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Hey all,
I have a dash question. Has anyone installed a Dakota Digital dash in their Cutlass? If so, did you do it yourself?
How hard is it? Are you happy with it?
I have a 1970 Cutlass Supreme convertible and was thinking of making the change.
I have a VHX system in my 72 vista cruiser. It is not too difficult to install, and I am very happy with it. You will need to run the oil pressure and engine temperature sending units from the kit. Assuming you are running a factory speedometer cable, you will need to install the speed sensor from the kit as well. Otherwise, you can pull the VSS signal directly from the sensor in the trans if you are running a more modern transmission. The kit comes with harnesses for the sensors, but you will need to find a place to mount the control module and run all of the inputs from the factory harness (turn signals, dash lights, fuel level sensor, battery power, ignition power, ground, and high beam input at least). The dash also has provisions for a cruise control light, check engine light and others that you may want to use depending on what all you are upgrading on the car. Once you get it up and running there are a few setup steps you will need to go through, but they are explained pretty well in the directions. The thing I like most is the expandability of the system. Not only can you set warning levels for the gauges, but with additional expansion modules and sensors you can read pretty much anything you want from the gauges. These also have adjustable warning levels, so if something like fuel pressure drops below a certain value you will get a blinking warning on the dash. I am reading gear shift position, fuel rail pressure, trans temp, power steering temp, and the pressure from my air tank in addition to all of the standard VHX gauges.
Below you can see some of the wiring associated with the control module Obviously there is a lot more going on back there than just the VHX stuff but the control module is the big box in the center.
I have DD VHX-1014 gauges in my '67. The plastic of my stock dash broke if it was touched. I mounted them in an aluminum panel. They work well and have been no trouble.
