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Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
#665303 July 03rd 2014 5:36 am
Joined: Aug 2011
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Respect to all, I am sure many here have great gauge set-ups, this is just the way I did it. I got frustrated with poor gauge performance and wanky connectors, so I scrapped the round plug and the pcb. No more voltage limiter can either. Project was easy and cheap.

All the leads to the orig round connector are color coded. I only used the instrument lite leads (they are on the dimmer) a key on positive for the volts and the sender lead for the fuel. The other gauges are analog and so have a tube to the water jacket and oil pressure (near dist)

I used a hole saw (2") I think to mount the Autometer fuel gauge (they make one that matches our ohms range). The other gauges mounted ok in the existing slots, etc. - I maybe hogged out a bit here & there, but not much.

Volt meter, oil pressure and temp are all inexpensive Sunpro 2". I took them out of their cases (tin snips) and mounted in a re-painted stock gauge pod. I cut some side wings for the gauge faces (glue) so they filled the opening. The threaded studs on the back of the Sunpros worked for mounting (with a washer here and there). I insulated the volt gauge studs with shrink tube.

LED lighting was not hard. I used two LED's soldered in series with a resistor (LED resistor calculator is online). This is very cheap, cheaper than new stock lamps. I used blue LED's and frosted them with 100 paper for smoother light coverage.

Small drill at the ends of the slot on the face of the speedo to allow wires to feed thru (1/16" shrink on positive lead and between LED's - the resistor can be way outside the speedo.

Trick to mount lights in the (speedo) center- I cut down the plastic insulators from those spade connectors and JB welded to the speedo face (big end up). Made perfect mounts for the center round thing on the speedo face, removable too. I cut down that top leg and gave the LED's a blorp of hot glue to cover the leads.

The lighting on the cluster is mounted in that center hole, I drilled couple holes in a 1" (I think) PVC plug and it threaded right in. All the grounds go to a cheap buss bar kind of thing from Home Depot mounted on the back of the cluster, wired to a stud on the dash someplace (see pic).

So all runs off the 12 volt, gas gauge is very accurate (tested sender first at tank w/ohm meter) as are all other gauges. Sunpro makes some "bottom sweep" and some "top sweep". They came with a blue stripe, which I covered with white and I made my own labels, didn't really need labels though. Any Q's - I will check + answer. It's kind of neck, but really works and looks...well you decide. LED's and resistors are very cheap, those Sunpros are too. I got lucky on the Autometer fuel gauge on the auction site.

My break through was mounting the famous (cast metal and cheap) Signal Stat 900 turn signal on the column and tossing the weak cancel cam, handle and all - new handle (included) is heavy chrome. Seven wire and everything works, orig cluster indicators too (I wired those in), but that's a post for another day.
Thanks.
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Re: Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
Altosax #665311 July 03rd 2014 8:45 am
Joined: Mar 2007
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Quote
No more voltage limiter can either


NICE!


.-=[NGV]=-.

Re: Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
Altosax #665344 July 03rd 2014 7:46 pm
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Ahh now that's excellent work. You're one of very few with a mod quite like that.

Did you upgrade the old ammeter wiring, or just use the stock setup?


[Linked Image]
Chris (The Ravishing One)
1977 Dodge B200 Shorty V8-360 4.10 rear w/OD A518 tranny
1993 Dodge B250 Hi-Top V8-318
1994 Dodge B250 Lo-Top V8-318 (RIP 1998-2013)
Re: Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
RavshngOne #665350 July 03rd 2014 8:11 pm
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I used a Sunpro voltmeter, connected to any key on power wire. Those leads just pull out of that round plug, they are color coded. I put crimp on bullet connectors on the leads I used and tucked the others out of the way zip tied together,

The ammeter was eliminated - fat wires that go to it were bolted together, coated w/ a little dialectic and shrink wrapped a couple times with thick stuff.

Sunpro gauges were cheap, Jegs and Summit have 'em but I got on sale Amazon or NIB ebay, like $14 or $12 depending. Fuel gauge is Autometer so not cheap but I found a used one. This really worked for me, was worth it

Re: Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
Altosax #665354 July 03rd 2014 8:33 pm
Joined: May 2006
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Nice work! And looks great also

Re: Easy & Cheap gauge cluster mod.
Altosax #665397 July 05th 2014 2:50 am
Joined: Apr 2014
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Wow now that looks cool!! thanks for sharing love the way the leds are driver side but so well hidden!


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