which gauge cluster would you get?/what would you do?

[SS Shaun]

well incase you didnt know i am going LS1/t56 in my chevelle. i am searching and saving for all of my parts. so i was looking online and i remembered the t56 doesnt have a mechanical port for me to plug in the stock speedo cable. so i searched around and found that it will cost from 700-1000 to get a tail housing that comes with both! so after seeing the cost of the tail housing alone i thought to myself, "what if the tail housing cracks or breaks thats another 700-1000 i have to shell out vs getting a new tail housing for 150-200" so i thought well i can get a new gauge cluster setup. so i found two that i like so i ask you guys which one do you like better? all digital like so
http://www.ss396.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=chevellecamino&Product_Code=VFD3-69C-CVL-B

or all analog like so
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCL-120-69-50041/

i was thinking the one from summit because if it comes with the whole dash that would be sweet!! get a new dash and new gauges already built in..lol i like the digital one because it gives me the option to use the my factory dash and i dont have to worry about cutting or anything. but i like the one from summit (if it comes with the whole dash setup)
so which would you pick?

[70SS396]

I would pick the one from Summit, I like the look of analog gauges.

[RBeckman]

I built my own from ebay parts, I have about $250 into it and that includes the gage pod as I did not want to hack up my original cluster.

1756 1757

[SS Shaun]

ok i like that! do you happen to have any pictures of the back of the gauge cluster? i really like that look.

[RBeckman]

ok i like that! do you happen to have any pictures of the back of the gauge cluster? i really like that look.

I don't think so, but I will look. The back is the original as it is a can, then the back comes off and then I put the 5" gages in and sealed it and replaced the can. It took me less than a hour to do.

Not sure how soon you need it but I will be pulling it out this spring as I have a new radio I need to put in and I can take pics of it then. The only thing I had to buy new was the fuel gage as it never came up on ebay. Everything hooked right up with no issues.

I really like the looks of the white face gages with the white interior and get a lot of compliments on the look. I see a lot of guys do it to Camaros as well.

[fleming23]

I voted for Ground Up only because I don't' like the Covan dash as it covers up the original. I have heard Dakota is supposed to be releasing a new line of analog gauges this year so it might be worth waiting on that if you are interested in just the cluster and don't want to build your own.

[SS Shaun]

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=795/category_id=-1/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd795.htm how about this one?

[fleming23]

That is the one I was referring to. I would probably do a black gauge with which ever letter color appeals to you most. Not sure if I like them more than the factory gauge on a 70-72 but we will see once they are released (not that it matters for your year.)

[RBeckman]

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=795/category_id=-1/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd795.htm how about this one?

Wow, I really like them, for me I'd go with black with blue as it would match the color of my car and I could get rid of the pod under the dash....anyone interested in my white auto meter phantom Gage's? I'm thinking these dashs from dakotadigital will not be cheap.

[SS Shaun]

well i am not getting any of them. The guy at the trans shop lied to me and told me the cost of the repair for my t56 is going to cost me $2600 he told me a shit load of things my trans needs not knowing that i know my stuff about parts and so on. So i told him to just get me a a bill for putting it back together (even tho i saw it in the window still together. so i am going to just sell it off and buy a magnum t56 so i can use my stock gauge cluster so i will not get any of them

[Ms Grumpy]

What a bummer Shaun..

[flash]

I hate it when a shop tries to jack you around ,been there done that .Thats why my truck got pulled from one bodyshop and hauled to another .

[SS Shaun]

yeah man it sucks the dude told me i am going to need 1800 in parts so i asked him what do i need and he told me the following
synco
input shaft
tail housing (cracked so he says)
new third gear
steel three four shift fork

that is going to cost me 1800 in parts! so i replied to him look here
third gear
http://www.thegearbox.org/catalog/item/3838217/3508194.htm
118
input shaft
http://www.thegearbox.org/catalog/item/3838217/3697124.htm
178
syncs with everything else needed and the steel shift fork
http://www.thegearbox.org/catalog/item/3838217/7824166.htm
665
that doesnt even come out to 1000 the tail housing is not listed online but i contacted them and they told me 188 shipped
so that comes to
1149 thats everything he told me i needed. and he was the one that old me he gets all of his stuff from the gear box. so i found them online and i called them. i was not happy at all so i rather just give him the little labor he has put into the trans and just get it back and sell it as a core to someone and just get a magnum trans that has the manual gear to use my stock gauge