what cluster are yall running... i have a digital dash and didnt know if the 97-up cluster is the best to go with? please help me out thanks..... i think i read some were that the newer cluster fuel gauge wouldnt work right is this correct? couldnt i just get the ls1 sending unit? please let me know going to go pick up my dash, cluster, wiring harness, center console and door panels all black and under 500 bucks so help me out.... please....... thanks

 

Sorry, I have no answers for you, but I wanted to subscribe to this thread since my dash is currently dangling waiting for me to label all the wires, and I have a digital dash as well.

BTW, I am curious... does your digital dash have an electronically controlled heat and a/c switch too? I am wondering how I'm going to hook this up to my 4th gen bird dash... hmm

 

yea mine is digital as well.... i think its all the same i hope.....i will find out...... but iam getting mine tomarrow
so i wanted to know whick cluster to use.... but ohh well

 

well, I've got a V6 cluster, that goes up to 110 IIRC, I'd prefer the V8 one that goes up to 150 (or something), but seeing those numbers was never really a concern to me on the dash swap.

Should keep your progress posted, I'll try to do the same, maybe we can help each other out if it's similar wiring, or basic ideas. I have no idea how I'm going to convert from electronic heating controls, to manual while retaining my stock heating unit.

 

yea i am gonna worry about that when i get there.... i am gonna try to get it all done this weekend..... ie dash installed atleast... but i dont know if i will be able to drive it home or not from my parents house if i dont have a cluster or anything.... so lol it might be sitting there and waiting till monday who knows but i will be keeping it updated......

 

A tip for you from what I've experienced so far.

You will have to take off the shifter plate, in order to get two dash screws out. Once you get the dash pad's bottom bolts out, there's 4 screws closer to the windsheild on the top, those stumped me for a while till i noticed them (it was dark lol).

oh, and make sure to label EVERY wire, no matter how insignificant.. you will get it confused with something else if you dont.

 

picked up my stuff today and i am gonna have the old dash out tomarrow and hopefully the new one mated inside tomarrow i have a friend coming over to help me after work.... but i am a t0y0ta tech and have a shop and air tools so it might go faster.... hehe love the cut off wheel ....... i will keep u updated man

 

I was reading somewhere that the 98+ gauges are serial data and run off of the PCM. 93-97 Firebird and camaro are supposed to be analog.
So if you are running a new stlye camaro dash, you will need a 97 camaro Cluster. 93-02 Firebird dash will take the 93-97 Firebird and the 97 Camaro clusters.

 

ok well the dash is in...... need 2 fab up 2 L shapped brakets on the lower corners.... but other than that its in.... also need the heater ducting..... but now i need to find out the wonderfull task of going from the digital dash to 4th gen...... if i get it all going right i will make a tech thing about it..... also figured out that if u have digital dash... and are doing this conversion and want to keep a/c-hvac controls u are gonna have to use the 3rd gen ones because u have no "cable" its all electric ie wires so u will need to either replace the whole dash harness or use the stock controls.... i am gonna fab a plastic adapter peice that will fit in the 4th gen stock location.... also i have a 4th gen radio in the car when i bought it..... but am gonna try to upgrade to a monsoon dont know if its gonna work.... but we will see...... i will try to get some pics up.....

 

pic of progress

 

Nice progress... question for yah... how did you get the steering column out? I havent tried fooling with it just yet, but I really need to, that's all that's holding my dash in place right now lol.

 

hey man there are 2 nuts 13mm that hold the colum up to the firewall, so u take them out and then the colum drops and it will just hang there..... hey u got aim but its not logged on i was gonna im u but ohh well.... bighead79

 

be careful with the hanging column... you can bust your brake light switch(i think thats it)

 

Yeah, what he said. Broke mine when i let the column down. Thank *** it was only $7 for a new 1. Oh yeah for all you guys doing this swap, be sure to reconnect the ground that was on the old dash metal brace under the column. I have seen a few posts over the last few months since I did my swap, where people are forgetting to hook it up when testing their guages and can't seem to figure why they aren't working. I remember sitting ther for an hour just scratching my head why my cluster was acting all screwy. Then I remembered that dam ground wire.

 

correct sir. its a black wire, with a laerge copper ring terminal on the end. only one on the dash, and its originally held in by a bolt that looks like it came from the hardware store, but its OEM and 10mm head.

sounds like fun.

 

LOL! It got me too. Took me about an hour as well, hehe.

 

if you dont have an ls1 engine in the car, any 93-97 firebird cluster is a swap.
if you have a v8, get a v8 cluster. v6, get a v6 cluster. makes it a lil easier.

i run a 97 camaro cluster in my car. i have a carbed small block with no computer, and all my gauges work great.

 

while this info is true, it's not with all the facts.

The clusters tach uses a 4 cylinder signal to operate, while our cars use a V8 or V6 signal (respectively)... you'll need to get a box from Dakota Digital to fix no matter what engine / cluster you run.

 

that is incoorect.
you will need a d/digital box if you run an LS1 cluster, not an LT1 cluster.
i have my lt1 tach (97 model) hooked to my msd box and it is accurate. electric vss driven speedo is accruate as well, no d/digital box either.

 

well the reason yours works is due to the msd box.... if u have the lt1 cluster u will need a dakota digi box... unless MABYE u still have the stock tach FILTER installed.... but other than that u will need the box

 

incorrect.
ive ran a stock 88 iroc tach, an autometer tach, and an LT1 tach off the coil, and now the msd box and they all worked without a dak box.
the v8 lt1 cluster has the proper electronics to read right, off the coil, or the msd box.
no filter anywhere. i dont even have stock wiring in the car anymore.
maybe i got lucky......

 

might have been lucky... but i know i needed one....... i installed it and it works fine now.....