guage cluster wiring
guage cluster wiring I currently have a stock 96 trans am with the LT1. I'm replacing it with an LS1. Now, i understand that because the 98+ guage cluster was different, a painless harness won't work with the LT1 cluster because it is for an LS1 car. My question is, if i get a guage cluster out of say a 2000 trans am, will it fit in the same space as my current cluster? I figured the $100 for the new guages is cheaper than having my harness reworked to fit my current set up. i didn't want to order it up and have it be a different shape, size, etc...
Thanks,
Wayne
Thanks,
Wayne
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
The painless harness is not setup for any f-body cluster, it just gives you wires with gauge outputs and you wire up the gauges yourself.
The LT1 cluster can be wired up to work, but your choices are
1. Go to speartech and have him rework your LS1 harness to be a direct plug in
2. Re-work the factory LS1 harness to fit your car/cluster
3. Get a painless harness and re-work it to hook to your car/cluster
I think that it is about the same price to have speartech re-work your harness as to buy a painless.
The LT1 cluster can be wired up to work, but your choices are
1. Go to speartech and have him rework your LS1 harness to be a direct plug in
2. Re-work the factory LS1 harness to fit your car/cluster
3. Get a painless harness and re-work it to hook to your car/cluster
I think that it is about the same price to have speartech re-work your harness as to buy a painless.
guage cluster okay, I see what you mean. the thing is i don't have any harness right now, so would my best choice be to go with the painless and rig it up myself? has anybody on here done this (probably) and any writeups on it would be a great help. also, how would having a ls1 computer affect by odometer? not sure how it works, but the last body style came with the digital dash so how would I make it still work?
Thanks,
Wayne
Thanks,
Wayne
on second thought, if i got a factory harness and guage cluster out of a wrecked car, then i wouldn't have this particular wiring problem. but my question still remains, will the 2000 guages fit in the space my current ones leave behind?
Wayne
Wayne
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
You wouldn`t have the cluster hookup problem, but that would create others. If you replace the engine harness and the dash harness they will plug together, but I don`t think they would plug into the rest of the car so you would end up replacing a lot of the cars wiring.
I believe that the later cluster will bolt right up, but this is just what I have read. Hopefully some of the 4th gen guys can confirm/deny this.
I believe that the later cluster will bolt right up, but this is just what I have read. Hopefully some of the 4th gen guys can confirm/deny this.
In order to install the f-body cluster you do not necessarily have to have the complete vehicle harness. The cluster has 12v ign, cons power, ground, illumination, vss signal, oil pressure signal, mil lamp,tach signal, the volt fuel and the idiot lights are serial data. So if you provided those basic inputs to a cluster that you hardwire in and tie the serial data wire into the databus then it would all work. The only PITA would be the fuel gauge bc you will have to use the f-body sending unit in order for the pcm to interpret the fuel level signal and control the gauge correctly. So yes it would be a lot of work but it can be done and is possible without the complete interior harness.
