i want/need new guages but i dont want the covans classics price tag for a full set with bezel and all. so basically i was just wondering would it be possible to disconnect my current guages and take a flat sheet of aluminum and cut it out to same shape and size of the bezel. make holes for mechanical guages put them in and send wires through the firewall and it still works. by the way the car is no longer computer controlled (carbed 350). i already have a mechanical oil press, volt, and water temp but its mounted in the consol and would love to put better mechanical guauges in the dash. are all the stock guages electrical? any other foresight with this would be appreciated. thanxs

 

camaro or firebird?

 

sorry i forgot its an 89 rs

 

ok, the speedo is mechanical in all 82-89 camaros, but the rest of the guages are electrical. you can build whatever you'd like to fit into the dash.
this is my car, though it's a 1990 and the dashes are different, but it'll give you an idea of what can be done. these pics are old and the cyberdyne digital speedo has since been replaced by a very nice Dakota Digital guage. the new guage is blue/green and the switches above the radio are now blue/green.



i made my guage plate out of steel, though it's gonna be replaced with either aluminum or some sort of abs plastic. i appologize for the dusty interior, those pics where taken towards the end of a 12 day build. that car went from an empty shell to completely put together and driveable/ready for paint in 12 days...

 

thanxs mw66 nova thats just what thought but i have a question for you, how do you convert the mechanical speedo to a digital, i really like the speedo. and also from what you are saying their should be no problems converting all the gauges to mechanical? (unless i get the digital speedo) right?

 

you can buy this little box that screws into the tranny and converts the mechanical signal from the speedo gears into an electrical signal. cyberdyne sells it. you can get it through jegs or summit.

no problems converting electrical to mechanical, you just have to plumb the tubing into the dash.

 

thanxs for all the help i think i might go with an electric speedo, would it be the same for a digital tach by the way what is the tach connected to, like where on the motor/tranny is the tach connected.

 

it connects to the coil for the ignition system. on an older style coil-in-cap HEI setup it's right on the distributor next to the positive wire going into the coil.

 

ok thanxs for the help i think i have it now but do you know the name of the speedo box because i cant seem to find it on summit
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scratch that i found it on jegs thanxs nova

 

I made mine out of 1/4" plexi and covered it with black carbon fiber overlay. I don't have pics to post, but I put a 5" Autometer Ultralite speedo on the left and 2 5/8" ultralite water, oil, fuel, volt guages across the top and rh side. I spliced a self made harness into the factory harness using bullet connectors. You have to change the cable on the mechanical speedo because the f-body uses the clip on cable and the Autometer uses the threaded on style.

 

is it this one? http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku