Dash Cluster Removal, Safe or No ??

SuperCoupeSC91

Registered User
I'm in the process of making a custom front dash faceplate, i modified my stock one with dremel and plastic to make new spots up close for all my gauges, relocating stereo at the bottom console and makeing flat panel for gauges where the VMM and stereo is and i would like to pull out the stock gauge cluster, but will this affect anything ? i have new gauges, and some on order waiting to come in and still need a couple, but i hope i can just remove the whole cluster without affecting anything, i have a feeling i can but not 100 % sure ??? also anyone know if i can tap into the computer or use the cables that attach the cluster to make my own LED's for liek the Check Engine, ABS light etc ??? Thanks Alex LaChance

What i have/getting (a nice amount of gauges..)

Autometer Ultra-lite Pro-Comp Silver Face Electrical Gauges,

5" - 160 MPH Speedo - (ordering friday)
5" - 9000 RPM w/ shift lite - (have)
2" 1/16 - Water Temp - (have)
2" 1/16 - Boost gauge - (have in mechanical but want to sell and buy electrical one)
2" 1/16 - Air/Fuel Gauge (for passangers side 02) - (have)
2" 1/16 - Air/Fuel Gauge (for drivers side 02) - (have)
2" 1/16 - Nitrous Gauge - (have to wait a little bit)
2" 1/16 - Voltage Gauge - (ordering friday)
2" 1/16 - Oil Pressure - (have)
2" 1/16 - Water Temp - (have)
2" 1/16 - Fuel Pressure - (have)
2" 1/16 - Fuel Level (not sure yet, if i go with a fuel cell i dont know if i can use it, or if i need a different one)

wanted the clock gauge also, but no more room..
 
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oops, ment to say "if i can use LED's to make a cuircut with the Cluster cables for the Check Engine, ABS light etc ...
 
Did you know that the the speedo is electric in these cars?
Might want to contact the gauge mfg to see if an aftermarket speedo would work with the stock speedsensor.
I dont know what to tell you for sure, but I'm VERY interested in your project. I am in the planning stages of doin a custom gauge cluster as well, layed out much different than yours but I'm going to have to deal with the same issues as you.
You can use LED's for the indicator lights you mentioned, but you will have to drop the voltage to them with resistors. No big deal.
I'm more concerned with what I'm going to do about the speedo.
I'd like for it to work with the stock speed sensor.
Do you know if it would work?
 
Not sure about these cars, but on my '00 Dakota, I was able to start the truck and rive it a short distance with the guage cluster removed. Didn't seem to affect the performance any, just had no clue how fast I was going, or if there was anything wrong with truck.
 
Yeah it looks to me so far that the gauge wiring is standalone from the Computer, so it doesnt matter if the cluster is there or not.
This is starting to look like its going to be easier than I thought.(dreaded) Now if that stock speed sensor will work with an aftermarket speedo I'll have the hardest part figured out.
 
already contacted Autometer about speedo

they said i can use the VSS and also just tap into the ECM at pin number # 3 (Dark Green/White Stripe) i guess you need 2 wires and the rest are comon positive and negative and also a positive that goes on with the key is forward, also i have LED's at my work with resistors built in, underneith the LED in little casing so i'll be fine with it, but thanks (i'm an Electronics Tech at work) but if i wasnt that info would of been good....they also have wire diagrams at autometer.com if anyone wants to look...Alex..
 
Yeah I see......The only gauge that interacts with the computer is the speedo because the computer needs that info to set engine parimeters. Thanks man...good talk. :)
 
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I belive this is all you need for wiring for gauge,

1 Ground (-) for the gauge
1 Ground (-) for the gauge light
1 Power (+) (not Constant) for gauge
1 Power (+) (not Constant) for gauge light
1 ECM wire for gauge (ECM pin #3, Dark Green/White Stripe)
1 VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) wire for gauge (not sure on where to get it from yet, gotta call back autometer to see if i can tap into the ECM, i want inside easy wiring installation)
 
Thanks for the info.
I'de be interested in what you find out from Autometer.
I like you want this to very clean looking and proffessional,
I'm not havin a hatchet job on this.
I like the LED idea because they are much more reliable than light bulbs.
 
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will post what i get from autometer as soon as i call, also yeah the LED's are much more reliable then light bulbs, i didnt even think of it like that, i just thought it would be alot easier and cheaper for me to get LED's...I was watching HSN Home shopping network and i seen an LED flashlight, my first time seeing one, they said all kinds of good things about it, liek it was really brite, i believe it had a few LED's, and barely used up much power, and was much more durable and lasted way longer than the bulb flashlights...like the new age of lighting...i thought it was pretty cool..hehe...i cant wait to see some home LED's to replace now our household bulbs, only thing is they would need a full bridge recitifier to do so....just my future guess....hehe....Alex..
 
I've got some Laser LED's I've been playing with since I been building computers for something to do lately. Theres a nice selection of colors and there cheap plus there bright enough to be plainly seen in full sunlight. I'm really excited about all this.
The big thing about it to me is the long life and durability so I dont have to wonder if my light bulb is burned out or not on an indicator light.
I'm gonna make this car more dependable and easier to work on one way or another.
 
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yeah also, i probably wont go with the LED's from work, since you mentioned about brightness, ours at work arent bright, but i'll get some like these at the link below, and just use a resistor i guess...i'm going to search the web for cheapest LED's like hyper brite or superbright LED's...

http://www.superbrightleds.com/leds.htm
 
Yeah those are the ones. I get electronic parts from these guy's
www.partsexpress.com They have a good selection of parts with pretty good prices. You can hook up a little photo sensor that would tone down the brightness at night automaticaly.
 
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just finished relocating stereo to right near ashtray, dremmeled out the old cd player and vmm holder, painted my new front dash faceplate, still have to a couple coats on it, then clear coat it, and i also modified the top sterring console cover a little to see the bottom my gauges that will be right in the front..
 
Thats interesting. The one thing I havent taken apart on my SC is the dash, in general I hate dash work but I'm gonna have to do something.
Does that whole panel come out in 1 piece like you have it there?
Is it hard to get it out? This is something I need to start planing out because I have alittle more body prep work to do then I'll be blowing paint. Once I have that done I'll start reassembling the car. My car is completely stripped right now, its just the unibody and the dash. I have new door hinges that I want to install but I didnt want to remove the dash to install the upper ones so I talked myself out of doing the top ones. What the hell, might as well do it right and install the new uppers also. I've gone this far, it would be shame at this point for the dash to be the only thing that has not been removed.
Got any pointers for me?
Are the parts bad about breaking as you disassemble it?:confused:
 
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the front black dash bezel plastic piece isnt to hard to remove, but becarefull on the lower clips for the black housing that goes around your gauges, theres 2 screws under neith on the top part, thats moslty the top, then the bottom piece you gotta you gotta pull it out towards you, look underneith as your pulling on it and you'll see the plastic clips you gotta pull it out of before you lift it up, the lower middle black plastic piece might be bending on the sterring colum but dont worry its ok it shouldnt break, its kinda a pita, i pulled my first one (broke 1 clip) up on the left side that kept it tight to the dash, that sucked, but i got another one now anyways, i just also dremeled out that whole black box that holds the vmm and stereo in, thats a sperate box, glue and a couple molded plastic corners hold it in, and had a screw in the middle and i just drememled the crap out out of it and pulled it out, that was a PITA also.. but...that my advice..hope it helps..
 
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