Hi guys!
I've got an '84 Trans Am with the 85 mph guage cluster (full guages, since it's a T/A) and I am swapping in a '93 T-56 in place of the original T-5. I would also like to swap in a 120 or 140 mph guage cluster at the same time, and I figured it would be easier since the T-56 has an electronic sender for the speedometer. Is my thinking correct, or should I get one of those boxes that uses the signal from the tranny to spin an electric motor for spinning the speedo cable? I'd really like one of the higher mph electronic speedos, but I will also need the original vss (is that what it's called) box from my donor car, as well as one of those electronic converter boxes to convert the T-56's signal to the older electronic speedo's signal, right? (Cyberdine or Dakota Digital, right?). Will that work? Are the pinouts for the rest of the guages drastically different for the newer clusters than the cable driven speedo type clusters? Will I be able to make allowances for tire size changes and different rear end gears without having to change speedo stuff in the tranny? Any help anybody can provide on this would be hugely appreciated!!!

Thanks!

-Paul

 

Anybody have any suggestions or thoughts?

 

i went from a v6 cable driven speedo to a v8 tbi which is electric and I got a VSS buffer, that box between the speedo and VSS but I haven't goten anywhere with it yet, maybe one of these days

 

http://www.angelfire.com/mt/psh/speedo.htm

 

Great info deadbird! My only question is: If I have to get a Dakota Digital converter box anyway, do I still need the (yellow?) VSS buffer box? Can I just run from the T-56 through the Dakota Digital box and then to the speedo, or do I need to run through the VSS buffer box before going to the speedo?

Thanks for the help guys!

-Paul

 

Hey! I've got a couple more questions. First I am still wondering if I need the VSS "buffer box" AS WELL AS the Dakota Digital box, or if I can hook it all up with just the Dakota Digital box? Secondly I just bought a instrument cluster with a 120 mph electronically controlled speedometer that was in a 6 cylinder. My question is: Will the 6 cylinder tach work with an 8 cylinder? I am guessing probably not, or else there would not be the deliniation between the two. Can I modify the tach to work with an 8 cylinder? If not and worst comes to worst I can use the tach from my old cluster right? Thanks for the help so far and thanks in advance for any more help anybody can provide!

-Paul

 

One other question: I got looking at my new cluster and the old one, and the fuel guage and the oil pressure guage positions are swapped on the new 1990 Firebird cluster I got as compared to my 1984 cluster that was in my car. Am I gonna hafta mess around with the pinouts in the connectors in my car? If so does anyone have a diagram of the pinouts? Any more help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

-Paul

 

The V6 tac does work in the V8, at least mine was a 6 and the tac is working with the 8, still have the same instrument cluster, need to change it so the speedo works.

 

rsc350- That sounds great! I got my cluster all set in my car today, I had to redo both of the connectors before the '90 cluster would work in my '84, but everything seems to work now, all I hafta do now is find a vss buffer and order a Dakota Digital box so that my speedo will work with my T56. Thanks for all the help and I welcome any more advice/comments etc.

Thanks!

-Paul