Islander21

Time to look for options on electric gauges for my LS2-powered 66 vert. I'd like to keep the originals but apparently converting them all to electric is cost prohibitive. I'd like to keep the look similar to the originals, certainly no digital stuff, black face for sure. I've seen some out there that look OK but have fitment issues like bezels inside the original bezels. Has anyone found a set of electric gauges that look 'classic' for the time period, fit in the original bezels without any funky stuff going on and can play with the LS2's PCM?

wolfman64

Islander21,

Check out Classic Instruments (www.classicinstruments.com) All American Tradition Series and the G/Stock Series.

Wolfman

semel1

Another option may be cable x system.
http://www.abbott-tach.com/cablex.htm

Works great on my 58 restomod with LS2. I have 2. 1 for the speedo and one for the tach. That way I was able to keep original gauges.

Corbrastang

I like the way John Z and Mecom racers gauges look in this link. Do you think you can modify a stock cluster to install something similar? I really like the way the autometer gauges look.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...-year-ics.html

Islander21

If I was doing a GS I would definitely copy JohnZ's cluster:



But mine is not a GS and I do want to keep the look as close to stock as possible. I'll look for more info and feedback on CableX. I checked the Classic Instruments site and the American Tradition gauges' diameters indicate they would be a bezel-inside-bezel deal. They do look nice, especially if you have a 63. The G/Stock series looks great but have the same problem: the outside bezel diameter is only 4.9", so the face does not fill the stock cluster opening unless the gauge is installed with its bezel - the dreaded (IMO) double-bezel scenario.

Islander21

These Stewart Warner 5" gauges look like they would work based on the stated diameters:



But their matching small gauges are 2 1/16 and they need to be 2 5/8!!! Arrgghh....

Poorhousenext

Islander,

Saw were you are looking at using T5 transmission. I've never checked out trans to see if it supported use of mechanical cable to drive stock speedo, but think it does. If it doesn't then a cable-X could be used.

If so that leaves you with only needing to have stock tack converted to electrical. Several gage repair services do this and you keep the stock gage look.

If you have to use Cable -X and convert stock tach to electrical, cost will be about the same as going with all aftermarket gages.

I'm a fan of keeping stock gages faces vs looks of aftermarket ones.

Islander21

Poor, I looked into the T5 but settled on a 4L65E. A new tail for the mech gears would cost around $500! I can convert the original tach myself and then use the Cable X for the speedo (I read that it does not work well for tachs, BTW). Do I need to convert any of the other gauges to electric as well? I would like to make the battery gauge an actual volt meter, for instance. Anything that might need to be tweaked to work with the LS2/4L65E combo and its PCM?

silvercamaro

I'm going with Classic Instruments. I looked and looked for something that (I thought) would be a perfect fit style and fitment wise, and they seem to have the best stuff. Expensive, but it's something you'll look at every time you drive.

Poorhousenext

Battery Gage can be converter to Volt. I only checked one source, and shop quoted $135.00 to do it.

Check out Street and Performance/Hot Rod Lane, if you want to keep LS oil sensor and use your stock mechanical sensor too. They have a tree adapter so you use both or an adapter to pull one off block near where oil filter mounts.

They as well as Auto Meter sale MM thread to SAE adapters so you can install stock water temp sensor and mechanical oil gage's line in LS block.

If you can not use your stock fuel gage sending unit in fuel tank, you will need to convert C2's three wire Fuel gage to 2 wire by using early C3 fuel gage guts. That runs arounds $90.00 to have done by one of the gage cluster restore services.