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"Hard-wiring" stock instrument cluster

Sounds like you are talking about a mechanical speedometer? Fortunately I don't have that, mine is electronic so no speedo cable. The housing is cast so different in that area, I really can't comment on whether or not the wiring would fit in the earlier ones, but I suspect yes...the printed circuit board for this speedometer takes up almost the entire area between the high beam leans casting, and the warning light casting at the bottom of the speedometer...if there is space in there to run at most 6 thin wires, it should work fine.
 
Gotcha. Yeah, I do have a mechanical speedo unfortunately. Thanks for the info, I may end up going the electronic route eventually.

All your work looks really good so far by the way. And I agree with you on the usefulness of the tach. I only occasionally glance at mine to see if I'm beating on it super hard. I'm beginning to wish I put tranny temp or even auxiliary battery volts there.


dyeager535 said:
Sounds like you are talking about a mechanical speedometer? Fortunately I don't have that, mine is electronic so no speedo cable. The housing is cast so different in that area, I really can't comment on whether or not the wiring would fit in the earlier ones, but I suspect yes...the printed circuit board for this speedometer takes up almost the entire area between the high beam leans casting, and the warning light casting at the bottom of the speedometer...if there is space in there to run at most 6 thin wires, it should work fine.
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I don't think you would regret the electric speedo. No more speedometer cable is a big thing for me, and gear/tire changes are compensated for with some easy soldering, which isn't an issue for me, but is for some. It was still easy to set it up for my combo though, as opposed to changing speedo gears, ratio adapters, etc.

Being an '89, already an NP241 case, right? Finding the right parts off a '90/91 to run VSS would be quite easy. And would have all the rest of the parts needed (DRAC, cluster) to do the whole swap. :)
 
Bringing this back up as I am installing a new wiring harness and am going to hard wire the gauges in while Im at it. Problem is Ive already ditched the printed circuit and none of my other gauges have one:doah:

Any way you could post pics or describe which terminals do what on each of the gauges? I already have the fuel gauge figured out, just need oil press. water temp, and voltmeter.
 
im so happy to see someone else do things like this.:D i did my 1982 vw vanagon from bumper to bumper, it started in the dash and just grew, but i have been thinking about doing this to my k5!

thanks for the info

mike

thanks for bringing this back
 
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I agree, I like the idea of OEM gauges hardwired, keeps a stock look while adding reliability. Ill copy your idea one of these days, along with the power window mods, lol.
 
I don't have them handy in front of me, but if you can wait a couple of days, I might.

I hard-wired this cluster (which was an unknown spare) and turns out the odometer doesn't work right. If I get time in the next couple of days, I will pull it and while apart try and annotate each one.

Edit: Or, I can just look at the spare PCB I have sitting from this swap, if I can find it. :)
 
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well I don't want you to tear yours apart just to get me the info, though I do appreciate the offer. I have one more truck that has the factory gauges hooked up and unmolested I can take the cluster out of and figure it out for myself:waytogo:

Just thought you might have it drawn out somewhere handy.
 
@dyeager535, did you have evidence that no mating connector exists for the cluster harness connector?
 
Blue85 said:
@dyeager535, did you have evidence that no mating connector exists for the cluster harness connector?
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I do not. I never bothered to actually look for one, but I also never ran across that specific connector in any of the delphi/Delco reference material I could find at the time, and I definitely saw some unique stuff.

Even the old Packard(? Think that's right) connectors were used in many GM products into the 90's, that cluster connector design was the same '73-87(91) IIRC, yet I never saw anything that pointed to it being part of a family of connectors, unlike the metripacks, weatherpack, etc.

Now that I think about it, what are the terminals that design uses? I can't recall anything else that used that style of terminal (MAYBE the front floor lamp?) but usually if you can find the terminal, you'll know what family the connector is part of. Compared to all other types of connectors GM used I can think of, those are not designed like they are part of a male/female pair.
 
Maybe my question was dumb. In my time seeing PED plants and working with them on new connector designs, I didn't see anything like that. Mating with flex circuit is kind of unique. Such a connector would have simplified my current project, is all.
 
Blue85 said:
Maybe my question was dumb. In my time seeing PED plants and working with them on new connector designs, I didn't see anything like that. Mating with flex circuit is kind of unique. Such a connector would have simplified my current project, is all.
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Nah, not a dumb question. So you were just looking for something new, but of the design used by GM? Only place that has the sort of variety that I might THINK they had that connector, would be Mouser. But that can be a very long process if you don't know the connector name. The terminal count should help narrow it down. I wouldn't hold my breath, but it's always worth investigating.
 
Wes Harden said:
I can only find offered used from salvage yards
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I don't want the connector that plugs into the cluster. I want the mating side to that. So remove the cluster and plug in a connector to tap those signals without cutting up the factory harness.
 
Blue85 said:
I don't want the connector that plugs into the cluster. I want the mating side to that. So remove the cluster and plug in a connector to tap those signals without cutting up the factory harness.
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What I did with the headlights since the terminals are available. May have done the same with the cluster wiring...

Using a Dremel/burr, cut through the terminal crimps. Add whatever terminals/connector you want. If you ever wanted to go back you just do the same thing but with the factory terminal.

A fair bit of work for something that probably won't ever be reversed, but it's an option. I don't know if those terminals are available though.

I've had limited success using a jewelers screwdriver to pry the factory crimps open enough to let the wires loose. It's possible to break the crimped portion. If the terminals are still available, not a concern.

Without a matching connector, I can't envision an easy way to get past the inherent problems of the flex circuit connection unfortunately.
 
I think I'm going to solder wires to the terminals. If I ever want to go back, I just clean them up with normal desoldering methods. I think all I need is 4-7 signals, so this just sounds easier than cutting the whole connector off. The clock option probably means there's a source of unswitched power there, as well. IIRC, the 4x4 light comes in on a separate harness. The downside is that I'll have to get creative insulating the whole thing.

I think I wired resistors to both of my alternators, so I don't need any lamps in the cluster.
 
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