Round basic gauge to round w/tach question

knievel

Amateur Racer
Aug 5, 2007
270
0
0
Hillsdale , MI
According to this http://www.maliburacing.com/gauge_conversion.html
you need to change wiring around to swap from the sweep style speedo to the round with tach setup.

My car has the round speedo only setup in it already.
Do I just need to swap to the round w/tach gauges and add the proper water and oil sending units?? or is it just plug and play?
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
14,704
1
38
Catalina, AZ
www.cardomain.com
I'm pretty sure it's plug & play. Since it has everything that's going to the proper spots, it'll basically be going from a switch (on/off) to a potentiometer (low/high). I would take the guide off the site for reference, and just check for continuity to those wires. If everything lines up (as I believe it will), you can just put the gauges in (may need a pin for the tach though), replace the pressure/temp. switches with the proper sending units, and go :D
 

knievel

Amateur Racer
Thread starter
Aug 5, 2007
270
0
0
Hillsdale , MI
Thank you!

That is what I figured I'd have to do but was unsure. All I have been able to find has been how to switch from the sweep to round style but never the round basic to round w/tach
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
14,704
1
38
Catalina, AZ
www.cardomain.com
You're welcome ;)

One reason I know this is because I switched mine to gauges and half of them freaked out the first time I turned the ignition on, turns out part of the plastic for the circuit had separated and some of the copper was all corroded to #$@^. I picked up another circuit board (which looked new btw) from a junkyard car that had dummy lights/no tach, put everything back together, and haven't had a problem with gauge functionality (besides the tach being off, I'm still not sure what the deal is there) since :D
 

gmachinz

Frequent Racer
Apr 5, 2005
511
0
0
Iowa
No, it's not plug and play. The cluster housing is different as well as the printed circuit board. And, when adding the tach, you need to make sure you use the tach bracket which replaces the clock one on the back. And, make sure you use the correct tach filter too.
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
14,704
1
38
Catalina, AZ
www.cardomain.com
We were talking strictly about the printed circuit board from a round gauge cluster (the round gauge clusters that didn't actually have a tach). I knew the long sweep was different from the round gauge one. Like I said before, the cluster I picked up had a bad circuit board, and instead of spending $70+ for a new one online, I found one in good shape at a junkyard and used it instead. Haven't had a single issue the past two summers I drove the car ;)
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
14,704
1
38
Catalina, AZ
www.cardomain.com
The cluster housing is the same far as I know, just the bracket for the headlight switch changes for the appropriate bezel. I have a bezel from a mid-80s Monte & matching bracket, so right now my wiper switch is just hangin' loose :? I'm still up in the air on what I'm doing for gauges, but I'll still probably try to track down a pre-'82 or whatever bezel so I can keep the in-dash wiper switch. I will probably pick up a new bracket from Dixie Monte Carlo for the switches though, and keep a lookout for a bezel.

DM00047_l.jpg


This is the bezel I'll get (one day, different color though, or I'll just cut the one I have):
3ad3_1.JPG


I was having accuracy issues with the tach though (both with and without the tach filter), so I just unplugged it for now. I took it out of an '87 SS so I know it was a V8 car as well.
 

bent1973

New Member
Aug 28, 2014
1
0
0
I completed the conversion but I am running into a problem with the oil pressure sensor. I've got a 1980 Malibu and my wiring to the firewall to the current oil pressure switch/sender has two leads. The switch I have in there now has two leads and the oil/choke light worked. I swapped wires in the harness per the diagram to go from sweep to round with gauges. I bought an oil pressure switch for an 85 Monte SS and it has only one terminal on the end and is enormous compared to the other one. So much so that it will not thread in to the hole behind the distributor without pulling the distributor. Do I have the wrong pressure switch/sending unit? Anyone else had this problem? It's been bugging me that the oil pressure gauge doesn't work.
 

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