1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

I pulled a tach cluster from a 1981 C30 yesterday at a local LKQ U-Pull-It and later I noticed it has a trip odometer. I pay close attention to tach clusters (I seem to have a fetish for them, this is my third 1980+ tach and my second found in a self serve yard in less than 6 months.) but this is the first one I've ever seen that's original - the truck had the correct tach cluster RPO on the SPID label - that had the trip odo. I watch them on ebay all the time and again, I've never seen one with a trip odo.

What years were the trip odo available? (besides 1990-91 with the electric speedo)

Truck had delay wipers, tach and little else. I also grabbed the working delay wiper pieces for my truck.

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

I'v only seen them on the 87+ R/V trucks. I'll look in my parts books later this week.

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

gosh y cant i find one good find thow

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

I don't think they were available until later.

I wonder if this truck had it's original tach cluster replaced with a later tach cluster (which also had a trip odo).

K

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

I would bet that the speedo head had been changed. I am pretty sure the trip odo started in the 88 R/V trucks; all 88& 89 trucks would have had this, as well as 90 2wd trucks (with the speedo cable).

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

That's a possibility. And coming from yourself, I'd say it's Gospel.

Here it is when i got it home.

http://i43.tinypic.com/5y94ar.jpg

Here it is after I restored it with new needles and lens. It came from a manual trans truck and I added the OD gear selector. I also added the numbered temp gauge, before it had the C-H gauge. Not sure when GM switched over on that either.

http://i41.tinypic.com/esol07.jpg

Here's the back. Now, I've noticed newer clusters have the cable clip attached to the speedo and this one has the cable clip attached at the housing.

http://i41.tinypic.com/seuf03.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/ka1xf6.jpg

My other tach cluster that's in my truck now has the clip attached at the speedo and my original 1981 speedo would not fit due to this. I pulled it from a 1986 C3500 GMC. It does not have the trip odo.

I'm wondering what year the trip odo was first available, since my 1981 speedo didn't fit in my 1986 cluster and this one doesn't fit either.

Also, this cluster's fuel gauge has just a gas pump on it. The other says "unleaded fuel only" I'm assuming this has to do with it being from a 1 ton truck and the other being from a 1986 truck.

http://i56.tinypic.com/25f396q.jpg

This is the 1986 cluster that is now residing in my 1981 truck. It didn't have the trip odo lens, the original was super dirty and I replaced it with one from a 1991 cluster i grabbed because I eventually want to build a tach cluster with an electric speedo.

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

The hole for the VSS signal looks off to me. I think the speedo was retrofitted. Just my thought.

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

I would agree with that as well, I have only seen the trip odometer in suburbans myself

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

my 87 Canadian burb had the trip od,but no tach
and the 88 American burb had a trip od, no tach
and yup noticed the speedo clip thing switching or trying to switch late 80's to 79

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

What's up with post #6..or is it just me

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

LMAO....it aint you brother. I noticed that too.

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

Re: 1981 tach cluster with trip odo
 

90-91 were electric speedo for those who dont know .