There's any number of reasons to switch the gauge cluster on a '73-87 Chevrolet C10 or GMC truck. In the case of the '79 C10 Chevrolet Big 10 CCT readers know as the Americruise truck it was for several reasons. The first reason goes back to a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado I owned in the '90s that had the digital dash cluster option. Reflecting on what I really liked about the Eldo's digital gauge cluster was how precise the readings were, and how easy they were to see. For example, the oil-pressure would read 23 lbs pressure at idle cold and then drop like a stone to 7 or 8 lbs if the Caddy's poor little underpowered 4.1 V-8 was running hot. Looking to the Cad's speedometer and tachometer would reveal exactly how many revs the engine was turning at exactly how many miles per hour. Add this to the fact that the Caddy gauges were easy to read in any kind of light and it becomes clear why I chose a Dakota Digital cluster for my '79 C10, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
 The oil-pressure sending unit...  The oil-pressure sending unit on 305- and 350-inch Chevy engines is at 1 o'clock in relation to the distributor. This a common area for oil leaks to occur, so we made sure the fittings were tightened. |  The Dakota Digital oil-pressure...  The Dakota Digital oil-pressure sending unit must be used, and it is critical no thread sealant is applied because it might interfere with establishing a proper ground. |  The stock water-temp sending...  The stock water-temp sending unit must also be replaced with the Dakota Digital sending unit included with the C10 cluster. It's located on the driver side bank of the cylinder head in between the spark plugs. |
If CCT readers recollect one of the major modifications I did to the '79 in the short three weeks of ownership before I took off across the United States to participate in Americruise was to install a 4L60E automatic overdrive transmission from the guys at Gearstar in Akron, Ohio. Going to the computerized version of the 4L60, designated by the E, meant complete external control of the transmission with a Compushift computer, but the stock C10's mechanical speedometer was history. Not a big deal because the stock speedo needle bounced like a Barbie doll with rubber butt cheeks, so I was looking forward to a good excuse to lose it. Another one of the reasons I won't miss the stock dash cluster is when I remember how hard it was to read while I was blasting down the back roads late at night through Colorado. Having to break out a flashlight to see how much gas was in the truck or if I still had oil pressure was a real pain in the neck (literally, because you really have to bend your neck to do that).
 This is the stock Chevrolet...  This is the stock Chevrolet sending unit and should be saved in case the price of scrap brass ever goes up. The stock Chevrolet fuel gauge sending unit can be reused with the Dakota Digital gauge cluster. |  This is the Dakota Digital...  This is the Dakota Digital sending unit with the necessary thread adapter included in the kit installed. |  Once the new oil-pressure...  Once the new oil-pressure and water-temp sending units were installed we progressed to removing the stock C10 analog gauge cluster. |
Beyond those reasons and the fact Dakota Digital's bright blue numerals look great with the C10's stock blue interior are the features no one ever dreamed a stock analog dash could offer. For instance, the tachometer will recall the highest number of revolutions reached and ditto for the speedometer reading. In addition, 0-60 times can be recorded along with quarter-mile elapsed time and speed. I can hardly wait to make some performance modifications and see if they really made an improvement. Installing the Dakota Digital C10 cluster was pretty simple, but there are some areas to pay special attention to if one wants the job to turn out right.
 It was necessary to remove...  It was necessary to remove all the Phillips screws holding the gauge cluster and the hex-head screws holding the stock blue dashpad down. |  The stock TH350 cable operated...  The stock TH350 cable operated shift quadrant intended for a three-speed auto will be replaced with Dakota Digital's four-speed electronic unit in next month's edition when we install a Dakota Digital compass and thermometer. |  To remove the stock cluster...  To remove the stock cluster it was necessary to disconnect the speedometer cable and unplug the stock gauge wiring harness. |
 The stock gauge wiring harness...  The stock gauge wiring harness will be reused to install the Dakota Digital cluster. The installation and operation manual includes a schematic that provides a list of which color connects to which gauge. |  We cut the stock harness'...  We cut the stock harness' plug off and stripped the color-coded wires at the ends. |  Then we checked to see if...  Then we checked to see if there was 12-volt current flowing to the pink wire with the black stripe. Ignoring something as simple as checking this blown blade-type fuse could have cost us additional time. |