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I have an 89 GTA 5.7 with analog dash. I am getting ready for LS3 and transmission upgrade. The shop is recommending Dakota Digital upgrade. I have been digging around and not sure what is compatible on their website. The Autometer Phantom 2 also caught my eye. I am seeing Intellitronix on EBay but I would prefer a moving needle with electronic if possible. Seems the more I research the more options and confusion I am wading through. The Phantom 2 attached is beautiful but is listed as compatible 82-84
i have Intellitronix gauges in my LS swap Trans Am. i like the way they look but they were definitely not a plug and play, easy install. you can see my review of their product HERE
if i had to do it again i would purchase dakota digital gauges. i reached out to them a few years ago and at that time, the quoted a little over $1K for a custom cluster. you'd have to send yours in for them to make it.
This is my classic dash setup w auto meter gauges. I made a harness myself. Not the least expensive way to go but the setup works great and I'm really happy w it. Install was super easy after 4-5 hours of making a harness!!
I think the speed hut ones are less work and less money than the auto meter setup I did. I heard they came pre wired(?) They also look really good! They're kind of a win-win!
That staple shifter is really neat. How'd you do that? I've never seen that in one of these. It looks really well done.
I looked at that and the others available. I felt like w the amount I was gonna have to modify them to fit the car well it wasn't worth it. There's not a lot of extra room behind the gauges for excess wire. I'm also kind of a pain in the *** about excess wire and it all being really neat. I wonder if the speed hut wires plug into the OEM connectors?
I looked at that and the others available. I felt like w the amount I was gonna have to modify them to fit the car well it wasn't worth it. There's not a lot of extra room behind the gauges for excess wire. I'm also kind of a pain in the *** about excess wire and it all being really neat. I wonder if the speed hut wires plug into the OEM connectors?
I don't know for sure but I'd assume doubtful. The OEM was a plug/cartridge fit and you have to isolate each circuit, often with different sending units for it to work. For Camaros, the dash fab is more complicated than the wiring. Massive project.
Last edited by ShiftyCapone; Oct 23, 2024 at 09:34 PM.
I think the speed hut ones are less work and less money than the auto meter setup I did. I heard they came pre wired(?) They also look really good! They're kind of a win-win!
That staple shifter is really neat. How'd you do that? I've never seen that in one of these. It looks really well done.
Correct, speedhut supplies the wiring harness and the sender/sensor for that gauge, plus an adapter for non ls (metric) engines. They do not plug into the OEM connectors though, but they are pretty low profile and they have a lifetime warranty. I recently sent my speedo back due to the fuel pointer bouncing around and they ended replacing the whole board free of charge. So essentially I got a new gauge. It even came with a new harness and gps antenna and i purchased those gauges in 2017/18. They shipped it back free of charge too. I just paid for shipping their way. Can't beat that.
I posted a thread on the shifter handle. It's basically the stock shifter with an original horse shoe handle adapted on.
I appreciate all the input. I realize when searching the compatibility listings were for the OEM connectors to replace dash gauges. Since this is going for LS Swap I just need to find gauges that fit the original dash. Simply measuring the holes and finding gauges that fit. That changes the way I research.
I too have the speedhut gauges in my car. I absolutely love them and they were super simple to install. All running on their own sensors . Photos in signature link.
Wow how beautiful. I love those gauges. How did you mount them to the original dash? Is that perhaps Sheetmetal they are mounted to and cut to fit the dash? I am hoping to find something that just replaces the original gauges but that does not seem to be the case.
Dakota digital is coming out with a gauge cluster soon. It has a digital readout for odometer and speed along with original looking needles for mph and rpm. We use Dakota digital at Ringbrothers and they sent me a photo but I'm not sure if they would want me sharing it. Once they have them for sale I am getting one for my 92.
Wow how beautiful. I love those gauges. How did you mount them to the original dash? Is that perhaps Sheetmetal they are mounted to and cut to fit the dash? I am hoping to find something that just replaces the original gauges but that does not seem to be the case.
Not sure if you're asking me, but they're mounted to the OE cluster. I cut some plexiglass to fit the cluster and squeezed the gauges in. Its a snug fit, but all the speedhut harness's are in there too. The bezel was hand cut from a ABS sheet from ebay. I think its called mo-hair or sommit. The insert piece on the horseshoe is made from the same sheet.
These RTX gauges came out for 1982-89 Camaros from Dakota Digital this week, hopefully they will be popular and Dakota will make more 3rd gen products. We sell a lot of their VHX product line so glad to see they are expanding the product line. I've asked about Firebird several times and normally get no response or not happening but that could change if there was more demand. All their gauges are very similar they just modify the layout to fit the car, so wouldn't be designing a product from scratch. I've been happy with their products and have been a dealer for about 3-4 years now. I just installed their VHX gauges in my '83 Z28 and also have a set of VHX gauges in a '91 Z28 (one of the first sets I bought years ago). They work like a new car, very precise and reliable. 1982-89 Camaro Dakota Digital RTX Gauges
I like them, but at $1700. I dont like them that much. Why the analog ODO ( or is it digi made to look analog) and the gear ind! Dont they know we have it on the shifter bezel!
I like them, but at $1700. I dont like them that much. Why the analog ODO and the gear ind! Dont they know we have it on the shifter bezel!
odometer just looks analog. The RTX product line makes the gauges look as close as possible to stock but has modern features. All of their gauges use the same control box and have the same features, for a 3rd gen Camaro the gear indicator wouldn't be visible or in use once installed. All of their RTX gauges (1969 Camaro, 2nd gen Trans Am, etc) are about the same price ($1600) also. The RTX is the top of their product line, they also have VHX gauges which don't have as many features but are around $800 instead of $1600. I'm guessing once these have been out a while they will be around $1600 instead of $1650. They just came out on Monday so still limited availability. We just got our first shipment of them today. Dakota Digital controls pricing so all dealers have the same price.
The VHX gauges i never liked. They're kinda fugly, but i would'nt mind having the RTX look on the VHX gauges. I dont really care much for the extra features of the RTX, but it is what it is.
I'm pretty sure these gauges are can bus compatible. So people with standalone EFI systems like pro flo and others can tie into these. So it's not just the cluster but you can build on the system I think. This makes adding boost/fuel pressure/AFR/etc gauges much easier.
just food for thought for those that like to tinker!
I'm pretty sure these gauges are can bus compatible. So people with standalone EFI systems like pro flo and others can tie into these. So it's not just the cluster but you can build on the system I think. This makes adding boost/fuel pressure/AFR/etc gauges much easier.
just food for thought for those that like to tinker!
Dakota Digital has what they call a BIM that allows you to pull info from stock GM LS computers, Holley and other aftermarket EFI systems so you can see things like a/f ratio, boost, fuel pressure and other info on the gauge display. Almost any info the ECM has can be displayed on the gauges. Makes LS swaps a lot easier also, since you don't have to add sensors or get stock gauges to work. They also have electric fan controllers that use the same sender the gauges use and a GPS speedometer adapter. They are a lot more advanced compared to regular gauges. The RTX and VHX gauges have all the same ability for expanding.
see if anyone has attempted this..
I am looking into getting one of these stand alone “one gauge” universal digital gauge clusters for my 89 Iroc. Any ideas? Does anyone know of an easier way? I want the newer digital version with informative options and customization options. Mostly I haven’t seen it done before so I thought it would be cool.. maybe there’s a reason why it hasn’t been done lol
i definitely like the look of that universal cluster but i assume it won't fit our cars very well. our gauges have the steering column "hump" in the middle. i don't think there'd be enough room to mount it above the steering column so a large panel gauge display like this would need to be mounted off-center - which would look odd. those displays are more for like old trucks that have a lot of dash space.
Ok, I didn't copy and paste my exact message from the other linked thread because that would've been too weird lol. But since some Firebird owners are currently expressing an interest in modern aftermarket gauges with a factory-style vibe, I created a thread about how I got it done with Speedhut, and I've linked it below and in the other currently active thread on the topic, because it was easier to draft it up one time, rather than to continue posting in multiple threads:
