was a PITA like stated, but hey its in there and well worth it to me, as far as my turn indicators and etc, since its not the final panel I havent put them in yet, the final is being made tomorrow, and i need to get some new hole saws, then i'll add in the turn signal, high beam, reverse lockout, and check engine lights,

 

JAY, Where did you get the carbon fiber gauge panel at, and will it fit on a 92 Camaro?

 

LiLRED,
I custom made it out of a thick sheet of aluminum. I used the Stock bezzel for a template on the sheet aluminum. Cut to size. Then i used a product called FOLIA TEC out of germany to cover it with {that was fun to track down I bought it from a company out of canada}. I hear it easier to get now a days. I made the cluster a long time ago and have only just installed it. Its a carbon fiber film thats pliable when heated and has actual depth to it so it does not look like just a sticker. Its about 50 bucks a roll and it barely gave me enough to cover what you see here.

Jay

 

How did you go about tying them into the car's electronics(sensors,VSS,etc.)? Are you using the car's original sensors and sending units or Autometer's independant of the car?

 

Thanks for sharing. Looking to do mine soon. I had a 2 gauge pilar pod so I might can go with the 5" gauges since my oil and temp are mounted on the pilar. I jsut need volt, fuel, speed and tach now.

 

Mongoose,
As far as my setup goes, I use mechanical gauges not electrical. My oil pressure, water temp, fuel pressure, speedo are all mechanical. No sending units. In my opinion, I think they are more reliable as high resistance in connections can change readings, for one reason. My tach and Fuel level are electrical. My old speedo was a cable drive so I had a custom cable made to fit my Th350 and autometer speedo. I used the factory tach wire to operate the Tach and used the factory wiring for the fuel gauge. I used the factory wire for lighting all the gauges. I will change that soon though, when going through the stock dimmer the gauges will dim with the dimmer like its supposed to but with all that current draw, they dont light up as bright as i'd like. As for finding what wires to attach where, I just sat down with a schematic and found the wires and butt spliced them in. I used this method for the turnsignal led also. Mine is an '86 so I would suspect that later years are harder to configure with VSS and all. I know Autometer makes modules to work with them but I've never had to use them personally. Good Luck let me know if you need any help.

Jay

 

Are there ready made pods available?

I have been meaning to make a similar setup, but i cant find any information about them....

 

man that looks pretty nutz. I wanna do that some day...after I fix up my suspension then that'll probably be my next mod.