Early FSJ Custom Guages?

[brtisch]

Anybody go the way of custom guages in place of the Early FSJ? Pics to share? I tried doing a search, but most of what I found was the later guages

Everything works on mine except the "la""la""la""la" speedometer. Still jumping all over the place. I've tried a couple different cables with no luck. Not sure how to test if it's the speedo or to repair it if it even can be repaired. It's kind of a shame since the plug on the back of mine is in good shape and everything else works.

Any opinions if it's just easier to install a custom cluster with new guages?

Thanks.

[Logs0012]

I've got an extra early cluster its yours for the price of shipping.

I'll test it when i get my truck mobile again.

[brtisch]

That would be great. If you want to PM me your address and shipping cost it's probably worth a shot.

[Wagoneerlover]

I actually did a custom gauge panel out of metal. I have a later model rig yet doing one for the earlier model rigs would be a piece of cake. (I had an earlier rig and did custom gauges for it) and you have tons more space in the older ones than the newer. Since I made mine of metal I only would have needed to cut it in the shape of the older gauge panel. My auto meter gauges perform much better than my stock ones and ear easily replaced at a much cheaper price for higher quality. Supposedly the older rig gauges are high quality but I don't know. The new wagoneer wagoner are definitely cheap stuff and they never work for me. (Actually they do but I have worked with three other jeep owners and between the three of us if we fused our factory gauges together we would come out with one working set) So I made my own with high qaulity stuff (Auto-meter)

[brtisch]

Do you have any pics of your custom stuff? I'd like to keep the original set up if I can, that's why I'd like to try the extra cluster from Logs. If that doesn't work I'd be tempted to go ahead with something custom. I already have a triple guage setup under the dash (oil pressure, coolant temp, volts). Right now I'm mostly using my cluster for speedo (not working), fuel and blinkers.

[Logs0012]

Brtisch: I will be going out of town for 10 day. When I get home I will get my truck mobile asap so I can testthis speedometer.

[brtisch]

Logs,

Soungds good. Thanks

[Wagoneerlover]

Do you have any pics of your custom stuff? I'd like to keep the original set up if I can, that's why I'd like to try the extra cluster from Logs. If that doesn't work I'd be tempted to go ahead with something custom. I already have a triple guage setup under the dash (oil pressure, coolant temp, volts). Right now I'm mostly using my cluster for speedo (not working), fuel and blinkers.
Brtisch, The pics of my gauges are located below. I fit a total of eight gauges in my gauge panel, where the stock panel had five. The space in the newer rigs is super tight but I shoehorned them in there anyway. I And it looks great. When I converted my older rig to new gauges, there was so much more space and so much more room for creative ideas etc. I dont have pics of the older one that I did but I definitely have pics of the newer one. With a dremel and a piece of metal you can make easy work of it all and even lose the gauges beneath the dash. If I had an older model rig I could probably fit twelve - fourteen gauges in the space that they provide you in the older gauge panels.
The thread is located here:


http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=58394

[brtisch]

Wag Lover,

I like what you've done with the guages. I was thinking along the same lines...if I have to, but it would have to be more compact. When I said Early FSJ, I meant 60's style. Here is a pic of what I'm dealing with. They are only about 8 inches wide or so and no place to put too many guages. I'm thinking you could maybe get 5 in there.

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt294/brtisch/IMG_1160.jpg

[Langdon]

Here's mine, fuel and oil on the dash and you can't see the water and voltmeter hanging below the dash. Turn signals, brake, and high beam indicators on the panel; 4WD, check engine, and ALT indicators on the dash below the heater controls. Sourced the indicators from across the intarwebs and inserted paper masks for the functions...works OK. Panel is 1/8" aluminum with Autogage Phantom gauges, I welded in tabs for the mounting at the corners. I'm going to be really impressed when someone spots the ???s in this dash, column and vintage of my rig...and i don't mean the mismatched trim :cool:
http://home.comcast.net/~dank_1//pwpimages/.__480_360_IMG_0986%5B1%5D%282%29.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~dank_1//pwpimages/.__480_360_IMG_0991%5B1%5D%281%29.jpg

[brtisch]

Langdon...now that's what I was looking for. I can imagine it would be pretty hard to get more guages in there than you already have. I would probably put the same in mine and leave the others down below under my dash. Was it a pain to put together or pretty straight forward? Does the factory speedo cable just fit on the back of the aftermarket speedometer no problem?

It looks like you've got that early dash in an 80's rig. Was that something you did yourself?

[Langdon]

It's an electric speedo since I have a VSS. Pretty easy to make the panel, the wiring is not hard but it is tedious. The wiring diagrams on Tom Collins' page help a lot. A big factor may be if you can find a fuel gauge with the proper resistance range, I don't know what the early rigs used. Really, the cheapest solution for you would probably be to find a good replacement OE cluster, but that may take some time.

My dash is a Frankenstein...I welded the early upper and later lower sections together and also adapted it to fit the later steering column. That way I had the proper cutouts for the tailgate, defroster, and vent cables, and mounting tabs. Then powdercoated...the early dashes are by far the best looking IMHO...

[brtisch]

I see. It sounds like you've got some time into your dash. It looks good even if it is a mix & match.

well I think finding an early cluster that works will be my best bet too, so I'll see what Logs comes up with when he has the time to check out his cluster. In the mean time I'll just go with the flow...of traffic that is.

[zmjeeps]

You mean like this?

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv258/zmjeeps/DesignerBlackw_Tach.jpg

[ursusarticus]

I had a similar problem with my speedo bouncing I got lucky and found a whole cluster at a local pick and pull yard. I swapped speedo heads and problem solved.

[brtisch]

zmjeeps - Yep, that's the kind of thing I was curious about. To see how others have done it. Looks good...Nice and clean.

Ursusarticus- As far as finding the whole cluster and swapping out the speedo head are you saying you didn't have to swap the whole cluster? Is it easy to swap just the head, if that's what you are suggesting?

[ursusarticus]

If you can get the cluster out carefully take the face off and then remove the two screws that hold the speedo head in the cluster and swap it with a better one and put the face back on and connect the cable and plug the electrical back in. It should take maybe 15 minutes once you have the cluster out. It really is that simple Good Luck plus you can keep the classic jeep dash!!

[brtisch]

Thanks for the tip on the speedo head. That would actually work best since everything else on my cluster seems to work fine. This is just the kind of info I was hoping to find...it keeps my hopes alive that I will be able to keep my cluster and not have to go custom, might even save me a few bucks. (not to knock the custom look, I've seen some nice setups on here)