interchanging gauge clusters NEED HELP QUICK

[original balzer]

My 77 has the regular gauges, theres a mid 70's gmc out back that has the factory tach dash.

will it be nearly plug and play or is the whole wiring harness differnt? I need to know quick cuz I gave the other truck away but have a little time to swap gauges if its as simple as remove and replace.

Thanks in advance.

Oh by the way the person I gave it too wouldnt know the differnce so its not morally wrong.

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

Someone on here had a good thread on clusters (dyeager535 I think) From what I have read they are not quite plug and play but that you can rearrange the pinout of the harness plug for whatever cluster you are putting in

 

[dyeager535]

I would expect that as long as both of them are mechanical gauges (or electrical) they'd be essentially plug and play.

The tach wiring harness is separate (but you need the whole cluster), do NOT cut it, pull it out complete. You need all of it, and as "rare" (desirable?) as the tach clusters are the wiring is almost as important as the tach itself.

 

[original balzer]

Ok so I got the cluster out and the tach harness and the resistor thing in the engine bay got it all. The bad part is the oil pressure on it is electric and my 77 is mechanical. I guess I can swap mine over to electric and run aftermarket gauge in a descrete location. I have to clean it up its dirty as hell and I know I need to be EXTREMELY careful as the gauge numbers will wipe right off. I may check LMC as the white part of the cluster is very brittle.

 

[dyeager535]

All the cluster housings are essentially the same, up until about 1990 (even then external dimensions are the same). Of course mech vs. electric gauges, and tach vs. no tach were different in a few ways, however on the tach side, all the screw holes are in the pre-'90 cluster housings, so doesn't really matter what donor you get it from. Just cut the hole for the connector and done.

I don't like mech. gauges (personal preference, not trying to start something), if it were me I'd convert it over to electric oil pressure and be done with it.