73 monte gauge cluster

I'm new to the site. Looking for information about converting from idiot lights to gauges on my 1973 monte. Do you need the harness that plugs into the instrument panel? Is any additional wiring needed? Any help would be great. Thanks

73 Bigblock wrote:I'm new to the site. Looking for information about converting from idiot lights to gauges on my 1973 monte. Do you need the harness that plugs into the instrument panel? Is any additional wiring needed? Any help would be great. Thanks

Welcome aboard.You need to post some pics of that 73.

I converted my 73 over by using an NOS motor harness with a cluster and harness I took out of a 73 way back in 88.

there is a couple of people here that have switched over some wires and made the gauges work.

to do it right, you need the dash and engine bay harnesses. but if you have the patience and skill, you can swap a few wires around and change the temp switch in the cylinder head for a gauge sender and call it good.

https://www.g3gm.com/interior-f4/switching-from-sweep-to-round-gauge-cluster-re-wire-t57.htm

1....lt green 10.... goes to blue
2....blue white stripe 11....goes to gray
3....tan 12.... goes to lt blue
4....pink 13..... goes to tan
5....tach lead 14....goes to green
6....not used 15....not used
7....black 16.....goes to pink
8....brown 17.....goes to yellow
9....not used 18....goes to.yellow black stripe.............................. THE REST OF THE INFO THANKS TO BRUISR................................................................ This is what I have figured out: (in no specific order other than just listing color and item it relates to). On the printed circuit there are usually 2 contacts for the bulbs, I listed whether the wire in detail is on the top or bottom of the printed circuit twist in bulb, some wires share the same path on the printed circuit.
1. Light green- hi beam (top)
2. Blue/white stripe- oil sending unit (top)
3. Tan- Emergency Brake Works when grounded out.
4. Pink- Common connection (shared by oil, brake, and Tach.
5. This is the Tach lead. (provides the signal from dizzy).
6. not used
7. Black- Common connection shared with Tachometer (middle of tach), and hi beam (bottom).
8. Brown- Amp meter (Lower)
9. not used- This is the top connection for the amp meter.
This is also the location for the volt gauge connections.
10. Blue- Right turn signal (top)
11. Gray- Common connection right turn signal (Bottom)
12. Light Blue- Left turn signal (top)
13. Tan- Fuel level indicator (top)
14. Green- Temperature gauge (top)
15. not used- This is the tailgate ajar light. (top)
16. Pink- Common connection. (Fuel,Temp. and Tailgate)
17. Yellow- Seat belt (top)
18. Yellow/ Black stripe (bottom)
If you ground out the yellow wire #17 the buzzer will sound.
As listed above, if your cluster uses an amp meter instead of a volt meter you can add your own wires to make the gauge work.
Also, If your cluster doesn't have a TACH, and you would like to add one, keep the tach in the cluster, and look at the back of it to see which studs connect to the printed circuit. Mark them, then follow the above and you can find out which 3 studs of the 6 or 7 are used to operate the tach.

AND MOST OF ALL WELCOME TO THE SITE GLAD YOU SIGNED UP POST A PROFILE AND SOME PICS OF YOUR RIDE ......... THANKS LIMEY

Good to see you made it over.

This is a great topic and I see already some in depth answers. I would like to add these guages to my 74, which doesn't have them (all 3 of my 73s do), but I do have one question before I attempt this. Are the wiring harnesses the same for HEI cars and non-HEI cars? Wouldn't that effect the wiring for the tach?

unless they moved some wires around from year to year, the only difference between the HEI and points cars is the power wire for the HEI cars is a bigger non resistor wire that is red and has the appropriate HEI end on it, and the tach wire has a different plug on the distributor end. the HEI cars also don't have the wire that goes from the coil down to the starter.