Help with cluster swap idiots to full

[Dale99]

I'm working on my dads 67 that was base model with idiots, and grabbed a cluster out of a parts truck we had.

I've found a thread from about 1.5years ago with typed pinout, plus link to one of the parts suppliers that had diagrams.

On pin 12 blk/brn, it says terminal by battery with 4amp fuse. I am assuming this is to be hot all the time?

If so, its making pin 1 hot all the time which is the trigger to the regulator correct?

Is this suppose to be that way?

[ray_mcavoy]

Pins #1 and #12 on the cluster plug are both for the "BATTERY" gauge (ammeter) and are both hot all the time. It's basically an external shunt type ammeter that simply makes use of the pre-existing charging system wire as it's shunt.

Pin #1 is the "battery side" of the circuit and originally used a black wire with a white stripe. The wire from pin #1 should run out to a 4amp inline fuse that connects to the pre-existing junction block that should be on the passenger side fender near the battery.

Pin #12 is the "alternator side" of the circuit and originally used a black wire. The wire from pin #12 should run out to a second 4amp inline fuse that connects to the pre-existing factory splice inside the wiring harness near the voltage regulator. You'll have to un-tape the harness to look for the spot where 4 red wires are spliced together.

Both of those wires need to pass through the firewall bulkhead connector. This connector uses Packard/Delphi 56-series terminals and the necessary cavities should already be empty on a truck that was originally equipped with warning lights.

The brown wire that you'll be removing from pin #8 of the cluster plug used to operate the "GEN" light and was part of the "trigger" or "exciter" circuit for the alternator. You can just tape this off and leave it unused because the harness also contains a 10Ω resistance wire that will provide the initial excitation current to the alternator.

[Dale99]

ok, 1 and 12 is backwards from the diagram I have. I have 12 at batt, and 1 is the brown wire to the regulator, which your saying needs to lay dead and wire into a different pin on the regulator?

[ray_mcavoy]

Oops, your diagram is correct ... my post above has the #1 & #12 connections backwards

It should read:

Pin #1 is the "alternator side" and originally used a black wire with a white stripe. The wire from pin #1 should run out to a 4amp inline fuse that connects to the pre-existing factory splice in the wiring harness near the voltage regulator.

Pin #12 is the "battery side" and originally used a black wire. The wire from pin #12 should run out to a second 4amp inline fuse that connects to the pre-existing junction block on the passenger side fender near the battery.

Accidentally reversing these two wires/connections won't harm the meter but it will make it read backwards (showing charge when it's supposed to be showing discharge and vice versa).


The brown wire that comes from the voltage regulator was originally connected to pin #8 of the warning light cluster and operated the GEN light. When converting to gauges, all you have to do is extract this wire/terminal from the cluster plug and tape up the end so it won't short out on anything. This wire doesn't get connected to the ammeter or anything else on the gauge type cluster.

The wiring harness already contains a 10Ω resistance wire that will provide the initial excitation current to the alternator. So you don't have to do anything special to replace the missing "GEN" light. And you don't have to make any changes to the wiring on the voltage regulator.

[Dale99]

ok, we got it backwoods rigged tonight and made it work. Its to be much nicer plus day light tomm so we can clean it up and do it right then.

Thanks!