1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham

[gdouaire]

And then, re-arranging the cluster. You have to be careful ---- the wires for the cruise-control speed censor may complicate things if they are not well tucket behind.



I had to drill a hole in the clear plastic bezel -- because the one I had bought on ebay was not good enough.

And this is the final setup. Happy... :

 

[gdouaire]

Cluster looks good -- short of having the proper reset knob on the trip odometer... but that's a detail (for now... until I get annoyed!).

The other thing is that now - I have everything in miles - guessing that the speedometer is Ok and will give me the right data to evaluate fuel economy -- which is at the center of my project.

 

[littlerascle59]

So this is the swap, the old and the new:


I followed the usual link, very well done -- http://tech.oldsgmail.com/eint_rallye_swap.html

The first step was to add the green and blue mica to get the correct color for the turn signal and high beams:


The next one was to adapt a "PRNDL" indicator to my cluster, as the one I bought on ebay did not have any. I shopped for an indicator by size, finally settled for a Citation "PRNDL". I drilled holes and used mini-screws to fasten everything together. I used some leftover aluminium bracket to make sure the stuff stayed in place:


I used LED bought online - very cheap - to replace the original bulbs. LED's are polarized -- need to test them to make sure you are connecting them OK - + on + and - on -.

Question
Why did you have to drill holes to make the indicator stay in place? I have an indicator that I'm adding to my rallye cluster too but I haven't installed yet. I thought their was a place where it could be bolt with 2 7mm screws without any mods...
Also, how did you attach the clip that connects to the tiny cable to the column?

 

[gdouaire]

Question
Why did you have to drill holes to make the indicator stay in place? I have an indicator that I'm adding to my rallye cluster too but I haven't installed yet. I thought their was a place where it could be bolt with 2 7mm screws without any mods...
Also, how did you attach the clip that connects to the tiny cable to the column?

I used a Chevrolet Citation PRNDL - custom fit... maybe a different unit would have been easier. A stock Cutlass unit is a direct bolt-on like you said.

I my case, for the cable, I recycled the one from the non-rallye cluster and it worked fine.

 

[RunAwayNJ]

Which LED bulbs are those you got on ebay? - I've been looking and can't seem to find the right ones.

 

[gdouaire]

Which LED bulbs are those you got on ebay? - I've been looking and can't seem to find the right ones.

These are the ones I used:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/400548135561?ssP ... 1497.l2649

They work fine and have proper intensity. The polarity is a bit tricky -- looks like the side with the long terminal is negative, and the positive side has a short terminal, but sometimes the length are almost equal. Need a 9v battery to test to make sure you get them right. These will fit perfectly in the OEM sockets - that's what I used.

 

[gdouaire]

And a note on these LED's - you can't "dim" these... adjusting the intensity of the cluster light does nothing at all. I can live with it.

 

[gdouaire]

Today, more spending - got a full used suspension kit for a 1987 GN for my Cutlass...

And when we say "used", I mean barely used. All of it for 400$.



Original ad description:

1987 Buick Grand National suspension parts removed when it had about 1100 KM on it. Parts included as follows: front and rear sway bars with factory stickers, 4 coil springs and 4 Delco-Bilstein OEM gas shocks. Will fit all 1979 thru 87 Buick Regal 2 door coupes. Fits same year Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Malibu and El Camino models. Parts are in excellent condition. If you are restoring a Grand National or want enhanced handling, this is a nice set-up. $425.00 for all indicated

 

[gdouaire]

I used my spare engine to check for the clearance of the oil pressure gauge - planned to use a 90o 1/8 NPT fitting.


However, found out the stock sensor (center in image below) has different thread - looks like 1/4 NPT, but I'm no expert. The sensor they sold me on eBay (left) looks like a thing that would fit a SBC engine. whatever. In need of a 1/4-1/8 reducer. On the right, is the 90o fitting to clear the block. Was looking for a 45o but hardware stores don't carry them.


Furthermore - was curious about these 3 wires on the stock oil sensor -- left it unplugged and everything works fine. Some say it cuts off the fuel pump when the oil pressure is low, but with a mech pump, no clue what that should be doing.

 

[gdouaire]

oh - this morning, driving with the oil pressure sensor unplugged to test - it looks like keeping this unplugged is interfering with the electric idle operation - it stays on. Will further investigate that. May also be related to the fact that it was very cold this morning.

Either way - a 1/4 NPT tee + 1/4 to 1/8 reducer could solve the issue, running the gauge sensor + the old switch in parallel.