93 cluster with tach

[elcaminobill]

I found a 93 cluster with tach. Its for a V8 truck. Mine is a V6. Is there an easy way to convert it?

[94extcab]

What year is your truck?

[half ton z]

I have a 93 1/2 ton which had a 4.3 V6, 5 spd. The instrument cluster didn't have a tach and the speedo maxed at 85 MPH.
Although the junk yard computer said it couldn't be done, I swapped it for an instrument cluster from a 454 SS. It was a very simple "plug-n-play" swap. Now I have a factory tach and a 110 MPH speedo.

[Chevy93]

you didn't have to do any modify for it to work did you? got the same setup and would love change over also. thanks

[half ton z]

No midifications at all. I did swap the odometer from the original to the replacement cluster. The factory wiring harness already has the tach wires leading to the coil area in the engine compartment. The only connection I had to make was to the coil.

[Chevy93]

about how much did the new setup run you? want to get a ballpark figure and go find one. thanks

[93ChevyTBI]

I found a 93 cluster with tach. Its for a V8 truck. Mine is a V6. Is there an easy way to convert it?
Dude, mine is a 1993 and I need one ASAP. I just took the dash apart, cleaned everything out but nothing got fixed. You wanna sell yours? Need answer ASAP b/c I have a sale going on with someone else too.

Thanx

[half ton z]

I could probably let it go in a couple weeks. I'm preping a 305, 5 spd to swap back into my truck in order to trade it into the Harley dealer.
I'll swap my original cluster back in also & sell it to you if you can wait that long.
Or... you could drive up here to Columbus, Ohio and buy the whole truck. You can have the extra motor & trans, the original dash cluster and an overhead console that I never got around to installing for only $5500. Check out my Craig's list ad:
http://columbus.craigslist.org/car/617351487.html

[cancritter]

half ton...what year was the ss cluster...l have a 92 that lm gona swap into a 91...wonder if l;ll luck out twice and it';ll be plug and play..reg tach and cluster for my 91 was plug and play as well..crossin fingers

[half ton z]

I'm pretty sure 91 - 93 are all the same.

[long&low]

The 91 cluster is a unique cluster. It was the first year for the needle gauges with tach.. It also had the same connector as the 88-90s. The 92-94 look the same as the 91 but the connector is completely different.
There is a tech. article on this site about the swap.

[elcaminobill]

What year is your truck?


My truck is a 93 W/T.

[elcaminobill]

I have a 93 1/2 ton which had a 4.3 V6, 5 spd. The instrument cluster didn't have a tach and the speedo maxed at 85 MPH.
Although the junk yard computer said it couldn't be done, I swapped it for an instrument cluster from a 454 SS. It was a very simple "plug-n-play" swap. Now I have a factory tach and a 110 MPH speedo.

Did the 454 tach work accurately with the 4.3 V6?

[half ton z]

I'm sure it would, although I never used it wit the V6.

[elcaminobill]

I'm sure it would, although I never used it wit the V6.


According to some posts in this link the V6 and V8 will not interchange. I sure would like to know why:dunno:
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...e-cluster.html

[half ton z]

I tryed that link but it didn't go any where for me.

My 93 truck was an origianlly equiped 4.3 V6 with a manual 5 spd.
I swaped in a 5.7 TPI from a Z28 Camaro & installed a seperate tach with added wiring (outside the factory wiring harness) to the coil. Then, a few mounths later, I swaped the cluster and removed the external tach & wiring. I found the factory wires for the tach in the factory harness near the coil & spliced it in to the coil connection. Its worked as intended since 2002. I'm convienced that to this day... that 454 SS cluster can't tell the differance between a 4.3 & a 5.7 engine.

I have an Excel spreed sheet that takes transmission gear ratios, rear gear ratios & tire size information and calculates MPH at any given RPM & vise versa. The tach in the 454 SS cluster indicates the correct RPM at any MPH in any gear.

[half ton z]

My truck is a 93 W/T.
My 93 is a Silverado with the same trim as the 454 SS. I'm not sure if the factory installed wiring on the W/T trim accomidates a tach.
I'll check my wiring schematics & let you know.

[half ton z]

My schematics are for a 93 C/K model regular cab, extended cab, crew cab, utility (looks like a Jimmy in the drawing) & Suburban. There’s no distinctions made for Silverado, Cheyenne or Work Truck, it looks like the same harness for any trim, but I can only guess that Chevrolet used the same wiring harnesses for the W/T also?????

The wire that drives the tach is identified as a white wire on circuit 121 and is shown completely installed onto the plug on the coil ( the pin identified as A ) which runs through the coil & then to the distributor's ignition module. It’s been 6 years since my last swap… I don’t remember what I spliced for the tach… if I did splice something, I may not have needed to!

It may help to keep in mind that the 4.3 V6 is the same as a V8 with 2 cylinders removed.
If you have the cluster, install it & see what happens.
Good luck to ya.

[elcaminobill]

Most Tachs tell engine speed by counting spark pulses. A six cylinder will have less pulses per revolution than an eight. A tach calibrated for one will not read accutately on the other. Many tachs have a switch to select the # of cylinders. Others have jumper plugs like those found on the motherboards on a computer, that select the correct number of cylinders. The only other alternative is to have two different tachs for each application, which is not cost effective.

[90Chevystep]

I have a 90 model with a V6. I wonder if I could get lucky enough that a 92-94 tach dash will work in mine?

[half ton z]

Most Tachs tell engine speed by counting spark pulses. A six cylinder will have less pulses per revolution than an eight. A tach calibrated for one will not read accutately on the other. Many tachs have a switch to select the # of cylinders. Others have jumper plugs like those found on the motherboards on a computer, that select the correct number of cylinders. The only other alternative is to have two different tachs for each application, which is not cost effective.

Well then, I'm not sure our obs chevy tachs are like most tachs. The reason I say that is because 6 years ago I pluged a 454SS cluster into the same hole where a 4.3 V6 cluster had been and it's work as intended ever since.

"And thats all I have to say about that."

[elcaminobill]

Well then, I'm not sure our obs chevy tachs are like most tachs. The reason I say that is because 6 years ago I pluged a 454SS cluster into the same hole where a 4.3 V6 cluster had been and it's work as intended ever since.

"And thats all I have to say about that."

I understand what you are saying. The harness probably makes no difference. It make sense that it would work, as is, since you connected it to a V8 engine. If the V6 was in there, it would probably read low.