Modern gauge conversion, 70-81 Firebird...Help!

[ALLACTIONMAN]

70-81 Firebird...who's done the autometer guage swap?
Sizes that fit w/out mod's, wiring tips, hack the panel?, sending units?
Thx,
Todd

[Martin71RS]

won't be much different from my 71 Camaro....
on my page I have pics of the dash build and a wiring diagram
www.pro-touring.nl
just go through the pages and you will find it (also gauge sizes are mentioned)

Martin

[ALLACTIONMAN]

hmmm, your dash isn't flat though & I thought, it's been a while, that the gauges were different sizes...no?

[Martin71RS]

I have 3 3/8" speedo 160mhp, 3 3/8" tacho 10.000rpm, 2 1/16" fuel , volt, oil pressure and water temperature meter and added a 2 1/16"boost/vacuum gauge a while back. I made the dash panel from aluminum plate and bend it into the proper shape.










Martin

[ALLACTIONMAN]

Wow, thank you very much for taking the time to post those pix!
Nice...
I was thinking about using my factory woodgrain dash panel & hoping not to have to hack it up (much).
I may have to go your route if no one else bucks up w/a success story.
Thank you again,
Todd

[Bandit]

The 5" electrical speedo and tach fit into my '80 dash perfectly. As far as I know, your dash has identical dimensions. I used my dremel with cutoff wheel to trim about 1/2" of material all the way around the stock holes. The autometers fill out the dash very nicely. Casual observers don't realize they're not stock! Here's the finished product.



The only fitment issue I had was a small area of the plastic molding behind the dash plate on the right side that had to be trimmed a little because the autometers have a fatter backside sticking through the dash than the factory gauge cluster had. Again, just a little trimming with the dremel fixed it.
The wiring isn't complicated, you want to use a test light to locate your dash lighting, and splice the new lights into it. speedo hookup is easy. For the tach, if you already have a factory tach it's simple, just clip the factory harness off and crimp on female spade connectors to slide onto the autometer contacts. I used a common point on the metal under the dash to bolt all the ground wires to. (Each light bulb in each gauge has its own ground, as well as each gauge itself.)

Question--do you have small gauges or extra vent holes in your dash? These make prime locations to mount your voltmeter, oil pressure and temp gauges. If not, a holesaw would do the trick nicely.

It's difficult to explain everything without pics, but it's pretty straightforward. The pics from Martin71 should give you some ideas for the wiring.

Notice on my dash I have the oil press. and temp gauges installed in the dash as well, the temp gauge (far right) is installed in the factory hole where one of the dash vents used to be. Notice I don't have a full set of Autometers yet (I'm too poor), but upgrading to them will be a snap. I am using mechanical senders on the motor for the press. and temp gauges, with the oil tube and wire, respectively, running through a hole in the firewall under the dash.

Hope this helps--Any more specific questions, let me know!

[ALLACTIONMAN]

did you have to cut the panel for the small gauges as well?

[MrQuick]

my favorite layout. If the guages on the right where angled in abit with auto meter half moons, it would have been perfect.

[ALLACTIONMAN]

Progress!

[Bandit]

did you have to cut the panel for the small gauges as well?

Nope, the 2 1/16" gauges slid right in the holes.

Paul

[ALLACTIONMAN]

cool, anyone else...good, bad or ugly???
thx