I never hooked the V6 tach back up when I did my V6-V8 engine swap since I knew it wouldn't be accurate anyway. This week I bought a 140mph cluster with an 8K tach out of an '86 T/A. I read the tech article on swapping the electronic speedo, but I searched and couldn't find anything on the tach.

Will the 8K V8 tach plug right into the harness as my 6K V6 tach did? I was going to use the entire cluster from the 86. When I compared the two, I also noticed the fuel gauge and oil pressure gauge are in the opposite locations from my '83 cluster. I'm thinking that might keep it from being a "plug-in" deal.

I need to know: (1) will the later-model V8 tach plug right in and work (if not, what needs to be modded? (2) Will the oil, temp, fuel and batt gauges plug right in (if not, what needs to be modded?). I'm running an MSD-6A box if that matters to the tach install.

 

C'mon... nobody has swapped later model gauges into an 82-84??? A bunch of people have swapped to the electronic speedos-- I'm sure some have swapped the whole cluster and not just the speedo head.

 

Hey there pal.... I know the tach will plug right in. Lemme look around for the other guages.

Take a pic of the back of the panel if you can, that'll help.

 

By the way, the tach will only be as accurate as it was from the factory. The reading high is a GM thing. :lala:

 

You'll need to switch around some wires on the connectors.
I'm not sure of the original configuration - maybe you can write them down and send them to me so I can add them to the article - so they end up like this for the 86-up cluster http://www.hioutput.com/tech/circuits/86pinouts.html

Pete

 

I don't have a pic of the back of the '83 gauges because they are still installed. Here's the back of the 86:

 

...and here's a close-up of the ports where the connectors plug in:

 

Just trace the circuits to each guage on each panel, if you send me close pics of each i'll do it when I get bored. Then switch the wires accordingly. I tried to display this technique with my superior MS paint skillzz, werd YO!!!