Say, anybody out there have any ideas about using an 85-87 Buick or GP dash? I'm thinking the Buick offers a little more room for Auto Meter gauges. Ideas?

i have seen buick Grand National dashes installed into El Caminos so I am sure the Grand Prix or regal dashes will work as well. It all depends on what kind of look you are looking. I personally like the look of the El Camino dash over the other g-body dashes, but that's just me. -Matt

I decided on the Grand Prix style dash, actually it was out of my 83 Grand Lemans wagon(Bonneville)also found a gauge Pak for it for $7 at the pick n pull.
http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Howards-78-El-Camino-Project&id=Howard_new_dash&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

Looks a lot better than this P.O.S

http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Howards-78-El-Camino-Project&id=Howard_ugly_dash&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

I removed the GP dash intact with the whole wiring harness so it will just be plug n play for me when the car is reassmbled

Sweet, good luck with that install! Let us know how easy it is to setup and definately get some pictures posted when it's done! Good luck! -Matt

yes, post some pics.

Howard said
"I removed the GP dash intact with the whole wiring harness so it will just be plug n play for me when the car is reassmbled"

About a year ago I put a GP dash in my 5th gen. For me it was not plug and play. The GP dash has 2 separate clusters and I had to do a lots of splicing and separating of wires. The color code was the same, thank goodness. Another problem where it be GP, Regal or another El Camino is if you had idiot lights and the donor is gauges or vise verser. The swap is doable and works good and isn't real hard, but definitely was not plug and play. Maybe I did it the wrong way and unplugged at the wrong place.
L.D.

Thanks for the input.

My thoughts on the swap - the stock El Camino dash is space challenged when one plans to install Auto Meter or VDO gauges. I'm thinking the Gran Prix dash will give me the room to do that.

I do like the stock dash, but mine has serious cracks in it and paying Just Dashes 800 Georges just isn't in the plans right now.

Appreciate the input.

Buy the way, my ride is actually an 86 GMC. I'm second owner. Had a ton of miles on it, but the body was very straight, rust free. Original paint and interior.

Changes so far: ZZ4 short block with Edelbrock heads, intake, cam. Thorley Tri-y headers. Built 700R4 trans. Rebuilt stock rearend with 3:73 posi gears. Hotchkis Total Vehicle System (TVS) suspension with Edelbrock IAS shocks and Stainless Steele Corporation 4-wheel disk brakes. Tork Thrust IIs, 16x7 front and rear wearing 225/55/16 BFG KDW front and 245/50/16 BFG KDW on the rear.

Future: paint and interior this summer.

Larry

LC, I hadn't noticed you were planning on new gauges. What caught my attention was "it is plug and play".

With new gauges you will be rewiring anyway and that will make the swap simpler. It was making the stock GP gauges work is what took me a lot of figuring and head scratching. The dash physically fit good. Some of the screws that hold the dash on were at a different place, but the body had holes to accept those screws.

That GP dash has worlds of room to put all the gauges you might want. It will make a nice dash for you.
L.D.

I guess the reason I said plug and play was I kept the entire dash assembled and just unplugged the harness at the firewall fuse block, steering colum harness and door harnesses. My Elky will be down to a stripped and blasted body shell so when it does come time to reassemble I will just be plugging in the various "Sub Harnesses"...which happen to have come from the donor car along with the AC, steering colum, power windows , Engine compartment harness etc. :)

I think I'll try the Gran Prix or Gran LeMans style. I think I can fab up a new face plate to hold the Auto Meter gauges I want to use.

Thanks for all the input....

LC