jpc647

I have been considering buying a set of aftermarket Rally Pack Gauges for my 1972 cutlass s. I know the rally packs themselves are $429 plus 109 for all the senders and what not. My question is, the parts place sells a harness for(part number WH4003T) for $470 which is the dash harness. Is this the full dash harness or just a section for the rally pac?

I guess what I'm asking is my car never had these gauges from the factory, it had the clock delete. Can this repop gauge be put right in or do I need other things? Obviously I need the extra senders and what not, but do I need the $470 harness or do I need the $36 harness (WH4199T). I'm checking the parts place because year one wants like 700 and change for the same setup. I'm not sure why there is a price difference though.

Anyone know exactly what I need? I'm just trying to figure out how much adding the rally gauges would cost me.

My442

The only difference on the dash harness is to swap 2 pins in the connector to the gauge. See attachment.

You woll need the senders, a 45 degree fitting for the oil sender, and a tach harness.

It is a strait forward swap.

Lady72nRob71

I did this swap and learned a lot.

Forget the costly wire harnesses. All you need is a wire and fuse holder to go from the tach to the coil, and a home-brew wire harness for the tach power and backlights power. Some 1/4" wiring loom can be used to protect the tach wire and make it look pro / pretty. I ran mine through an existing harness.
The 72 should have already have the connectors for the clock power and lights power, in case the optional clock was ordered. If you can use a soldering iron and install crimp connectors, this will all be a cinch for ya.

To wire the gauges cluster, some wires int he connector need to be rearranged - VERY easy!

The senders can be had at your local parts store for about 20 bucks total. (Be sure to get the ones for gauges - not idiot lights.) The hard-to-find 45 brass elbow will cost about 25 - get it from the place that sells the repros. Their expensive senders are not special at all. In fact, some people had issues with them.

See my other thread "brightening the repro rally pac" for fixing the dim backlights (if applicable).
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post130178

I can walk you through this - it is pretty easy and quite rewarding when done!

jpc647

It'd the help. So all I would really need is the gauges themselves. If I wanted to use thier harness, in case, is it the cheaper $37 one or the $470 one?

I'm a newbie when it comes to Oldsmobiles, I'm only 19 and its my first classic.

Lady72nRob71

The $37 harness is just the wire that goes from the tach to the coil. It also has a fuse holder for a 2A fuse. One could make this for less than 5 bucks in 30 minutes.
The $470 harness is way overkill and is opening a huge can of very active worms. And if it comes from the parts place, something would be wrong with it also (like not working in your year car).... Avoid this one and save a lot of $$ and frustration.

What a nice car to have at age 19! You will get lots of help from this site.

jpc647

Just for refence then, what does the 470 harness actually consist of? Is the part place not a good place to buy things? You said if it comes from thre it might have something wrong with it? Explain, please?

Lady72nRob71

I have had issues with the PP for selling things that were supposed to be "just right" for my car, only to find out it was correct for a 69 and not a 72. They said it was correct, but not year correct. See where this is going? My power window conversion thread shows what dealing with them is like. I argued withthem so long and loud, the guys next to me at the office were wondering........ I finally got my way, but the PW regulators required lots of mods.

The tach wire for 37 bucks can be had to hook the tach to the coil.

The second harness that you need would only be to hook up 12V to the tach and dimming 12V to the lights in the tach. The car harness connectors should be right there behind the clock delete plate. You will need to make up two simple 12 inch wires that have a spade terminal on one end and a ring terminal on the other. I will see if I have a picture of mine.

I cannot see you paying $470 for two or three wires, and then having to rewire the whole dashboard also. This sounds like this is a complete underdash harness. Who knows what this harness really came off of or what it really fits! I bet the PP does not really know either and would not chance it.

As for the gauge cluster, the connector is the same, but some of the wires need to be moved around. Using a small (regular) bent paperclip, unlock the tabs of the pins and put the wires in the order like in the picture My442 had posted above. This only sounds difficult, but it will be very easy - promise!
Details of removing the wires fromt he connector can be found here: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...t-working.html