Hey guys,
I really need your help. I'm currently trying to restore my dash, all I have in it right now is a fuel guage and a speedometer, which happens to be 15 miles slow as well. I was hoping to completely redo it, put some round guages in it, but I didn't know where to start. I saw some guages I liked in a Summit catalog, I was hoping to put a speedo, oil, fuel, water pressure, and tach in it. I just don't know what my first step should be, I have no idea how to start a new dash, I saw some universal fit clusters for guages, but I'm not sure how to work with them. If anyone can help me out I would be very grateful, I'm at a standstill. Here is a picture of my dash currently to give you an idea of what I'm working with.
http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?set_albumName=My-79&id=P5210010&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Thanks,
Miguel

check out Aaron's int 4 sale (http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10753). Does that help?

I personally don't care for guages helter-skelter across the dashboard, it looks disfunctional and kinda mickey-mouse. I like 'em right in front of me where they belong.
http://elcaminocentral.com/albums/Mrapii-1979-El-Camino/IMGS0003.jpg

mrappi,

Love your guage cluster, a couple questions about it though.

how did you deal with the flex circuit board on the back and the instllation of your new cluster, are you using any of the connections or what?

So should I weld my own dash, or what? I'd like to see how I could use the dash inserts I saw from Summit, but I have no idea of what to do with them, or how to even start. They're Billet dash inserts. If anyone can tell me where to start I'd appreciate it.

hey, i have the same problem, and when i went to the junkyard and asked him if he could find out if other junkyards had any-thing. he typed it in his comptuer and he found a junkyard 50mi that had it. i found a dash and round gauges with a tach for $200 and its mint, so give that a try. good luck.

GoGoPwr, I dumped the printed circuit and made my own mini instrument harness. I also dumped that mickey-mouse multi connector and used two wire multi connectors to hook up the car wiring with my mini harness.

can you give me any more details on that, pictures, or what wires are needed to carry some of the other signals for check engine light and such.

I guess I have a wiring diagram and can try to decifer that, but was afraid given the ecm, what is and isn't necessary for it to operate correctly.

In terms of guages, did you use mechanical, electrical, air/vacuum

Thanks for your input as always.

Sorry, I didn't take any more pictures. The two little lites on the top are for the turn signals, I left the high beam and check engine lites in that little panel on the right. You will need a wiring diagram to make the connections between the original OEM harness and the new guages. As I said before I used a couple of connectors that I got from Radio Shack to make the guage panel easily removable. I wasn't sure when I began this project that my goal of getting all six guages into that small panel was possible so I ordered that $225 guage package from Dolphin instead of $500 worth of Auto Meter guages but the Dolphin guages are great and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. Use new sending units (except the fuel unit) but all the OEM wiring can be used. The trickiest part was the speedo cable; I ended up making a little bracket that held the cable end steady so the speedo lined up when I installed the guage panel. Also I would recess the panel another inch or two to prevent some windshield reflections at nite. Good luck!