im doing a t56 swap into my 85 camaro and was curious what i have to do to make the speedometer work properly. i know you can buy a autometer speedometer and hook it up but i was curious if i could just by a used electric speedometer from a 3rd gen and make it work with the t56 properly?

 

you have to use a digital dakota SGI-5a box to convert the signal

 

but i can use the stock 3rd gen electric speedometer with the swap as long as i have the dakota digital?

 

yup

 

Your Camaro has a cable, not electronic, speedo.

The box will not work for you.

Here's the solution you need. http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Par...ilHousing.html Unfortunately, it's not cheap. Or even very inexpensive either.

 

there are new tail housings now. there is also a signal box that will run a motor specifically for the cable too

 

The Cable-X box costs about the same as the right housing; and just adds another layer of something to break. I see no benefit there. Others might, but I don't. Less stuff to go bad strikes me as a virtue.

I'd be interested in seeing the facts and details about this supposed other extension housing. I just got through doing this conversion in a cable speedo car about a year and a half ago, so I know what was out there at the time; but if someone has come out with something new, I'd like to know about it.

 

when do third gen become electronic speedometers?
and how hard is it to switch from cable to electric?

 

The Firebirds switched in 85, and the Camaros switched in about 89 or 90.

It is not trivial to switch over, since the ECM runs the speedo in the electronic version.

 

will someone please briefly explain what this means "It is not trivial to switch over, since the ECM runs the speedo in the electronic version."
thank you i just got a little lost and want to make sure i understand it properly.

 

here do a quick search t56 speedo housing it will show several options souch as the home job http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Par...pp6-3_6-4.html

and the carcraft one that lists just one of the makers of cast housings just for the cable speedo cars

they are out there just look

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/1061/index4.html

this last one has the shifter moved (which could be nice too) but, they make them with only the sensor hole moved too

 

well I won't say what I am thinking but.........

no it is an easy swap. ecm control? with the later systems yes. MAF cars and TBI cars used a buffer box which split the speed signal to the cluster,ecm and cruise control.

if I were you I would get the dakota box, an electric speedo cluster and just wire it up

 

so should i not use a electric speedometer from a later 3rd gen year?

 

From the Car Craft article:

Wow.... and I though the JTR thing was slightly $$$$$, at about HALF that..... too bad, because that's the PERFECT solution for our cars.

Incidentally, there is only one company that "makes" those, althought there might be numerous ones that SELL (distribute) them. That one maker is Tremec, who now owns the Borg-Warner name for manual transmissions.

As far as the electronic speedo thing, it wouldn't be too hard to try; just buy yourself a later-model cluster and buffer box and the Dakota box, and wire it up, and see. You wouldn't really even have to "install" it in the car until you got it to work.