Gauge Panel

[Maximus]

I picked up a gauge panel from a wrecked 94 Blazer I took in.Its the same as mine except mine only registers 85 and this one registers 110.The speedometer seems to be stuck on 85 but I have not plugged it in to check it yet.Has anyone done a first gen panel swap to one with a different speedometer.Might save me some trouble before I pull mine out.

[T Man]

Should be plug and play. I know that some of the earlier ones were mechanical (mine included) that is why I cant run the digital one (i know they break easily, but I still like the way they look)

[Maximus]

Mine is a 93 and the Blazer is a 94 which is still basically the same as mine being on the first gen platform.The plug is the same and everything else is the same and in the same spot.Except the speedo is 110 instead of 85.My batteries in my digi cam are dead or I would take pics.I guess I will find out real soon.

[Tink]

As T man said, should be plug and play... I swapped the digital out of my blazer for an analog gauge cluster and the speedo reads correct.

You said that the speedometer seems to be stuck on 85? If you rotate the cluster around, the needle doesn't move? Could be that the needle is bent or something... especially if the truck you got it from was wrecked. It is pretty easy to take apart and fix if so and you could use the needle from your other cluster if necessary.

[T Man]

Is your cluster out of a bravada? I know those go up to 110, i was thinking about running one of those in my truck, but someone along the way told me it wouldnt work. it was a92, i have an 87. What do you think Tink? (because i know where a wrecked bravada is!)

[Tink]

If you have an 87, then you have a cable speedometer... in 89 they changed to electronic speedo. It wouldn't work unless you changed over to an electronic speedometer... meaning all the wiring and the tailshaft for the tranny... I need to check on that... I am not sure all that is different on the tailshaft.

[T Man]

My 700 R4 that will go into my small block swap is out of a 93

[Tink]

Go get it then! :)

[T Man]

what will I need to do to make it work though?

[j894]

It'll work, I changed my '93 from the 85 to the 110.

I still have mine 85mph cluster its stuck as zero, as long
as the power is off i guess?

But the one I sold recently flopped around, yet it worked perfectly.

[Tink]

Just make sure you get the connector and as much of the wiring as possible. I think I could only get about 3" of the wiring from the sunbird when I pulled that cluster...

What cluster do you have now? Is it full gauges? I have the pin-out for the connector for an 89 and up gauge cluster and the 88 and back full gauge cluster w/ tach at home. I can type them up and post them... actually, I think I have the pin-out for the non-guage cluster too...

[T Man]

i have full guauges, volts, oil, and temp with a gas gauge, and a speedo.

[Tink]

I did some pondering on the way home and I am wondering what reads the VSS to send signal to the speedo... the ECM? Sparky would probably know... But, that may determine whether you could go to the electronic speedo in the 110mph cluster.

[T Man]

When I pulled the guage cluster off a while ago, there was the cable that goes to the speedo, and what looked to be a small electronic eye that was placed to "watch" the spinning counterweights on the speedo needle. i would assume this is some sort of primitve version of a VSS, but what the hell is it really?

[j894]

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1537320

[Maximus]

An Error Occurred

[fastSdime]

Yep that would be what I got too..

[Sparky2263]

T Man, what you have is the first VSS, 80-87. The next ones went through the infamous VSS buffer. That's the little white box attached to the ECM on 88 and up. When they switched to the VCM the VSS signal goes straight to it.

[j894]

whops link got cut off, fixed now

[Tink]

T Man, what you have is the first VSS, 80-87. The next ones went through the infamous VSS buffer. That's the little white box attached to the ECM on 88 and up. When they switched to the VCM the VSS signal goes straight to it.

So, I am assuming that has nothing to do with the cable speedo working, only sends info to the computer for fuel curves and what not? If I'm running the drivetrain from a 76, would I need that or can I just attach the cable to the 86 S10 cable speedo?


Now for T man, are you running a computer for your 383?

[Sparky2263]

Tink, the only thing the early VSS was used for is cruise control. It didn't affect fuel calculations or provide for a speed limiter. The pulses per minute were much too slow. If memory serves they were a few hundred pulses per mile and the later ones are a few thousand pulses per mile.

Although if the speedo cable broke it would set a VSS code.