Thread: bone yard gauges

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I have a 39 chevy with a 96 350 vortek and 700r4, tubbed with 31 inch M.T. meats. My question is I like the guage set from an Eagle Talon (believe its 93) will this be an impossible transplant and if not what problems will come up and how do I overcome them. I am trying not to go with aftermarket just to be different. OK guys give me some help here. Thanks

You might want to look at the gauge cluster from the early to mid '80's Monte Carlo, they're sized just about perfectly for the '39 dash. If you look for the SS or some of the sport options you can even get one with a tach in it. They're a rectangular binicle with round face dials, white markings on a black background. Use standard Chev sending units, cable, wiring.

I am glad to see someone else has this interest and Bob has made a suggestion about the Monte Carlo set. Alas I do not have any new information and was some what discouraged by the lack of interest. The only thing I can say is that If I had the schematic to a cluster with a digital tach it would not be difficult to whip up a small circuit board with Radio Shack digital chips for a very few dollars to set up the tach. That might not even be necessary if the distributor already sends a pulse train. What I need is a few pages from a shop manual from GM or Ford (if the Chrysler manual is in German now, I can handle that!). I really like the 2004 Saturn instrument panel but there must be many others. What about the speedometer, are the late models set up for a cable or do they also use a pulse train? I think some rodders just need to gather some information and probably there will be a shake out as to the "Auburn Dash" of the 21st century.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Most all the newer speedos are electrionic, but a simple pulse generator will usually be all you need to make them work. If you have cruise, that generator can run some speedos.

The gas gauge, and voltmeter are simple in most cases, but the engine gauges can be difficult, most cars in the 90's and newer no longer have seperate sending units on the engine, but use outputs from the computer to run the gauges. So to make them work, you will need an interface to change the digital signal to analog.

Tachs can be fooled with a chip for use with a V8.

On the offchance that you dont like the guages from the Monte Carlo, some Cutlasses also came with full guage clusters. Being as they are based on the Olds V8, it should be compatable with almost anything.

Not to forget late 70's early 80's Chevy trucks with manual transmissions, should have all gagues u want in a cluster that would work.

Maybe we are getting somewhere now! Thanks, especially enjenjo, and others, let's keep this going. Of course I like the Auburn dash or engine-turned '32 Ford cluster, but when a junkyard cluster can be had for roughly $20 it is worth documenting here on this forum what clusters to look for. Streets, suppose we specified the main application would be instruments for a SBC 350, that would cover a lot of cases, mine included. The gauges that depend on computer interfacing will need A/D converters I guess as was mentioned, but maybe the simple answer is '80s technology where it is a GM cluster adapted to GM sensors. Then there are simpler cases. On my '98 Pontiac Sunfire the dash has only fuel and temp gauges in addition to a neat combination of Speedo and Tach, that would be enough for my roadster and maybe the oil pressure and voltage can be handled by idiot lights without gauges. Probably GM:GM or Ford:Ford and I recall some of the Chrysler Lebarons had a sport option with a tach in the cluster which might work for Mopar:Mopar. Since the Pontiac clusters are back-lit (usually in orange!) which I find attractive, let me ask emenjo what it would take to adapt a Sunfire cluster to a SBC, maybe you young guys have the knowhow I need? The Sunfire dash is a case of a 4 cyl setup that would need a modification of the pulse train for a V8.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Okay Don.........can ya figure this one out??

Gee, I don't really know what the dash is, maybe a Ford pckup, but the gauges look like early aftermarket analog with a '41 Ford Speedometer. The rims of the gauges are painted to match the dash. There may be others, but the only speedometer with that long horizontal design that I can recall was the "41 Ford, although it does look less wide than the '41. If I had something like that my problem would be solved, but without instruments at present the more modern $20 junkyard clusters look attractive if I can figure out how to make one work.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

The dash is for a '36 Ford roadster. The gauge cluster and the facia are from a different vehicle..........clue, not a Ford. The speedo is all that's used from the donor, the other four are the gauge innards from Classic Instruments. The "bezels", two ribs under the speedo, and the arrowhead signal holes are stamped in the donor panel which was welded into the Ford dash to make it look like it was produced that way.

Here's what it looks like in the car without the cluster mounted:

The guage cluster looks to be mid-late 60s early 70s GM. Leaning towards Chevy truck.

I have that speedo in my 66 c-10 pickemup truck(looks very similar) they also make a cool pinup girl thingy for the speedo to replace the overlay inside the guages

Bob, Thanks for the picture of the dash in-place because I have always been fascinated by the difference between the closed cars and the true roadsters in that the door-cowl-interior continues the exterior feeling which adds to the "open car" style (except in the rain!). Another interesting dash is the '46-'48 Ford and an old trick was to replace the usually broken clock on the right side with a very nice pinup picture and it looked like it was meant to be there just for photo display! Since answering this thread on behalf of modern dash clusters I have found a good list of available gauges in the Whitney catalog, although it looks like with a combo of Ford rear and GM TH350 trans I will have to buy into an electronic speedometer that can be adjusted easily if/when the rear ratio is changed. All other simple plain round instruments are available from Whitney or Advanced Auto. Still I will be interested if someone finds a modern dash that can be adapted since it will probably be a year or so until I am ready for instruments so let me know.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder