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“Better Gauges for the ’57…the easy
way”
By Shane Reichardt
Whenever the question of adding an
aftermarket component comes up one of the first things many classic
car owners say is “I don’t want to hack up my vintage Chevy.”
It’s true, there are a lot of
upgrades that require modification and they usually don’t allow you
to keep the factory styling that attracted you to the car in the
first place.
Adding extra gauges to the dash of a
’57 Chevy has almost always meant cutting holes in the surrounding
sheet metal and popping in gauges that look out of place. The other
alternative had been to bolt on extra meters under the dash, but
these often look like an afterthought (and they’re hard to see while
driving, to boot).
There are a couple of other options
that are both easy to install and allow you to maintain the classic
styling the ‘57’s are known for. The first is the classic style
needle found in the Custom Rod Gauges unit offered exclusively by D
& P Classic Chevy. D & P makes a point of being one-stop shopping
location for all the Tri-five needs. The second option hits the
other end of the spectrum with a completely high-tech appearance
from Dakota Digital. Both units are designed to fit in your ’57
gauge bezel, and both are bolt-in procedures. With each you will,
however, need to install new senders to replace the stock pieces.
We followed installation of both options. Both were much easier
than we expected and should make for a simple at-home project. Read
on to see just how easy the conversion is.
“D&P Classic Chevy Goes Custom with CUSTOM ROD GAUGES”
Removal of the factory instrument cluster is
fairly straightforward and can be done with only a Phillips
screwdriver. The new piece uses all the stock turn signal lights.
As for the instrument lights, there is a terminal where one wire can
be hooked up to power the new lights. Once the cluster has been
removed you can take the assembly to a workbench where the gauges
can be removed. Again, a screwdriver is all that is required to get
the factory gauges out.
The new unit installs using the
same screw holes as the factory unit used. Terminals are clearly
marked for ease in wiring. You will need to switch all stock
senders for ones that work with actual gauges rather then wiring
lights.
Here is the cluster complete with new gauges.
Notice that the new unit features six gauges in the place of three.
Due to space constraints the speedo is a bit difficult to read exact
speeds under 30 and over 90 miles-per-hour, but most drivers will
find that their street speeds are typically within the 30-90 m.p.h.
range (if not you’re either driving too slow or too fast for our
streets).
The last step was a conversion of the dash
connection of the speedo from cable to electronic. The conversion
is part of the dash conversion kit and was very simple and easy to
install. Basically we installed the signal generator to the
transmission as you would any speedo cable. Then we ran the wires
to the gauge cluster and wire as indicated. |
