Gauge Cluster Issue / Replacement

[bcoke]

My 72 K5 has had a ton of electrical gremlins ever since I got it 6 years ago. The previous owner did a lot of custom wiring (speakers in the door, remote locking, not to mention the engine swap) so it’s a rats nest of wires under the dash.

Yesterday I started the process of what I’m guessing will end up being rewiring the whole truck, and I took off the gauge cluster to get better access. The gauges haven’t been super accurate - mileage is maxed out, speedo is all over the place, I don’t trust the fuel gauge. Plus when I took it off there was some rattling inside the housing.

I thought this would be a good time to replace it with modern gauges that look classic, but as I looked around it seemed like the going rate for anything decent (Dakota digital / classic instruments) was $1000. Cheapest I could find was $400, but that had a lot of bad reviews saying it stopped working.

1. Am I missing anything? Any ideas on where to get solid restomod gauge cluster replacements besides those two places I listed and googling around?

2. Anyone know how I could repair my current cluster or who I could send it to for repair? (I’m in TX)

3. Not having accurate gauges isn’t the end of the world - I definitely need to prioritize having the engine turn over reliably haha so is there any downside to leaving it as is while I get the wiring sorted out? I figure I can always replace it down the road without too wiring hassle again…

[hemi43]

You get what you pay for, and purchasing my Dakota Digital gauge cluster was one of the best things I did.

[jaros44sr]

I would start with a new harness from M&H, great customer service, and answered all my dumb questions

Plug and play,some of you gauge problems may clear up, and you won't have to worry about an electrical fire

Nothing wrong with the stock gauges and there are forums members to service them.T bone comes to mind, but there are others

[DeadheadNM]

Keep it simple. I’d put some elbow grease into cleaning the OEM cluster. It’s possible that the issues w cluster are upstream from the gauges. For example maybe the speedo cable needs a clean and lube, needs replacing, is loose at one end, or not seated well at the t-case. If the fuel gauge is off it might be the sending unit.