i have a modified custom cab instrument cluster the wires are modified to make it work. i also have the standard metal cluster i can clean up and use along with an unmolestered on wiring harness...
do i sort out the modified ratnest and keep the custom cab dash or clean up the standard and use the better harness?
as for the standard one, i spin the speedometer with my fingers and the needle moves freely but im not sure that means it works. how do i check the gauges and be sure before i re wire this thing and find out that way...
i intend to take it apart and clean it up and put sone new paint on it if i can use it.
opinions comments and valid hijacks of an entertaining or somehow related manner would be appreciated.
I need some direction. thanks in advance.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
As long as the sending units are working right, you should be able to take a 9 volt battery and connect to the back of the gauges to make sure they rise as they should. As long as they rise with voltage and fall when the voltage is taken off they should be good. This is how I have checked mine to see if they are good. As for the speedometer, it should work off of a gear in the tranny and as long as the cable and gear are good, and the gauge is free,(will spin by fingers) it should work, just as it is suppose to. These are the ways I check mine and I am sure there are other ways to test but this works for me.... Anthony
I rewired mine with a Painless kit. The original was not in real good shape. If you are going to go through the work of redoing this, you might consider new wiring.
For the dash wiring I left lots more slack on the connections than required, so I could work on the fully connected cluster out of the dash. I also pulled the steering wheel - lots more room to work.
At the very least get another dash cluster, either from a parts truck or online auction - these are readily available and the components are easy to swap. Or replace them with newer units - your choice.
Drove the 1/2 ton pretty much all last week to work & running errands, both daytime & after dark, driving on the freeways and back ways. A well-rewired 40+ year old truck means one less area to fail on the road.
douglloyd wrote:I rewired mine with a Painless kit. The original was not in real good shape. If you are going to go through the work of redoing this, you might consider new wiring.
For the dash wiring I left lots more slack on the connections than required, so I could work on the fully connected cluster out of the dash. I also pulled the steering wheel - lots more room to work.
At the very least get another dash cluster, either from a parts truck or online auction - these are readily available and the components are easy to swap. Or replace them with newer units - your choice.
Drove the 1/2 ton pretty much all last week to work & running errands, both daytime & after dark, driving on the freeways and back ways. A well-rewired 40+ year old truck means one less area to fail on the road.
Doug
im going to lose alot of money on this thing as it as. I wont throw another 600 in on top of it. if i were planning on keeping it i could see it but im not. i want to do it "right" or as "right" as possible with what i have or can get cheaply anyway. I have been doing nothing but repairing P/O's half assed build I dont wanna give the next guy headaches from what i did. next guy wont hate me like i hate the guy that built it. lmao
iceman, if you could post some info of what needs done i sure would like to get rid of the rats nest in there.
do you guys think i should stay with the custom cab dash? i could probably refinish the metal one and have it look nice. ill post pics of what im working with sometime tonight.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
also... a big problem is the column. im thinking its not the original one as its been modified and the wiring diagrams i have dont match it. (1964 diagram 1965 truck thats pieced together)
ill post pics of whats going on in there and maybe get a plan going.
after i get the wiring straight im not getting talked down from my price too much. lmao
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
My apologies - but it was not clear from your original post that you didn't plan on keeping the truck. Of course that would change everything.
I started to replace wires one at a time before getting fed up and yoinking the whole damn mess. It's no fun and the seller would not be impressed.
I have the schematics left over from my project if you want copies. I'd offer you the old harness free, but most of the unique connectors are already gone.
Sounds like the easiest (and cheapest) would be to use the standard metal dash cluster and the good harness. No mods necessary and you have the parts.
Older American made vehicles use a standard speedometer cable speed of 1000 rpm at 60 mph. The speedometer cable also turns in a counter clockwise direction. So...To check out a speedometer I do the following.
Take your reversing drill motor and check the max rpm of the drill. Most are in the 1,000 to 1,200 rpm range. Find a piece of old speedo cable, 4"-6", with the square end intact. I have also used a 16 penny nail, with the head cut off. Chuck the round end in the drill, put the square end in the speedo and turn on the drill, full speed. Make sure the drill is in reverse.
If you have a 1,000 rpm drill your speedometer should read 60 mph. A 1,200 rpm drill will spin the speedo to 72 mph (1.2 X 60). Vary the speed to see if the speedo works smooth. If this all checks out, the speedo head is in decent shape.
Hope this helps.
no need to apologize doug im just trying to sell and not having any luck. rather than drop my price i am trying to get it street legal and try to get what i want out of it. im still taking a loss but it will get me where i want to be.
ill try that drill thing tomorrow. I took the metal one apart and intend to blast the bezel tomorrow and get it ready to paint. i washed the lens and wiped the face of the speedometer down and it cleaned up pretty well. after i clean the terminals on the back ill start testing to see if they work.
today i got caught up with the 351w so i didnt get pics of the steering column. maybe tomorrow seeing as how the shortblock is finished and we are waiting on the heads.
cant wait to post that. it looks good if i say so myself.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
i forgot to ask... is the CC dash really that big of a deal? I kinda like the look of the standard. IMO it looks like an old truck and the CC dash is more modern looking. I kinda dig that.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
only reason i used the cc dash in my towtruck was because all my other slicks are metal and i had to have just one different. i had collected several and the outer oil and alt gauges too so i painted one up with rusty oleum chrome paint and used it.
mines modded the same way with the extras off to the sides. I have one that isnt cut but its chipped and cracked. I have been thinking of trying to repair it but im not sure I could do it very well.
being thats its already broken i couldnt hurt it any, right?
BTW the CC dash looks good like that.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
ok the brake lights work and the tail lights work. they light up and blink and all that... now we need to figure out how to make them do it like they are supposed to.
the fuel gauge from the standard dash works the temp gauge doesnt seem to want to. I need to clean the terminals a bit more before i give up.
the 9v and a bit of wire works very well though i have yet to do the drill thing yet.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
ok i think ill probably stay with the CC and patch up the wiring thats there. we got the lights to light up last night so its just a matter of figuring out how to make them light up on command from the switches. and get all the dashlights and gauges to work... the engine harness is getting cleaned up and updated as well as the alternator. the PO hacked in a GM alternator.
Being stroked is nice, but I would rather be blown!
