Aftermarket (even mechanical) gauges into STOCK cluster!!!

[DrSlug]

Argh, well reinstalled my cluster today with the mechanical gauges this time, and cant work out why the temp gauge doesnt work. I was so careful with the cable, so I know for certain I havent damaged it by bending too much. Any suggestion why it wouldnt be working? I did try to put the sensor in a bowl of hot water to see if that would give me a reading, nothing.

Might have to pop the electrical temp gauge in instead, what a bugger!

 

[amaurer]

Argh, well reinstalled my cluster today with the mechanical gauges this time, and cant work out why the temp gauge doesnt work. I was so careful with the cable, so I know for certain I havent damaged it by bending too much. Any suggestion why it wouldnt be working? I did try to put the sensor in a bowl of hot water to see if that would give me a reading, nothing.

Might have to pop the electrical temp gauge in instead, what a bugger!

Ouch, sorry to hear that. I have to confess that I personally buggered a temp gauge trying to install it in my friends truck, it happens to the best of us.

I never figured out how I did it honestly, I thought I was being super careful as well. It you happen to notice a sweet, not all together unpleasant, smell while you were working with it? I've determined the magic smoke in that tube smells quite nice when it sneaks out.

The replacement gauge is an Autometer 2361, but they really gouge you on the price compared to the 3-pack. I'll check the garage and see if I have a spare temp gauge laying around.

 

[PabloCruise]

That is some nice customer service!

 

[amaurer]

That is some nice customer service!

Don't speak too soon - I'm all out

Musta used the last one to cover my own f*up.

 

[Seth_O]

Thats exactly the idea, but somehow worked into the original speedo face. I've got some parts on the way to try things out - its a tough chore though, there isn't much free real estate on the stock face.

Any update on the speedo/tach combo? I need to redo my gauges (oil and temp don't work) and have already decided this is the route I want to go, but would like to add a tach at the same time.

 

[amaurer]

Any update on the speedo/tach combo? I need to redo my gauges (oil and temp don't work) and have already decided this is the route I want to go, but would like to add a tach at the same time.

No update, I'm afraid, and honestly it'll be a while yet. Pesky life/career have gotten in the way of my R&D efforts .

That said, if I can get the paint color nailed down, I'll have reproduction OEM tacho bezels with aftermarket gasser tachs available sometime before year end, though this will require the ever-unpopular cutting of the dash.

 

[jaymundy]

Got my kit the other day. VERY nice! One question though: Do you have a pin-out diagram for the wire cluster? I couldn't locate one in the instructions.

Cheers!
J

 

[amaurer]

Got my kit the other day. VERY nice! One question though: Do you have a pin-out diagram for the wire cluster? I couldn't locate one in the instructions.

Cheers!
J

I'm not sure I know exactly what you mean... the barrel connector?

 

[joemck7]

I just received/installed just the EL wire kit from Drew. Directions were fantastic, disassembly/assembly was very straight forward. The light is AMAZING. Definitely NOT too bright at night and the dimmer control on my 75' works great.

Drew, I honestly think that if you sold the kit with 2 "no solder" wire taps and a mini-tube of cement, you could sell this for $40 in a heartbeat. It is really that good. I also feel great because the cement I used holds tight but can easily be taken off with some mild chemical so the upgrades on my OEM cruiser are still "bolt-on" in my opinion. While I had the cluster apart I painted the needles back to orange...who knew they werent supposed to be faded yellow?

I think I may start taking the cruiser out at night just so I can SEE how fast I am going

Thanks Drew!

 

[Turbo45]

amaurer THOSE LOOK TOTALLY RAD
GOOD WORK !!!!

 

[chicago]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks brotha!

I appreciate it!

Keith

 

[Volcano cruiser]

I prefer the stock look, and think I know what you are trying to create. Given the limited real estate though, you could always come up with something like this.
IH8MUD.com - View Single Post - FZJ40
Seems like you could CNC a face plate to have similar edge profiles to the factory one, but give you a little better configuration. As long as it isn't just a bunch of round holes like most of the aftermarket gauge deals, it would be pretty sweet. I think the key is a custom face plate with screen printing on it instead of using the autometer faces themselves. I actually like what Lance has done, but you are after the tach as well.....I'm interested to see what you come up with.

Drew,
x2 on rutber's lead on the one off cluster that Lance did in his 80/40 project. It occupies the stock space very nicely. It is kind of subtle, doesn't shock the eye. One of the things that I liked from the beginning about his solution is that I wouldn't lose one of the coolest features of my cluster, the speedo in both KPH and MPH. Dude if you can pull this off as you have with each of your past projects you will solidify for quite sometime your electronic craftmanship demi-god status.
John

 

[PabloCruise]

Drew,
x2 on rutber's lead on the one off cluster that Lance did in his 80/40 project. It occupies the stock space very nicely. It is kind of subtle, doesn't shock the eye. One of the things that I liked from the beginning about his solution is that I wouldn't lose one of the coolest features of my cluster, the speedo in both KPH and MPH. Dude if you can pull this off as you have with each of your past projects you will solidify for quite sometime your electronic craftmanship demi-god status.
John

That is cool!

 

[DrSlug]

Any luck with the Tacho Drew?

 

[amaurer]

Any luck with the Tacho Drew?

There just might be a box of parts en route to me right now for some experimentin'.......

 

[jaymundy]

Amaurer

Got the cluster all assembled and installed. But I can't get the oil pressure sending unit in. The engine mount is right by the oil pressure port, and the sending unit bangs on the engine mount bolt when I try to line it up. Any thoughts? Do you know if there's a "low profile" sending unit or have you looked at relocating the sending unit using hoses?

Thanks also for the pin - out. Very helpful!
Jay

 

[amaurer]

I haven't personally installed the senders on all variations of 40-series, so thats a new one to me, thanks for blazing the trail.

I take it you're trying to put the new sender right where the stock sender used to go? Try looking around on the side of the block, I believe there are some small plugs blocking unused ports (or post a pic, lets see what we can see). Otherwise, I'd probably run to the hardware store and get a 1/8" NPT brass elbow plus a couple of 1" pipe nipples and just install the sender vertically, or to the side, or however it fits. The sender for those oil pressure gauges is kinda huge.

 

[jaymundy]

The hardware store here in Kenya is an adventure, at best. I found a small kit with some tubing and adaptors that Autometer sells and ordered that, and a friend is bringing it out in a couple weeks. I'll look around for another plug, as well. Yep, the sender is enormous. I'm probably going to run the tubing to somewhere I can secure that sender unit very strongly. I'm anticipating lots of vibration from both the engine and the roads and I don't want it snapping off.

Oh, and a thought...you might consider adding the adapter for NPT to BSPT as part of the kit since it's pretty much a given it'll be needed. I had a really hard time locating one.

 

[amaurer]

Ah, point taken.

If you go with tubing be careful what type you choose. I've found that engine oil saturates and softens conventional rubber hose, I certainly wouldn't want to use it in a pressurized application.

Do check for unused ports. I don't have an F motor around to look at, but a 3B has no less than three plugged holes right next to the stock sender.

 

[jaymundy]

I got the copper tubing, sorry, should have said. Oil saturation shouldn't be a problem. I'll definitely look for other ports. I didn't know there were others....just lack of paying attention on my part.