Wanted to find out if anybody has done an instrument cluster swap on a Corona. Not sure if it's a simple plug and play since the gauge layout is a bit different.The current gauge cluster I have on my '81 Corona doesn't have a tach would like to swap out the gauge with one from an '82. Pinout looks a bit different as well. I'd attach a snapshot but can't upload the pics. Appreciate any input on it.

I swapped a later gauge cluster with factory tach in my 79. When I got the cluster at the yard, I took about a foot of harness and the plugs with it. Then I drew diagrams mapping each wire and where it went in the connector plugs and decided to splice all the wires together. So now it all just plugs in like the original. It was time consuming and a lot of work, but it worked and the only issue I have is the tach jumping around a little sometimes - which could be a bad ground or a bad tach.

The alternative is aftermarket gauges, and making a pod for them, or running a tach elsewhere, which, as you know, there is little room for one unless you want it to stand out (and looks out of place, IMHO)

This is how my set up looks now... I made new gauge faces for my factory gauges.

Saw your previous post and awesome build on your Corona! Appreciate the info on wiring the gauges. Aftermarket tach would be another route but prefer the built in look. Also, didn't want to mess up any of the panels since parts for this car are getting harder to come by nowadays.

Thanks, yes, it's hard to find decent parts these days. I've seen a couple cars in the yards and the interior is shot on all of them. I was lucky to get all the parts I needed when I did, and once in a while I pick up a few more parts here and there just to have them.

I liked the factory look, too, and wanted to keep that. I have a trio of gauges that I installed in front of the pass side storage area, I have to add the water temp but have oil press and voltage there. it's not too bad... I think I'm going to try to angle them so they're easier to read, though.

Definitely need those gauges for your track car. My wagon on the other hand is a daily so just trying to keep it roadworthy right now and maybe make changes/upgrades along the way. Another reason I'm swapping the gauge is the intermittent fuel gauge. Could be a grounding/connector issue just like yours.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/51435239@N05/6776524508/

Yeah, you're right about the extra gauges. Plus, I just like having details about things like oil pressure, and an accurate temp gauge. I have a high volume oil pump and it spits the oil out pretty good - about 60-70 psi when I'm running it hard. With a new engine, it's peace of mind to see that needle jump when I go off idle.

Few bucks for a good gauge wouldn't hurt just to make sure the engine is performing as expected. So far my 22r motor is holding up but barely passed smog last time around. Every year they reduce the tolerance on emission so it'll be interesting to see what'll happen next time around.

Yeah, I noticed that too about that smog testing. I was shocked that mine passed, I have a cam, carb, header and the 22R hybrid. All my parts are CARB approved individually, but with all of them combined it's pushing the limits.

I remember seeing an older smog test and how high allowable numbers were, then the last time it was half what it used to be. They just want to get our older cars off the road...

hey, how do u angle the gauges so that they're facing you ?

Funny that you should ask, I was just working on a solution for that this week and will finish it today. The gauges weren't hard to see, but I did want to angle them towards me and that gauge bracket wasn't the best. So I started looking through my arsenal of stuff in the garage and trying to find something that would work. I had thought about a pillar gauge pod, but that would be a crap shoot since I'd have to know which one would have the right angle and size.

Then I went to the shed and grabbed a 2" PVC pipe I had laying around and the gauges fit in perfectly! So I cut three pieces a little longer than the gauges and I mounted them to a 1/2" square aluminum tube I had laying around. The aluminum is to mount them to the panel below the glovebox and raise them up above the edge. I have A/C so you can't go too far back with them.

Here's what I came up with. Click a picture - the pics are large so you can see the details....
You can see the square aluminum tube under the PVC tubes. I had to notch the aluminum tube with a file because there's a support ridge in the panel it needs to clear. The ridge is just like the one below the gauge set in that first pic. You can also see where the PVC tubes are held with a screw to the aluminum tube.


I used epoxy to hold the tubes together, and painted them a satin black.

Aha! now im going to wait, for how does it look mounted under your dash. thanks for sharing!

Here they are installed. The angle is perfect, and they're working great. I used a kit from LC Engineering for the water temp sender, and it mounts in-line with the upper radiator hose. You cut a chunk out of the hose and install a tube with provisions for the sender and a ground wire. The only issue is that until the t-stat opens up, the temp stays low. But once it's open, it gives a pretty accurate reading. These are Summit Racing gauges, and they're okay, definitely not the best quality but okay for the price.

Cluster/Gauge Pics are here, here and here.

Nice work on the gauge pods. Ahhh...the many uses of pvc pipe. Got sidetracked with another project car and used a pvc pipe to tap in a new pinion seal and was thinking it had the right diameter for a gauge pod.

Thanks... Don't you just love PVC? It was a crapshoot that these fit, I had a piece sitting in the shed for a couple years that I never used. And painting them helped make the gauges fit a little more snug.

It's a nice fit for the gauges.. they won't fit anywhere else, and I don't want them on top of the inst panel or on the pillar.