Instrument Cluster Transplant

[RandyP]

So, I go out this evening and grab some stuff from a local suburban graveyard guy. I mainly wanted the radio and cluster bezel, but then decided to grab the entire cluster. I thought it might be nice to have a trip meter! I was not worried about the mileage, easy enough to set these old roller style odometers.

Anyways, I go to yank the speedo cable, and low and behold... there is not one. I went ahead and brought the stuff home, as the price was right. But now my question is, is there any way I can possibly use this cluster in my 87 silverado (full gauges in mine currently)? I got tired and just dropped the stuff off at the shop, I will get the speedo out tomorrow and look closer at it, but I do know the circuit board on the back appears slightly different than what I'm used to seeing.

I grabbed a few quick pictures. I'm really excited about the radio though. I do not require anything but factory, but I'm tired of tuning by turning a knob and having to constantly retune going down the road. For $10 I got the radio, antenna cabling and the external fender antenna. Just gotta dig up a black mast and I'll be set after drilling some holes.

[875.3CHEVY]

that is a electric speedo.i think youre not suppose to open those up.thats the kind i have in my truck for the ls swap.

[Jonboy]

I would try again, Randy. Those are like gold for people doing an LS swap. A cluster from 88-90 (2wd only in 90) will have a trip odometer and a cable drive for the speedo. Sell that one to someone who needs it before you disassemble it.

[Big Port Jimmy 6]

Well you could probably get one of the speed sensors out of a tbi car or truck with a 700r4, and wire it in. That speedo should take 4000 pulses per mile. It would probably take some driven and drive gear changes in the tranny to get the speed close. Seems like a good bit of work for a trip odo. Plus your cruise is driven off of a VSS in the old speedo, I am sure that would open up a whole nother can of worms. Jay

[RandyP]

Is what I figured. Oh well, I guess I'll find a new home for it. I'm going to look at an 89 burb tomorrow night to purchase as a whole. Guess I'll see what it has in it. My truck does have the 700r transmission, or so I think, but as soon as it goes poof it'll get changed to a more solid earlier piece of hardware.

I'm just doing odds and ends to try and modernize the interior a little here and there. I'm close to piecing together enough stuff to tear in to the dash again. Sad thing is we removed a junk radio and the po had hacked the dash. We got a piece from the junkyard and welded it in and I tossed in a factory radio (I like the looks of factory stuff). But now I realize I'm spoiled to a little bit more modern electronics, but am way to tight to buy a $250 aftermarket that fits the factory hole.

I was going to just take the screws off the face plate and look at that speedo closer, but now I will just leave it as a whole and go on with other stuff. I was excited too because the housing appears perfect! All the ones I've grabbed at the junkyard seem to have ears broken and/or the tab broken where the shift indicator feeds through. At least I can still use the bezel.

[Stitch]

can you post some pics of how that 1 1/2 din radio was mounted and also a pic or two of the wiring harness for the radio...thanks...

[kelsfine69]

Wow I had to go check mine. I think this is what your looking for. I pulled this from a 88-91 Burb but dont remember if it was 4x4 or not. And before any of you guys think that this is some rare 140MPH speedo...Sorry this is the Canadian version in Km/h...

[RandyP]

Originally Posted by Fat Hoe

can you post some pics of how that 1 1/2 din radio was mounted and also a pic or two of the wiring harness for the radio...thanks...

I researched it before I started looking, appears they wire up just like the normal factory decks from the era. I used these links:
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...etail/564.html 91 burb
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...etail/438.html 78-87 truck

It does appear my new deck has two extra wires, which I am guessing is for constant and ground, probably for clock/memory? I was going to get the for sure on that from a radio guru here before wiring it up.
It mounts in a square hole, and the dash had to holes with slip on U nuts that a bolt went through to help secure the front, and then the same sort of rear support bracket, just shaped a little differently. I also noticed, while trying to find a radio from a local junkyard, this radio (like a lot of GM electronics) went in to a ton of different models. Seems I was getting hits on stuff like bonneville, tornado, 6000, astro, park avenue etc.

Let me know if you need further photos or anything.

[Jonboy]

The orange is a constant 12+, and I am pretty sure the corresponding brown in that plug is a ground. In the Aftermarket harness adapters, the spot where the brown is is left blank, so it must not be absolutely necessary. The lowermost plug in the radio pictured is the power, with yellow being switched 12=, grey is illumination, and black is ground. The other two are speaker plugs. Seems like the lt. green/dark green and grey/tan are fronts, and the yellow/brown and lt. blue/dark blue are rears, but I may have the front and rear colors backwards.

[RandyP]

Yup, I'm thinking it'll be plug and play after I wire up the constant 12v and extra ground. I'm also thinking this radio will have a time display on it, which means I will probably remove the clock I just installed (factory) on the cluster. One good thing is though, since I wired that clock I'll have a very easy constant and ground wire available to wire in for the new radio. At least I was lucky and all the factory plugs were still there despite the PO having an aftermarket radio wired in, only had to fix two wires really.

I do think I'll put some new speakers in the front this time around, and then ponder doing a 6x9 swap in the rear. I know I can buy some prefab brackets to do that, but it really does not look that challenging to create my own bracket. I have a heck of a fab guy in my shop, might as well use him.

Just seems now a month after I get a new 'upgrade', I end up taking it all back apart and changing something else. I guess it's better to spend all my time on this though than to be at the bar shooting pool and drinking beer. That's what I tell the wife.

[Jim85IROC]

That brown is illumination, not ground. On the chassis side of the harness, that brown wire will test as a ground, and if you hook your radio ground to it, the radio will work, but then when you put your headlights on, bad things will happen. Ask me how I know this.

[RandyP]

Jim, thank you. Very very much. All I really know about wires is what my daddy taught me way back when. Every wire is built with smoke inside it. The trick is to never let the smoke out. I seem to almost always be able to find a way to let it out though.

So, this brown and orange wire, orange is constant power and I need to hook the brown to something that is controlled by the dimmer? Would that be the LPS connection in the fuse block?

[Jonboy]

Since the grey is illumination, do you just splice them together?

[RandyP]

Illumination probably just throws power to the face/light, the dimmer controls the brightness. Would probably be just fine not hooking up either of those wires that are 'extra', but I'd have no memory at all and the clock/face would always be full blown bright. And that'd suck at night.

I bought a parts suburban tonight, I'll be able to start tinkering on saturday with it and this radio. Be sure it works and everything before I start hacking my dash back up.