1973 Camaro instruments question.
7Ball
(granted, I'm not an expert on it by any means) you'd be better off going
with an aftermarket guage pod and a tach... the wiring is different from
what I've seen, and while I do agree that it would be nice to have the
guages all fit in the stock locations, it doesn't seem to be pheasible to
transplant am RS or LT panel into an idiot light setup... one thing I can
say is the triple guage pods fit PERFECTLY into the open space below the
radio and above the center console, and companies like Dakota Digital offer
complete replacement panels with all the wiring, but they're like $650... I
thought about doing the same thing as you are to mine, but after tearing
into one at the boneyard it just will not work without some rewiring.
"Phil Indablank" <philinda...@xxxhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3af7fa5...@news.mindspring.com...
> I have a "Plain Jane" '73 Camaro. It's instruments are the standard
> "idiot lights". I have a guage instrument unit from another Camaro
> that I would like to install. I believe that in order to install it
> I'll have to change the wiring harness but I'm not 100% sure. I'd like
> to know if I have to change the harness and if so, do I have to change
> the engine harness as well as the interior one? Are they available
> from after market sources?
>
> TIA
7Ball
in as well
"7Ball" <wolf...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:NW9J6.40306$Jh5.38...@news1.rdc1.sfba.home.com...
mrvette
sized.....in FACT the wiring changes are much simpler than the effort at
mechanical changeout....
sending units have to be changed, and plugged in, one minor change to a wiring
position on the gauge pod plug is needed, I THINK it's to either the oil or
amp/voltage gauge, can't remember which....but after that, it's a plug up...
so just get your factory dash from somewhere, and have at it....
having the factory manual and being able to do wiring/schematics is
essential....
GENE
--
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"The second-place trophy in a gunfight is made of granite."--Robert
Teekell
"Get out of my head, there's only room for me and the voices." - Tony
Da Man
the gauges, matter fact, with rearranged plugs, this is mostly the case with
the 3rd gen camaros, and many other cars. I cant see too much of a
difference for a 2nd gen. Get the wiring manual for one without gauges and
for one with gauges. Also, I doubt that the tach wire will be there, and you
may want to have the oil idiot light and the gauge.
"mrvette" <mrv...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:3AF5021E...@mediaone.net...
Tommy Blomqvist
yours, but I've been able to mount "real" gauges from a 75 LT into the
instrument cluster w/o any major difficulties.
In worst case just place a isolated "spacer" between the connectors on
the gauge and the "plastic instrument cluster wiring" and attach
new wires to these instruments only.
The easiest way to get around some trouble is to switch the complete
instrument cluster but NOT the plastic wiring (keep the old one) IF
there are any problems....
/tommy blomqvist
7Ball <wolf...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:8Y9J6.40307$Jh5.38...@news1.rdc1.sfba.home.com...
Da Man
"Tommy Blomqvist" <tommy_b...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9d455l$1ht$1...@yggdrasil.utfors.se...
> I dont know it my 74 coupe (=even more plain) is much different then
> yours, but I've been able to mount "real" gauges from a 75 LT into the
> instrument cluster w/o any major difficulties.
> In worst case just place a isolated "spacer" between the connectors on
> the gauge and the "plastic instrument cluster wiring" and attach
> new wires to these instruments only.
> The easiest way to get around some trouble is to switch the complete
> instrument cluster but NOT the plastic wiring (keep the old one) IF
> there are any problems....
>
That may be a great idea! Especially since the wiring in those sheets
usually has spots for gauges! I think most of the individual gauges can
unbolt from the housing and can be put where the idiot lights were, so you
can even use the original housing, or at least that's the case with most of
the older GM's.
Ripper
wires may still be in the plug. You would have to run a tach wire out to the
distributor, though. It's not that hard, even if the wire is not in the
cluster harness. You will have to change sending units on the engine to ones
for gauges or the gauges will not work. The same wire that runs for an idiot
light works for a gauge, only the information it sends back changes. An
idiot light sending unit is a simple on/off switch that works at a preset
temperature or pressure. The gauge sending units are variable and send a
varying voltage reading back to the gauge depending on temperature or
pressure.
--
Ripper
rip...@ripper1.com
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Ripper Productions:
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Ripper
for idiot lights or gauges. If the plug will not fit just install the old
sheet on the new cluster. 1970 to 1978 are all the same. 1979-1981 used a
completely different dash.
--
Ripper
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"Da Man" <levy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:FiiJ6.235117$Z2.25...@nnrp1.uunet.ca...
Ripper
out where they go and what they do.
--
Ripper
rip...@ripper1.com
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Ripper Productions:
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"mrvette" <mrv...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:3AF5021E...@mediaone.net...
Ripper
> may want to have the oil idiot light and the gauge.
>
sending units for your idea, not a bad one though. It would be insurance if
the gauge is ignored, the light will still come on. Could require a little
improv on the installation in the cluster though.
--
Ripper
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"Da Man" <levy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Bigjfig
>From: "Ripper" rip...@ripper1.com
>Date: 5/6/01 5:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <t1jJ6.358$lz4....@newsfeed.slurp.net>
You can probably try Painless Wiring as they will probably have a harness for
this year Camaro.
Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist
'80 Carousel Red Turbo, 26k original-->http://www.0rdernet.com/Mean_Pont
'79 10th Ann. 400/4 speed, 57k original-->http://home.earthlink.net/~bryanan
'84 Olds Delta 88, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 137k and still going....
Ripper
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"Bigjfig" <big...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010506174204...@ng-fo1.aol.com...
Dan
Here is the text from my old post on the subject ...
There is an electrical connecter which couples to the rear of the
gauge cluster. The wiring is not identical between the cluster with
the idiot lights and the cluster with the gauges (its pretty close
though). The swap to gauges is generally non invasive and can be
reversed. I needed only to run a tach trigger wire out to the engine
compartment (to the negative terminal of the coil) via a tiny hole in
the firewall. This can be done without any noticeable damage to the
car. The remaining wiring is essentially already in place.
I first mapped the wiring of the cluster with the idiot lights. This
is done by just looking at the wiring traces on the back of the
printed circuit (i.e., look at which circuit trace goes to which light
bulb or gauge terminal). I then did the same for the gauge cluster
with the gauges.
Large groups of terminals are coupled together, these are the common
traces (providing either power or ground). There are three common
terminals used in both gauge clusters. On is a ground and the other
two receive power from two separate fuses in the fuse box (i.e., power
for lamps illuminating the entire cluster when the headlights are on
and power for the actual gauges) The other traces carry the signals
used to illuminate the idiot lamp (usually by providing a ground
connection ) or actuate the gauge (from the sending unit). If you know
anything about electronics, this is a very simple matter to trace out.
The wiring harness for both dash clusters have twelve (12) pins and
the connector is numbered.
Here is pin-out for the idiot light cluster.
Pin 1 - Pink (Common 1 - Ground)
Pin 2 - Light Brown (Fuel Gauge)
Pin 3 - Dark Blue and White stripe (Oil lamp)
Pin 4 - Brown (Gen lamp)
Pin 5 - White (Common 2 - power)
Pin 6 - Black (Common 3 - power)
Pin 7 - Light Brown (Brake lamp)
Pin 8 - Pink and Red (2 wires)(Brake lamp)
Pin 9 - Light Blue (Left turn)
Pin 10 - Light Green (High Beam)
Pin 11 - Dark Blue (Right Turn)
Pin 12 - Dark Green (Temp lamp)
Here is the pin out for the wiring connector for the dash cluster with
gauges:
Pin 1 - Tach Trigger - needs new wire and pin
Pin 2 - Green (temp gauge)
Pin 3 - Pink (Common 1 - Ground)
Pin 4 - Light Brown (Fuel Gauge)
Pin 5 - White (Common 2 - power)
Pin 6 - Black (Common 3 - power)
Pin 7 - Light Brown (Brake lamp)
Pin 8 - Pink and Red (2 wires)(Brake lamp)
Pin 9 - Light Blue (Left turn)
Pin 10 - Light Green (High Beam)
Pin 11 - Dark Blue (Right Turn)
Pin 12 - Dark Blue and White Stripe (Oil lamp)
So to do the swap I did the following:
old Pin 1 moved to Pin 3
old Pin 2 moved to Pin 4
old Pin 3 moved to Pin 12
old pin 12 moved to Pin 2
old pin 4 Pin was released from the connector and left out as
described below.
To swap the wires you release the wire contact from the plug on the
end of the wiring harness (i.e., depress a small tab with a pin).
Slip the wire contact out of the plug, bend the small tab back and
relocate the wire contact into the correct position in the plug (it
will click when it engages back into the connector).
The plastic housings for the two instrument clusters are the same.
The speedometer is identical between the two clusters. I used the
speedometer from the old gauge cluster to retain the correct mileage
reading for the car.
Old pin 4 was the Gen lamp and was not used with the new gauge
cluster. I used an old contact for pin 1 (from a junk connector) for
the tach trigger. I actually left the brown wire from pin 4 and the
contact intact - covered in heat shrink tubing.
Since I had access to an old 1970 Camaro dash cluster connector, I
just released a pin and used it as new pin 1. Pin 1 is the tach
trigger, which goes to the negative terminal of the coil. The wire
was run out though a small hole in the firewall.
The temp light as well as the temp gauge use a single wire (colored
green in the 1970 Camaro). I replaced the temp lamp sending unit for
the idiot light with a sending unit for a gauge. I changed the
connector on the green wire to a spade lug to made with the gauge
sending unit terminal. For the 1970 Camaro, the correct insulated
wire with the plastic covered spade lug is actually available from
Classic Camaro for $6.95, the cloth insulator to protect the wire is
$1.50 per foot.
I figured that an ammeter would be tricky to wire (must be wired in
series to the junction block). So, I just used a voltmeter instead
(from a newer Camaro - 78 I believe). The volt meter has its own
spade lug connection and mounts in the same location as the ammeter.
I just ran a lead down to the IGN terminal of the fuse block.
This set up has been just working great for me. Fits perfect, works
perfect and was inexpensive - you see gauge clusters on eBay all the
time for reasonable prices.
Good Luck,
Dan