64 GMC Gauge Cluster vs Chevy...

[StuckinAz]

My 64 GMC came without a gauge cluster. Does anyone know if a Chevy with bolt right up without mods?

[64GMCHorsepower]

I don't believe they will......The Chevy dash also has the keyhole to start and the pull knobs......

[StuckinAz]

I thought the mounting holes were different. Thanks.

[jonzcustomshop]

this is a crappy craigslist pic, but this is a 456 chev cluster in a big 63 gmc....

[Vernski]

Putting a chev Instrument cluster in a GMC is not a plug & play situation the pigtail plug-in is different as is the hole in the dash. Butt then again you can make anything fit anything if you have the know how. IMHO it would not be an easy thing to do, not impossible butt close to it. Good luck...Vernski

[StuckinAz]

New member. Got this GMC with a lot of parts missing. Found a few differences between it and the Chevys, from the bed mounts to the dash and leaf springs! I wanna keep the appearance close to original as possible. Seems every parts truck i find is a Chevy. This is my first 60-66. All the help is appreciated! I will be thanking everyone alot in the future because I got a "59 Apache shortbed coming up next.

[Vernski]

Hey Stuck here's a link for a refurbished GMC dash cluster they are out there but not as common. This one is a little pricey....Vernski

http://www.bowtiebits.com/store/stor...Category_ID=74

[Vernski]

Hi again Stuck here's a email address for Tony Smith he specializes in Chevy's but he may be able to find you a GMC cluster for less money, give Tony a shot...Vernski

4-5-6chevytrucks@sbcglobal.net

[Shaky]

I did this and I'm no Rocket Surgeon. Just a thought...

[jonzcustomshop]

give this site a quick once through, there is a lot of good gmc/vs chevy info on there.
http://www.6066gmcguy.org/

[Big Fenders]

Originally Posted by Shaky

I did this and I'm no Rocket Surgeon. Just a thought...

Great job with that cluster..
Bob

[StuckinAz]

Thanks for the links. I guess GMC had mostly idiot lights. Seems building my own cluster would look better...at least the gauges would match if i was to add some real gauges to it. I have to rewire the entire truck anyway. Ive seen the custom clusters on the web with good gauges. seemed a little high untill you start buying the gauges one by one. I'm a generator technician and have a full set of new 12v gauges (stewart warners) left over from a control panel i never built minus the speedo. Just didnt want to make another project out of it. We'll see...

[StuckinAz]

Shaky, that cluster looks great!

[Shaky]

Originally Posted by StuckinAz

Shaky, that cluster looks great!

These dashes are pretty easy to do this to. I just used the original frame and cut out a piece of cardboard that would bolt up to the back. Then I took my time laying out all the circles.

After that I taped the cardboard to a piece of sheet metal and hole sawed through both. A little de-burring and paint and there it is.

[StuckinAz]

Looks great. My problem is I dont have any piece of the cluster to start with, just a huge hole in my dash.

[Shaky]

That would be a problem...

Let me look in the basement...

[Shaky]

I found this in the basement. I have no idea what it came out of. I may be able to find the other gauges on the right hand side. Interested?

[StuckinAz]

according to my dash, the mounting holes are different. There are no holes on the side, only the bottom and top and I'm not sure if its shape the same. My ignition switch was also located on the truck dash not on the cluster. Hate to make a purchase to find out I was wrong. This is definitly a budget build.

i've been buying parts off a guy about 40 miles from me. he's got one and we've been emailing each other today (haggling price) on a awesome (Arizona desert) original seat and hard gas line i need this weekend...maybe he's up to letting me test fit it. it to came from a chevy. Hate to start bending the tabs on the dash and modifying cause its got fresh paint and i dont need it flaking or changing the GMC configuration. I've seen GMC original clusters and they are not easy on the eyes. They look like something out of an old dump truck. The Chevy's had alot more style.

[Captainfab]

The GMC gauge clusters are not only different in appearance but they are constructed differently. The bezel and the center are all one piece of plastic. So in order to install a custom center with aftermarket gauges you will have to cut out the center. Then you will need to secure the new center panel to the bezel. The one I did years ago, I just sandwiched it in between a front and back panel.

[chemlab]

hi, i have a 66 gmc and i'm going through this same ordeal. the chevy cluster is different and won't come close to working. i found that out with a left over 65 cluster i have (like the one pictured above) so i'm looking around and trying to decide on what to do, buy or make something.

i'm also in az, west side of town in glendale near the cards stadium and have some left over parts from both my old 65 and my current 66 if you need something.

[GMCMG]

I'm building a 64 GMC and have a 62 GMC and 66 Chevy. I am planning on making my own panel and using ISSPRO gauges. Its not just mounting holes that are different. The Chevy gauge panel measures about 18 3/4" across, and the GMC panel is about 21 3/4" at the widest points. Here's a picture of my GMC dash panel. Some idiot lights, some gauges (nothing in it right now). Looks like the PO did some dremel work to the two outside holes for some aftermarket gauges.

[StuckinAz]

Thats what I need! Its like searching for Noah's Ark.

[Vernski]

Hi Stuck this is what I did to mine, drilled out the tach & clock to match the speedo painted the background semi-gloss black. Vernski

[markeb01]

My 1960 GMC had the earlier style cluster with a metal pan that attached to the dash and a rather unimportant looking plastic cluster stuck in the center.


I cut the center out of the pan, and have made a variety of different instrument layouts before finalizing on the current design. This was the first:



I still have one remaining trimmed pan, and the first gauge layout panel, which is made of ABS plastic. I mounted this is front, with a steel back plate behind the factory pan, and used the gauge brackets to hold everything together. I don’t know for sure if this fits in the later 64 opening but assume it does. (Perhaps someone else knows if these are truly interchangeable). If it’s of any value to you I’ll be glad to send it your way for the cost of the shipping. At least if you had a rim you can make what ever panel layout you want.

Here’s what the panel looks like apart and together. Obviously it’s not the pan I used with this panel layout since part of the back pan appears in the outer two gauge holes when assembled.




The downside of the original metal pan is that it scratches the dash when removed for access, and I like to be able to take my truck apart. The final design allows the pan/rim to remain in place, while the main panel holding the gauges can be taken off by removing the 10 stainless screws in the face. The flat head screws in the rim remain untouched. On the final version the main panel is steel, and I had my son whip up an aluminum insert to somewhat mimic the design of the original cluster. Using this concept you could easily buy one of the aftermarket gauge panels and lay it over a steel main panel attached to the original metal rim in whatever configuration you prefer.

[StuckinAz]

Gentlemen-
Your clusters look great! I like the classic look. I do have a full set of Stewart Warner gauges (except speedo) and I was wanting to just build my own that i could trust. the desert can be tough during the summer and want to make sure that I have gauges that read true (and my wife could understand).