Modding My Cluster

[Igotachevyor2]

looks great

[Zoomad75]

Sweet. I've got a stock tach cluster sitting on my bench waiting for a some modification like that. It shouldn't be as much of a frankenstine as yours, but, it will need either a re-pinned connector or a couple of external circuits like yours. Now I got a little better idea of how to attack it.

[DBLSPRT68]

I must say" Bro, you've got skills and a lot of patience!" Looks great. I did something simular with my truck, although now where near as complicated. I have the same style C60 tach cluster, but I removed the air gauge and installed the quartz clock from my original cluster. I had to do a little cutting and glueing, but it turned out great and all works perfect. Here is a pic. David

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by DBLSPRT68

I must say" Bro, you've got skills and a lot of patience!" Looks great. I did something simular with my truck, although now where near as complicated. I have the same style C60 tach cluster, but I removed the air gauge and installed the quartz clock from my original cluster. I had to do a little cutting and glueing, but it turned out great and all works perfect. Here is a pic. David

Thanks Dave, You're right it was complicated to figure out. I mulled over how to do it for a few weeks until I decided on my course of action.
As it is, I've still got to figure out where to place the warning lights for the seat belt and the brake at. right now they're tucked behind the bezel......waiting..............
Dave

[Mickey_D]

Mad props to you for a job incredibly well done. Looks fantastic, so much like it was designed to be that way it's scary!!

I've got to ask, how did you make the white faces? And are the numbers see through? IE; do the dash lights show through from the back?

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by Mickey_D

Mad props to you for a job incredibly well done. Looks fantastic, so much like it was designed to be that way it's scary!!

I've got to ask, how did you make the white faces? And are the numbers see through? IE; do the dash lights show through from the back?

They are overlay decals that I purchased from www.whitegauges.net and actuallythe gauges are illuminated from the back side by 5 lamps that light up the whole inside of the cluster and is reflected onto the face of the gauges by the inside of the black front cover which on mine I painted the inside of white while the outside of it got painted the same blue as the rest of my interior

[tvblazer78]

Looks very good!!

I am trying to get my tach to work, but having no luck. I know you have talked about this before. But I need to know what goes to what. You have 3 wiers coming out back of the tach, power that is red, and two more, I know that one has to be a ground and one go's to the distributor.

Thanks,
Trav

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by DBLSPRT68

....I did something similar with my truck, although now where near as complicated. I have the same style C60 tach cluster, but I removed the air gauge and installed the quartz clock from my original cluster. I had to do a little cutting and gluing,....

Do you have any pics? This is exactly what I want to do if I can ever get all the working components gathered up.

I have the clock, and BLE 'BURBAN has been trying to help get the tach, but I haven't found a working unit yet. In the interim, Can you give details on how you did yours?

[BLE 'BURBAN]

As you look at the terminals on the back of the tach, you'll see two (2) side-by-side and a third one below. Going clock-wise from the top most terminal they hook up as follows;
12V switched power
Ground
Tach signal- Run this lead through the firewall directly to the tach lead terminal on the H.E.I. DISTRIBUTOR CAP.

I also hooked up my digital FLUKE 87 METER to the #1 plug wire and used it as a digital tach to check the reading of my in-dash tach with that of my test meter to make sure it was reading properly.
Since I had to dis-assemble the motor from the face and needle to swap it out for a good one, I had to make sure the needle was remounted in the proper position to read the same as my FLUKE did. I had to reposition it about 5 or 6 times <each time cringing and hoping I don't break the main shaft of the tach motor> to get it set right.

[tvblazer78]

Thanks Blu.. I will take a look at in the morning.

Originally Posted by BLE 'BURBAN

As you look at the terminals on the back of the tach, you'll see two (2) side-by-side and a third one below. Going clock-wise from the top most terminal they hook up as follows;
12V switched power
Ground
Tach signal- Run this lead through the firewall directly to the tach lead terminal on the H.E.I. DISTRIBUTOR CAP.

I also hooked up my digital FLUKE 87 METER to the #1 plug wire and used it as a digital tach to check the reading of my in-dash tach with that of my test meter to make sure it was reading properly.
Since I had to dis-assemble the motor from the face and needle to swap it out for a good one, I had to make sure the needle was remounted in the proper position to read the same as my FLUKE did. I had to reposition it about 5 or 6 times <each time cringing and hoping I don't break the main shaft of the tach motor> to get it set right.

[Twisted78SS]

Ttrav,

I think I have a spare cluster with a Tach. If your isn't working, I may be able to help you out.
Let me see what year it is from, and try it out again to validate it works then I 'll let you know.

[tvblazer78]

Thanks Drew...

Originally Posted by Twisted78SS

Ttrav,

I think I have a spare cluster with a Tach. If your isn't working, I may be able to help you out.
Let me see what year it is from, and try it out again to validate it works then I 'll let you know.

[DBLSPRT68]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Do you have any pics? This is exactly what I want to do if I can ever get all the working components gathered up.

I have the clock, and BLE 'BURBAN has been trying to help get the tach, but I haven't found a working unit yet. In the interim, Can you give details on how you did yours?

I don't have any pics, and did this a few years ago....If I remember right, when you remove the air guage, you have to cut out a clock mounting stud out of another cluster, and glue it into the new cluster. This will make it possible to mount the clock tight. It wasn't hard at all. Get a factory quartz clock, or have the old style converted, mine keeps perfect time. David

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Good God I am going to get in over my head again. I've been looking at the printed circuit for the back of the clusters and wondering how hard it would be to reproduce/modify them so it looks like an O.E.M. part instead of the mess of spahgetti I have now. I just have to find some self adhesive mylar sheets,tracing paper & thin sheets of copper and the hardest thing of all time & patience!!!!

[84 PUMPKIN]

QUOTE=DBLSPRT68;2511497]I don't have any pics, and did this a few years ago....If I remember right, when you remove the air guage, you have to cut out a clock mounting stud out of another cluster, and glue it into the new cluster. This will make it possible to mount the clock tight. It wasn't hard at all. Get a factory quartz clock, or have the old style converted, mine keeps perfect time. David[/QUOTE]

[DBLSPRT68]

Hey Pumpkin, I want to introduce the guy who showed me how to do this mod, and who sold the cluster to me....It still works great!!! I love it. Maybe you can help BLE Burban out of this. David

Originally Posted by 84 PUMPKIN

QUOTE=DBLSPRT68;2511497]I don't have any pics, and did this a few years ago....If I remember right, when you remove the air guage, you have to cut out a clock mounting stud out of another cluster, and glue it into the new cluster. This will make it possible to mount the clock tight. It wasn't hard at all. Get a factory quartz clock, or have the old style converted, mine keeps perfect time. David

[/QUOTE]

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by DBLSPRT68

Hey Pumpkin, I want to introduce the guy who showed me how to do this mod, and who sold the cluster to me....It still works great!!! I love it. Maybe you can help BLE Burban out of this. David

[/QUOTE]

Ok I've read and re-read this over and over and still can't make any sence out of it.....so DBLSPRT68 what is it you're trying to say?

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by DBLSPRT68

Hey Pumpkin, I want to introduce the guy who showed me how to do this mod, and who sold the cluster to me....It still works great!!! I love it. Maybe you can help BLE Burban out of this. David

[/QUOTE]

Ok I've read and re-read this over and over and still can't make any sence out of it.....so DBLSPRT68 what is it you're trying to say?

[DBLSPRT68]

BLE, the guy who is 84 pumpkin, is the one who showed me how to put my clock into a c40-60 tach cluster like ours. I bought the 80's cluster from him after he tested it, and then he wrote down how to install the clock. What I said was he is the man that knows these clusters, and you should contact him. It looks like he hasn't been to active on here for a while. I was going to suggest you buying an 80's cluster from him, which would be a plug in application. Have you got yours working right? I know the earlier tachs are a throw away item and not fixable, where as the later ones can be fixed, but with some $$$. David

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by DBLSPRT68

BLE, the guy who is 84 pumpkin, is the one who showed me how to put my clock into a c40-60 tach cluster like ours. I bought the 80's cluster from him after he tested it, and then he wrote down how to install the clock. What I said was he is the man that knows these clusters, and you should contact him. It looks like he hasn't been to active on here for a while. I was going to suggest you buying an 80's cluster from him, which would be a plug in application. Have you got yours working right? I know the earlier tachs are a throw away item and not fixable, where as the later ones can be fixed, but with some $$$. David

Ah ok pardon my stupidity LOL
But yeah I am up and running now. However I am currently trying to find the materials to manufacture my own flexible P.C. board for my cluster so it'll look a lot better on the back side of the cluster than it does now. and if it works out right and looks as good as an original I may even offer to make up replacement ones for other models as well.

[tvblazer78]

Blu,

I went out today and tryed what you said. But I need to know one more time. I do not want to burn one up. This is how it looks going clock-wise with the colors.

12V switched power-is the white one
Ground- is red
Tach signal- is black?

Thanks,
Trav

Originally Posted by BLE 'BURBAN

As you look at the terminals on the back of the tach, you'll see two (2) side-by-side and a third one below. Going clock-wise from the top most terminal they hook up as follows;
12V switched power
Ground
Tach signal- Run this lead through the firewall directly to the tach lead terminal on the H.E.I. DISTRIBUTOR CAP.

I also hooked up my digital FLUKE 87 METER to the #1 plug wire and used it as a digital tach to check the reading of my in-dash tach with that of my test meter to make sure it was reading properly.
Since I had to dis-assemble the motor from the face and needle to swap it out for a good one, I had to make sure the needle was remounted in the proper position to read the same as my FLUKE did. I had to reposition it about 5 or 6 times <each time cringing and hoping I don't break the main shaft of the tach motor> to get it set right.

[mkundo]

Great job. I have a simular task, but I'm not as talented as yourself.I would like to just have a working '74gauge panel.
Dan

[BLE 'BURBAN]

Originally Posted by tvblazer78

Blu,

I went out today and tryed what you said. But I need to know one more time. I do not want to burn one up. This is how it looks going clock-wise with the colors.

12V switched power-is the white one
Ground- is red
Tach signal- is black?

Thanks,
Trav

If you take a really close look at the back side of your cluster right where the tach terminals are at you will see the following marks on yours as well......

12V
GND
COIL
Run yor leads as I described earlier in this thread and you should have no problems.

[tvblazer78]

Wow! I look stupid now... I should have look at it a little better.

Thanks your for help Blu.

Originally Posted by BLE 'BURBAN

If you take a really close look at the back side of your cluster right where the tach terminals are at you will see the following marks on yours as well......

12V
GND
COIL
Run yor leads as I described earlier in this thread and you should have no problems.

[BLE 'BURBAN]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
NO PROBLEM TRAVIS!! It's not the sort of thing most people would expect to see. I fact, I didn't even see it until I cleaned it up!!