Dashboard Swap Questions

[turbosupra]

Hello everyone,

My first post here...on my new account, I had an account a while back but the inactivity monster ate it. Anyways, here goes my question...

I've got a '92 DX Hatch, and I'm sure as MANY people have complained, I need (well, I don't need...) I want a tach on the dash. I hound eBay over and over and people want $100ish or more for a tach'ed dashboard. This is insane, I can get an AutoMeter Monster-tach for this price, however I don't really want a big 5" tach in my face. It's a "Steal Me" sticker. I'd also prefer a stock look except maybe for pillar gauges when the time comes. Hell, I've got several 52mm Auto-Meter gauges lying around, might hook them up for S&Gs later.

I already know I can use the EX/Si/LX dashboards, the LX dash would show the correct redline for my poor D15B7 in there. Unfortunatly, due to financial constraints (the damn Supra and the girlfriend) it's going to be D15 equipped for a while.

I keep seeing these "JDM" listed Si-R and VTi dashboards. I assume the will work, of course they are less the SRS light which I'm sure I could get working on there anyway. Will these easily work in the USDM civics? Can you swap the speedo from your exiting dash to the JDM dash? I assume it would work, unless the mechanics are different b/t the countries. Has anyone tried? I noticed the JDM ones typically sell cheaper than the US ones. I can snag an LX 5-spd dash for $60 (at least I think it's an LX 5-speed, redline appears to be 6k not 6.5k, but the pic is fuzzy) but was just seeing what everyone's opinion on this matter is.

 

[word]

what you're looking for is called a gauge cluster. dash is the entire rubber piece that goes from the driver to the passenger side.

it is a lot easier to just swap the non-tach cluster with one with tach. ex/si/lx will all work and i'm sure you can find it for a little cheaper. It doesn't matter what the redline is on the gauge cluster, all you need is a mental rev limiter, plus the hamster under your hood won't churn out any power after the redline.

swaping just the speedo/tach part of the cluster is not worth all the work. if you are interested in doing more work to your car, i suggest you getting the jdm eg6 sir gauge cluster, it's sweet looking: white gauge faces with amber back light.

Jdm gauge clusters will plug right in your harness, but you'll be seeing km's instead of mph.

 

[liquid00meth]

I paid 75$ for my gauge cluster w/tach.

 

[turbosupra]

Dash, Cluster, Instrument Cluster, Gauges, it's all the same to me.

I might end up looking at one of the JDM gauges in the future. I'm a dash board fanatic, I actually assisted in the design of the gauges for the MKIII Supras offered by SpeedHut.

I scored a USDM LX 5-speed dash for $60, but I'll need to transfer my odometer over to it to prevent pissing off the local authorities and insurance commission, espically if I ever sell this hatch, which I doubt. The cluster I purchased as about 1/2 the miles as my current car does, and I need to fix that to avoid suspicious when/if my mileage is ever taken down by an official. (Brake Tag Station, Police, Insurance Co, etc...)

I've always been an instrument cluster fanatic, with just about any car I've owned. I use nothing but GReddy Instrumentation in my Supra, and I had custom reverse indiglos made that look like the GReddy gauges. I also repainted all my needles to look just like the GReddy ones.

I suppose I could get a JDM dash and wind the gauge to the correct number of kms that would represent my car's actual mileage since the number would always be higher anyway.

I think something like this is in my future, espically if I can get the door open indicators to work. Might be fun. White faced gauges don't really do it for me, sometimes...but not often. However I may go with some reverse indiglos on the LX dash I scored simply because it's a more even/smooth light pattern than the incadescents that are back there now.

Thanks for the responses.