yesterday my buddy who used to own my trans am gave me a gauge cluster he got at a swap meet. it came out of an 86 or 87 T/A with an LB9. it has a 140 mph speedo, a little better than my 85 mph with a trip odometer. only problem is, the speedo is electric, and my trans am's is cable. can i swap the sending units on the tranny and have the electric speedo work without a computer, or is it controlled by the computer? mine is sort of not in the car anymore

 

ttt

 

on manual cable setup, there is rotating cable that physically connects the speedo gear to the speedometer on the instrument cluster. ecm receives the vehicle speed sensor (vss) readings from an optoelectric sensor next to a spinning slotted wheel on the back of the speedometer.

when going to the electric sender, remove the mechanical cable from the tranny and replace with an electric sender. pick up some tranny fluid ahead of time as you're likely to loose a few quarts in the process. wire then needs to be run from the new vss sender to the speedometer cluster and to the ecm.

wiring diagrams for selected f-bodies are avaliable in the technical article section of this site.

 

i don't have an ecm anymore, though. it was ditched during the 350 swap. so does that mean i can't use the speedometer?

 

since you don't have an ecm anymore, the only places you'll need to send a vss signal to are to the speedometer cluster & to the cruise control servo (if so equipped).

if the vehicle is a daily driver, you might consider adding a fuel injection system to it. would get considerably better fuel economy and easier starting than with the current mechanical carberator setup.

 

thanks. that makes me feel a whole lot better. now i can't wait to get that speedo hooked up and see how long it takes to get to 140
not interested in fuel injection. too many sensors to break, too much for a tpi setup. besides, i already got my carb and manifold. just need to get the cam bearings replaced and the cylinders honed, then that 350 is gettin back on the road, makin children and small animals run for cover. im stickin with my carb and vacuum distributer all the way

 

in massachusetts, 1984 and later cars have to be tested for smog under simulated load conditions (rolling smog dyno). a holley double pumper & 350 with a wild cam is unlikely to pass.

safety check is every year, smog check is every other year. 1983 & prior vehicles are smog exempt.

after 60 days of having an expired inspection sticker, the dmv computers automatically suspend the offending car's registration.

 

n/m