yeah I figure I would tackle one problem at a time, I didn't think getting my gas gauge to work would be this much but its all stuff that needs to be done so its all for the better.
Last edited by TerenceandMary; 09/21/202011:03 PM.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Now I can see why it can be such a problem. Thank you all for your guidance here.
With the aid of very soft plastic prying tools I was able to disconnect the plug from the cluster. I have marked off all the wires on the harness with letters corresponding to the wiring diagram for future reference.
I also removed the temp gauge from the cluster, next I will need to buy a voltmeter (to replace temp gauge) and some different colored 18g wires as well as some new bulbs/sockets (seeing as every one I have has broken tabs. All my bulbs were on the floor buried in about a foot of rat poop when I got the truck home).
I'm slowly mapping out the routes my wires will be taking to get to the proper place, I will be eliminating the GEN light and OIL light seeing as they are or are going to be replaced with gauges.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
FYI Update: The early clusters had some kind of printed circuitry on the back of the plastic housing like yours. Later in 64 they went to a flex print which is protected by/encapsulated in polymer sheets and does not have that black coating. Much better, So if you ever decide to replace, use a 64 and up donor housing and flex print interconnect. Uses the same connector. See pic of 64-66 type.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
I had seen that those should be available, I have yet to be able to find one anywhere.
Does anyone have a link to one? I have been searching for days now and nothings working, I've tried yelling at it, excessively drinking, google! and still nothing!
Last edited by TerenceandMary; 09/22/20208:15 PM.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
I had seen that those should be available, I have yet to be able to find one anywhere.
Does anyone have a link to one? I have been searching for days now and nothings working, I've tried yelling at it, excessively drinking, google! and still nothing!
Maybe you know this already. The only thing available is a donor (used cluster). They are on Ebay many times. Usually you have to buy the whole thing. You can't just buy the flex print, if that is what you mean. The picture is from Ebay.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
Just so my conscience is clear and I have said all possible remedies: I tried to say that the copper is still viable after the black is removed. I said not to clean the copper. I believed the copper runs were still all OK, just flaking coating. However, you said you could not get continuity. I didn't have you explain what you did, how you tested, what meter, what setting, where probes were placed and if you investigated where the copper was "broken". Or ask for pictures of copper gaps. Also, you are a mechanic. So that's why I abandoned using the existing circuit, and moved to suggesting something else without questioning your "continuity tests".
I do see all those white areas in your pics and assumed that was missing copper instead of glare from camera, discolored copper or residue from the black coating. I had to assume the copper was "eaten away" somehow....... or scraped away by someone trying to clean. The copper is probably only .005-.010 thick.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
I have not cleaned any of the copper or black stuff or anything like that, I couldn't get continuity from any spot on the board. I checked for about 2 hours testing small sections (about a cm at a time) at different resistances (ohms) and with audible continuity with a multi-meter. While testing I slowly and gently rolled the probe along the copper stuff as well as poking into some of the copper type stuff on the outside of the spot where the lights make contact, but where I could tell the tabs on the bulbs don't touch.
In the sections with the black stuff I would get continuity but it seemed that the black stuff was what was conductive, (I tested a piece of just the black stuff that had fallen off and was resting on my steering column and it was conductive but only on the underside).
All the white spots are just that, not glare, It would appear that when the black stuff started to de-laminate it may have taken some of the copper with it?
The spots where you can see some copper coloring mixed in with the white almost all reads open line or 0 even with the probes being just mm apart on the small patches of copper, The best I got was a short beep in audible continuity on some of the copper where one of the lights makes contact, but only on a very small section, but that spot is just a small blob of copper on the white spots I can't get anything (some kind of glue maybe)?
It does appear that the P.O. did some weird stuff back here trying to get it working (like the screw for the ground on the fuel gauge). he may have tried to clean or remove the copper in some way (you know how them tweekers can be with wiring) lol
so far hard wiring it all seems to me to be the cheapest/best alternative for what I am trying to achieve but I am very open to options seeing as I haven't quite started yet due to lack of money.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
$89 on ebay now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/64-66-Chevy-Truck-Dash-Gauge-Instrument-Cluster-C10-20-30-K-Surburban/264506442221?hash=item3d95d001ed:g:CLgAAOSwd0pdrfph.
not mine!!
Another quality post. Real Trucks Rattle HELP! The Paranoids are after me!
As far as adding a volt meter in pace of the electric temp gauge, is there a particular one y'all recommend? if not I will probably go with the cheapest one at tractor supply that fits.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Why substitute a useless gauge like a voltmeter for something as important as a temp gauge? Even if the battery and/or charging system fails completely, it's not going to barbecue the engine before you realize what's going on. The original instrument panel has a built-in idiot light for the charging system- - - -what else do you need? Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
@ Hotrod Lincoln - I have 2 temp gauges 1 electronic and 1 mechanical so I planned on eliminating the electronic one as well as the gen light and oil light (seeing as I have a mechanical oil pressure gauge as well) to make my new hard wired harness a little more simple.
I know it's not just going to fry without anything like a volt meter or ammeter, just trying to fill my empty spot in the dash with something simple to wire in and fits nicely. was also considering adding a tach in place of the oil pressure gauge and moving the oil pressure to where the electronic temp gauge that was built into the cluster, but that seemed like a bit more work.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
If you're planning to butcher up the original dash arrangement, why not just fabricate a new panel from a piece of aluminum sheet metal and move all the gauges into a single location- - - - -right in front of you where the factory put them in the first place? A piece of 1/8" thick aluminum cut to fit the dash opening can be laid out any way you want, using aftermarket gauges. All it takes is a hole saw and a rotary file in a drill motor to make a hole the size of the gauge you want, and the arrangement of the gauges can be laid out exactly like some of those ridiculously expensive custom gauge clusters on Ebay. There's plenty of room in the dash opening to install a matching-size speedometer and tach, flanked by small-diameter oil pressure, temperature, ammeter, and even manifold vacuum gauges if you choose.
That would also eliminate the need to rehab a trashed original equipment panel you're planning on butchering up anyway. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Well, I hardly consider it butchering, it's closer to surgery. Fabrication of a new panel is a bit out of my price range, seeing as I would need to buy some cutting tools, the aluminum, and all the gauges. I understand that it would all fit however I wanted it to but I simply can't afford it.
My existing panel, in my opinion, is beautiful. and worth being saved (if only ascetically).
As far as my budgetary restraints go, My wife, son, and I, all live off $11,000 a year. I have spent maybe $2300 on the truck in the last 3 years including purchase price. (mostly from the money I get from recycling).
I have most of what I need laying around my garage to hard wire my existing panel/cluster. I was only looking at the volt meter because it seemed cheap and easy to install, If it's not then I will just leave the dead temp in there so I don't have an empty spot on my dash.
My main goal is to have a working gas gauge, speedometer, blinker sig, and hi-beam. My mechanical temp and oil pressure have been working fine.
If I had enough to fabricate my own dash panel/cluster I would just buy a used cluster from Ebay that still works.
Sometimes people do what they do not because they want to, but because they have to.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Not sure there is any butchering up of the original. It will remain pretty much in tact and the look will be very close to original. I recommend to stay on the plan if possible. A tach will serve no real purpose for this motor and truck. Especially when on a budget. I would avoid a mechanical gauge on the plastic housing part of the cluster. I think the plastic housing could crack because of the stress from the heavy, stiff cable on a mechanical gauge. Use electrical only.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
On my mechanical gauges where they mount to the plastic panel have 2 round steel plates that sandwich the plastic between them. (P.O. cut the holes to big for the gauges) It seems to help spread the stress of the mounting points across more surface area. for plastic that has sat in the desert for 60 years it is remarkably undamaged, only crack is on one of the spots where 1 of the screws goes to hold the cluster to the panel.
I figured that a tach is fairly useless seeing as I can hear the rpms of the motor all the time anyways, and I have an old dwell meter in the garage if I ever do need to know for sure what the rpms are.
really just trying to decide what temp gauge to use and what to put in place of the one that's getting removed.
The only reason I was leaning towards the mechanical temp gauge is that it seems to have been installed to replace the electronic one once it stopped functioning. Sadly it would appear that the mechanical temp gauge's line was chewed through by some sort of super rat, I would assume. (super rats must like ether).
I'm not sure where the electronic temp gauge goes. when I start following the wires (and using the wiring diagram as reference), I notice that I'm missing the wires the go from it to the motor. They disappear somewhere in the middle of the harness. (it got to hot outside to keep cutting the tape back).
Either way I'm still waiting until the first when I can pick up the remaining materials need. (as long as it's about $50 or less). If I exceed that price range it's waiting another month. So I have lots of time to think about and plan what I'm doing there.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Understood, use either electrical or mechanical. If electrical, the sender has to match the gauge. Use any gauges that fit and you may or may not want the same sweep, face color and markings. All up you you. Plenty of gauges to choose from. Local auto parts and internet. Find one that looks good to you and priced in your range. A mechanical will have no issues with matching a sender like the electrical one will.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
So I think for now I will wire up everything as planned except I will leave the temp gauge* in the cluster in place and just not wired up for now. I can always go back and add the right gauge as it comes along (maybe a clock?)
I will keep y'all up to date with the progress as I go, right now I'm trying to find some nice flat colored plastic to cut new hi-beam/blinker lenses for the little bulbs.
Once I get a 12 pin pigtail connector I can start soldering and really get this show on the road.
Last edited by TerenceandMary; 09/28/202011:50 PM.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Everything is working except fuel gauge, but made progress on it. It used to do nothing but read full, now when I start the truck it wiggles a little but is still at full. I will check the ground at the tank but I think it may be something in the sending unit that's gone wrong. I will read some more on here about testing all that stuff.
At least now that that's all wired up I can chase the wires from there to find where my problems are.
Sorry I forgot to take pics before putting it all in the dash.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
Looks good. Touch the back of the gauge with a ground wire directly from the battery. Usually when fuel gauge pegs full its a bad ground. Make sure sender is grounded good also.
Thanks, I think it must be a loose ground because now when I turn the key it starts to go down then pegs back up. It didn't move at all before I hard wired it.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
checked the grounds and all seems good, by grounding out the sender I can get the gauge to pin to empty. Sender reads around 30 ohmz (my tank is about empty). The gauge wiggles a little when I start the truck or turn on the ignition.
any other ways to check whats going on? right now I figure I need a new sending unit, am I right?
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
No. If your tank is empty, then you grounded the gauge and it then it reads empty. The problem is a bad ground as you just verified. Ground the gauge with a permanent attachment and put gas in the tank. It should then read higher than empty or full, depending on how much fuel you added. Therefore working correctly 👌
Last edited by glenns towing; 10/10/202011:54 PM. Reason: added something
Interesting... well now that I have put some gas in the truck (at least 3/4 of a tank) my needle still says E it has a little wiggle to it when I start the truck just like before but this time instead of being stuck at F its at E when it was stuck at F before I got it to stick at E by replacing the ground at the gauge I also changed out the ground at sender. as well as the wire from sender to fuse block, but I didn't clean the tab on the fuse block itself before plugging in maybe that's where my problem is? It's a little to smokey today to do much outside, maybe it will clear up in a while.
62' GMC Fleetside 3/4 ton 235 4-speed. Time makes fools of us all.
