The fastest-growing trucks on the custom classic scene today are the '73-87 Chevrolet C-10 and GMC. All you have to do is take a look around your hometown to notice an abundance of prime specimens. Adding fuel to the fire is the ever-increasing presence of top-quality customizing parts available from the aftermarket industry. Thanks to the aftermarket, the challenge of upgrading the appearance and functionality of the late-series C-10's interior due to the factory's use of molded plastic and instrumentation typical for the era can easily be corrected. When it came time for us to address our 454-inch big-block-powered '75 C-10, we started with the part truck owners spend most of their time viewing--the dashboard. Beginning at the top, we replaced our cracked and crusty dash pad with one from Classic Industries of Huntington Beach, California. This not only made our C-10's interior seem like a new truck, it allowed us to opt for a color change as well.
Next in line was to replace the poorly marked or altogether absent factory gauges with precision instruments from Auto Meter. This is where the good folks at Covan's Classic in Cumming, Georgia, enter the picture. For anyone who has ever attempted to customize their dash cluster to accept better gauges, we are sure you all know the extreme hassle created by trying to redesign the dashboard to do so. Now add to this mix the nightmare created by trying to wire in aftermarket gauges to interface with the factory wiring harness, and you have a real mess. This is the beauty of the Covan's Classic gauge cluster kit--you don't have to be a master fabricator or an ace electrician to install quality gauges in your truck. The advantages of Covan's kit are bi-fold: their cluster is designed to accurately and tastefully replace the dated-appearing stock cluster, and their wiring harness is very simple to install. Thanks to a specially designed wiring harness by American Autowire exclusively for Covan's Classic, all you have to do is connect wires that not only match the original factory wires, but are clearly labeled where they should be attached. For example, the color-coded wire that goes to the gas gauge is lettered "gas gauge," and the water temp wire is lettered "water temp."
When it came time to install the Covan's Classic cluster kit, there were several things we learned that will make installs a lot easier. Follow along as we move from step to step, and when you are done, your truck will have the best-looking and most functional late-C-10 dash cluster on the market.
Our stock Scottsdale instrument...
Our stock Scottsdale instrument cluster's plastic bezel is hazy, and the dials are obscured from years of use. It contains the optional factory gauges, which are better than a base-model truck, but they have a minimum of numeric markings... How cold is C, and how hot is H?
Since we were replacing the...
Since we were replacing the dash pad at the same time we were installing the Covan's Classic gauge cluster, we started by removing all the chrome Phillips mounting screws.
With the screws removed, the...
With the screws removed, the next step was to lift the dash pad up while pulling it away from the windshield. The only possible snag was the dash pad, which had to be twisted to clear the A/C/heater vent.
Here's the new black dash...
Here's the new black dash pad from Classic Industries displayed in comparison to the cracked original blue dash pad.
We had to remove the six retaining...
We had to remove the six retaining clips from the old dash pad to reuse on the new one. The first step was to use a fillister blade (flat) screwdriver to pop the rear of the clip upward.
The second and final step...
The second and final step was to twist the clip counterclockwise while gently lifting with the flat screwdriver.
The six retaining clips were...
The six retaining clips were ready to reinstall.
Where the dash material was...
Where the dash material was thin around the opening for the clips, it was easy to install the clip by hand and then drive it home with the flat blade screwdriver.
The more difficult clips were...
The more difficult clips were installed with the screwdriver handle's butt.
We held off reinstalling the...
We held off reinstalling the new dash pad until we had removed the stock dash cluster. Instead, we prepared to install the Covan's Classic cluster kit.
All Covan's Classic products...
All Covan's Classic products are also available through Classic Industries. Here's an overview of the '73-87 C-10 kit before we started our installation.
The cluster had to be completely...
The cluster had to be completely assembled before it was ready to install. We started with the Auto Meter tach and speedo, making sure we had the correct wiring as explained in Covan's instructions.
Next, we installed the four...
Next, we installed the four smaller gauges (gas, oil pressure, voltage, and water temp).
The gauges were left loose...
The gauges were left loose enough to spin in their hole. We tightened them down after aligning them.
We felt installing all the...
We felt installing all the ground wires first and then the pink ignition wires (hot) was best before installing the individual color-coded gauge wires to the S (sender) terminal on the gauges.
Notice how the wires are identified....
Notice how the wires are identified. These are ground wires.
We crimped the terminal with...
We crimped the terminal with Klein crimpers, ensuring the split in the terminal was opposite the crimper's jaw. This is the correct way to crimp terminals.
Before attaching the turn...
Before attaching the turn signal, brake, and high-beam wires to the LED indicator lights, we had to determine where they would be placed on the dash cluster.
Not included in the cluster...
Not included in the cluster kit, but available through Covan's, was this electric speedometer adapter from Dakota Digital.
We used a universal mounting...
We used a universal mounting strap as a template to evenly drill the four holes.
Covan's Classic specified...
Covan's Classic specified a 5/32 drill bit to mount the four LEDs. We drilled from the front so the burst plastic would face the rear of the cluster.
We had to clean up the burrs...
We had to clean up the burrs on the holes after they were drilled by hand-twisting a Dremel stone.
One of the last steps before...
One of the last steps before we were ready to route the color-coded wires to their corresponding locations was to plug the two harnesses included in the Covan's Classic cluster kit.
The second plug contained...
The second plug contained the lead for the tachometer, which ran to a terminal marked "tach" on the 454's HEI distributor.
After we mounted the Covan's...
After we mounted the Covan's Classic dash cluster to the dashboard by using long self-tapping Phillips screws, we pressed and tapped the new dash pad into place and reinstalled the original screws.
The Dakota Digital electronic...
The Dakota Digital electronic speedometer sending unit bolted in place of the stock mechanical unit on our 700R4 tranny.
Our stock mechanical oil-pressure...
Our stock mechanical oil-pressure gauge's oil-filled line was replaced with an Auto Meter electronic sending unit, then the color-coded wire marked "oil pressure" was connected to it.
The last gauge was the water...
The last gauge was the water temperature. We replaced the original mechanical sending unit probe in the 454's cylinder head with Auto Meter's electric probe, then connected the color-coded wire marked "water temp" to the probe. In an upcoming issue, we'll install custom A/C vents and a high-end radio head unit into our Covan's Classic dash cluster. Notice that the mounting holes are blanked out--cool, huh?