© 2017 Power Automedia. all rights reserved.

It is strongly recommended to restrict the movement of the wire by using a cable tie. It also looks neater.

Many enthusiasts did not forcefully pick up some wrenches and replace the hard parts in their riding, such as carburetors, camshafts, ignition devices and headers. But for all electrical matters, there are usually some worries before dealing with the project.

In the eyes of many, a more difficult task is to replace OEM dashboards with modern digital or analog systems. But this is actually a fairly simple thing. Therefore, for some professional advice, we turned to the people of Classic Dash in Carson City, Nevada, who have worked with customers to solve installation problems for more than 20 years.

1. Organizing everything sounds basic, but in the long run, laying out all the necessary tools, wires, and components before working on the project can save time. Make sure everything is at hand.

2. Read the instructions. Some people are troubled by the "I used to do this" syndrome because things may change in terms of procedures, component specifications, and protective measures. General and application-specific instructions are available online at www.ClassicDash.com.

The recommended method of connecting two wires includes stripping the ends, twisting them together, soldering the connection, and protecting it with a heat shrink shield.

3. Trial assembly components Because some vehicles are manufactured in multiple factories, a car or truck may be different. For example, some dashboards may need to be trimmed slightly-or modified to the host vehicle to ensure a perfect fit.

4. The correct ID is important. Before removing any factory meter, please pay attention to identifying each wire connected to it. Usually a roll of 1/2 inch masking tape and a Sharpie (or pen) are used. This will prevent a lot of deterioration.

5. Ohm has a common problem that the resistance of the fuel tank sending unit does not match the meter. There are more than six possibilities. For example, GM vehicles before 1965 range from 0 ohms (empty) to 30 ohms (full). Later General Motors were 0-90, Ford and Chrysler, cars and trucks were different. For this reason, Classic Dash provides an application-specific meter to match OEM transmitters. For those who have after-sales or auxiliary fuel tanks, you can use an ohmmeter to measure the fuel tank unit and pay attention to the resistance when moving the lever. The ohm range of the oil level gauge must be consistent with that of the oil tank sensor.

6. Resistance is a factor There is a clear correlation between the thickness (and length) of the wire and the magnitude of the resistance encountered. The resistance provided by No. 14 wire (0.064 inch core diameter) is approximately 1/4 of that of No. 20 wire (0.032 inch). The wires in the Classic Dash loom are all 18 gauge, which has excellent electrical conductivity. Using smaller wires will cause trouble. Of course, for tasks that require high current, such as ignition systems, starters, etc., you will want to use large gauge wires. It depends on the amperage and the length of the wire. The respected starter/alternator manufacturer PowerMaster provides the following guidelines.

This is a typical wiring harness used for analog meter installation.

7. Connection is critical 1 The cause of the wiring problem is incorrect wire-to-wire connection. Yes, crimp connectors can do the job. However, when you use solder for tracking or simply braiding two wires together and soldering, you can ensure total reliability. Classic Dash highly recommends it.

8. The cable tie is your friend. It is important to prevent the wires from moving around, as this will cause the wires to fatigue and break the strands. Fixing and tying loose wires not only look neat, but fixing them to something fixed is also good.

The aftermarket instrument has a specially calibrated sending unit. Replace the OEM sending unit with a new one.

9. Abandon the OEM sending unit Classic Dash and all instrument packages from other manufacturers come with temperature and pressure sending units, which are calibrated for use with specific meters. Using storage units of different aftermarket brands may cause false readings.

10. Optimize signal strength As you might suspect, GPS speedometers rely on acquiring satellite signals. Care must be taken when installing the antenna to avoid interference. Mounting it on the top of the dashboard is the best choice. Classic Dash provides a special GPS speedometer module for this task.

Build your own custom newsletter with your favorite Dragzine content and send it directly to your inbox, absolutely free!

© 2017 Power Automedia. all rights reserved.

We will protect your email and only send the content you request.

We send you the most interesting Dragzine articles, news, car features and videos every week.

We promise not to use your email address for exclusive updates of Power Automedia Network.

We will protect your email and only send the content you request.

Thank you for subscribing.

We think you might like...

We think you might like...

Thank you for subscribing.