I was wondering what process some of you have gone about in doing the conversion from a Malibu Gauge Cluster and dash to SS setup.


I was also wondering where you got some of your guages and sending units to these gauges?
Approx. How much have some of you paid to make this conversion?
Also what do you guys thing about the Autometer gauges clusters that are sold by Year One and other companies? Would this be an option some of you would consider?
I know this can be an expensive conversion so if you know of any places to go about getting any of this setup at a cheaper price, leave me a post or PM me.
Thanks in Advance!

I'm in the process right now with my '72. I got my carrier and most of the smaller stuff from AutoCityClassics in Isanti MN. I bought the gauge conversion kit from Muscle Factory (ads are in some car mags). I got my headlamp, and blower fan switches still from GM. I'm re-using the HVAC control head, lighter, wiper switch, and some other minor stuff.

The gauge conversion kit hasn't been installed yet, but comes with a new temp sending unit, and some new wires for jumping in your harness. It also has instructions for what you might have to do at the wiring bulkhead.

I probably have $1000 or so (I try not to add it all up until aftre I'm done) between the carrier, conversion kit ($370), dash lens, new speedo, new clock, firewall padding, switches, etc.

Do a search for "Covan's" dash inserts/swaps for more info on those. Some like them, some don't. I wanted a more original look, while some guys want a custom look. To each their own on that one. I even considered using small AutoMeter gauges in place of the dumnmy lights on mine.

Most prices are within 10% or so of everyone else, but the service from suppliers is what seems to be the deciding factor for most of the guys here.

I appreciate the info...keep me posted on your conversion if you dont mind, that way if you have any tips or tricks you can pass them my way...I will start doing my research tomorrow on all this.

Thanks

i am in the middle of converting my 72 to an ss dash:confused: , i made a big mistake by finding an old one online for cheap, and that is exactly where i learned that you get what you pay for. it is out of a 71 or 72 monte and those came with dummy lights instead of guages so i am looking into some auto meter's and i honestly have no idea how these things will hook to the guage cluster. BUT!!! in several resto books i have like opgi, npg, and ground up they sell the original type gauges, but i would rather use some auto meter's than the older style if i can get away with it. ANYWAYS long story short, there are alot of options out there, it's all in what you like, and the only way that this won't be difficult is if you work on it with someone who's done this before and if you buy quality products. good luck

If you jump back to page 3 from a few days ago there's a couple of good threads on this subject. No matter what combination you decide on, someone here has done it already. My advice.......if you buy the factory SS dash from OPGI or wherever, get the factory harness to go with it. American Auto Wire (I used Painless) and others will make a harness for you too. Same goes for Dakota Digital, Covans or completely custom like mine.....buy a harness. Do not hack into the one you have. They're not that expensive and it will save you a ton of headaches later on. Trust me.....once you pull that dash off, putting in a nice new harness will be a well earned reward. It's not hard to do and it will make putting everything back together a LOT easier. Why spend over $1000 dollars (I did) just end up with a 30+ year old wiring harness that has more connections and splices than a Los Angeles freeway? But hey, that's just my opinion.

I got lucky and helped part out a Monte to get my housing/cluster/harness/etc. I made sure it wasn't hacked before I agreed to the deal. Not much for me to re-use for the swap other than the cluster body, harness, and a few switches, but having an older one to look at as an example is nice, and it's helped several other people here already too.

Most of the answers you want can be found at Original Parts Group or Supermuscleparts online. You can price it out almost to the dollar. I have a 71 ss clone also and and I have restored the ss dash that was in the car. The OEM parts come in different kits, and a lot of the Malibu switches can be used. The biggest expense is the dash itself for around $300. I probably spent about $300 replacing parts. Good Luck!!

Ground Up sells the whole shebang for $1700 complete- dash, guages, about everything you'd need. Check it out. They sponsor this very web site- ss396.com.

Be aware that a lot of people on ebay and elsewhere will advertise the under dash harness as 70-72. NOT true, 72 is very different at the bulkhead connector, has key minder buzzer, seat belt light/buzzer(late 72 only), tcs delay relay and the tach wire goes through the bulkhead connector. 70/71 does not have any buzzers, seat belt light or tcs relay and the tach wire is a separate wire that runs through the firewall to the coil.

still remember finding a monte carlo 70-72 in a local yard, (Sharon area Mass.) with super clean dash and interior, asking the yard owner to "save" it for me, and then returning the following weekend to have found that the car was "forked" meaning some SFB ran the forks into the windshield, picked the car up,and moved the forks up and down while "moving" the car, destroying not only the windsheild, but the cowl, roof, and the entire dash assembly!!! Idiots!!!

I converted my eary year 72 El Camino from a sweep dash to an SS dash using a 71 Monte Carlo Dash. The wood grained metal panel is held on with some metal pins that extend through the dash. I removed the metal panel and found another Monte Carlo dash that was broken and filled the holes in the good monte dash with circles cut out of broken dash. Both of these dashes cost me less than $100. The dashes are made of ABS plastic the black plastic that drainage pipes are made of. Therefore the black plastic cement used for the piping works perfectly to patch the dashes. You just have to be careful to not get any on the front of the dash as it melts the plastic slightly and damages the look of the texture. To fill in the small grooves around the filler circles I used model car plastic body putty and
used toothpicks and other small instruments to make the adjacent grooves
in the texture flow into the patches. I painted the guage area with semi gloss
paint black urithane paint with a spray gun and the result turned out great.
The wiper indicator area must be filled also with a piece from another dash as one of the holes for the wood grained metal panel passes through it.

I later found a Monte Carlo 1972 dash in a junk yard and the metal panel is held on wil perimeter tabs that only occur around the edge of the gauge panel. It would be much easier to fill than a 1971.

The gauges in a Monte Carlo are the same as those in a Chevlle SS. The
clock and idiot lights were most common in the SS and the Monte Carlo.
It was an option to get the gauges in both cars. I found a gauge cluster from a 1971 Monte Carlo for $35.00. I was able to find a wiring harness from a 1972 monte Carlo that has worked perfectly for a couple of years.

I still have the mono speaker cover dash pad which is not correct but am looking for a repop pad cover with stereo speakers. As you can see it took
four different Monte Carlos to provide me with all the stuff needed but I was able to make the conversion for less than $200. The only problem has been
that the El Camino Custom came with 14 inch wheels and the Montes came with 15 inch wheels so the speedo is off.