For the people who have done this or have first hand knowledge Please help!!! I need to get rid of my '87 (auto trans) Camaro's mechanical speedo setup and switch to electrical so that I can run a 4th gen guage cluster. I have posted this before and searched but read different answers as to how to do it and what I need and I'm really confused.

Some say to do this you need a vss, a buffer, and some kind of gears or something like that in the trans. Others have said a electrical vss and the buffer box only.

1) So can someone tell me FORESURE, EXACTLY what I will need to do this swap?
2) What years came with the parts that I will need?
3) Will my cruise control still work?
4) Any thing else I need to know?
4) Can someone explain the difference between and function of all the things involved, in the meachanical setup and electrical setup on non SD cars. Like where does the info from the vss go? or whats the purpose of the buffer box......etc...... I have no idea how anything works or interacts and this would help me out alot.



tHaNx

 

anyone

 

please

 

I swapped my cable driven spdo to electric in my 85 T/A. I don't know the Camaro setup but I can tell you what I did. I swapped from an auto to a T5. I did not know what gear was in the tranny. I got an electric VSS I didn't care that one as long as it fit. I wired that up to the buffer box then went to a Dakota Digital box to correct the signal with one wire going to the ECM and the others going to the new electric spdo. If you don't use something to correct the signal the gears on the VSS and in the tranny must be the right ones. I don't know what the 4th gen spdo is looking for as far as a signal goes. It may be different from a 3rd gen. Hope this helps a little bit.

 

Some of the 90-92 Camaro guys that swapped in 4th gen guages in their auto's were able to get their 4thgen speedos working with no mods other than matching up the wiring of the two clusters. So I figure if I can get my car setup to accept an 90-92 electrical speedo than it should ALSO accept the 4thgen. And I want to be able to do this without the need for the Dakota box.



So that would mean I need a VSS from an auto 90-92? RIGHT????
Since 90-92 didn't have a buffer box, where can I look for one
that would give me the right signals that I need????
And will I also to change any gears in the trans??

Missing anything else?

Let me know if Im on the right track. ThanX!

 

Yes an electric VSS with the correct gear. You might get lucky and your old gear will fit the new VSS. I thought all electric spdo's use a buffer box. You can get one from the junk yard. That way you can get the connectors you will need. Don't forget the connectors! Don't forget to connect up your ECM.

 

I don't think the speed density cars used a seperate buffer box. I think the computer took care of that. If Im correct, then what years have the correct box that I need?
Also how does it get connected to the ecm?

If you could, can you or someone explain how this all work? (Like start from the signal from the VSS, where does it go from there and where does it end up? and all the crap in between?) This would probably answer most of my other questions.

 

I have the buffer box out of a mid 80's olds.....I'm using a 91 gage cluster in my car now so I am thinking the 90-92's did come with a buffer box here is a pick of what it will look like hope this helps Ya! Also I'm using a VSS out of a 91 firebird I think they are all the same.....But not really shure about that