Digital Cluster install into a P-Body




Why yes Rob has been up to it again.  This time figuring out how to put a digital cluster into a P-body.  After taking a look at what Chrysler had in the parts bucket and what someone else has done I decided my canidate was the 1987-1989 cluster from a Lebaron or Daytona.  These clusters show up on ebay all the time for $50 or less.  I was lucky and had mine for under $40 shipped.  These clusters look very futuristic for the era of vehicle we are dealing with here in my opinion. 




1987-1989 Daytona/Lebaron Digital Cluster



You have to use the plugs and a section of cable from the Lebaron and wire it into the P-body dash harness so the cluster plugs in. I really hate hacking harnesses so I came up with this:





What I did was take a junk cluster and removed all the pins that the dash harness plugged into and soldered them to the donor pigtail. You'll find the pins on the cluster are hollow.  all I did was insert the wire and add solder.  Now with this done I can  just plug the individual wires into the connectors. You'll notice 3 extra wires with different connectors. Seeing my car is an '89 I don't have the VSS signal, a constant power, or a second dedicated ground in the cluster wiring. So those wires were added to the car.





The picture above is an example of a doner cluster from a P-body that will recieve the digital componants from the Lebaron cluster.  If you don't want to use your origional cluster housing ebay is a good place for a cheap one.  I paid like $16 shipped for one.  That cluster also donated it's pins for the patch cables.

Now on to making the cluster.  Unfortanatly I did not take any pictures during most of this so I'm feeling dumb.  You remove the current instruments and then hollow out all the posts so you have a big compartment with nothing in it.  You'll have to cut some out of the back of the cluster bucket as the digital display will be deeper than the depth the cluster bucket provides.  When your done your finished product will look like 2 pictures below. The circuit board and frame of the digi display will have to be trimmed to fit into the bucket.  Lay the digi panel ontop of the P-body bucket, mark where you need to trim to make it fit, and then cut.  Be careful not to protrude into any traces.  Also make sure to cut out the old warning lamp indicators from the old bezel that way you keep that factory look.  You'll also use this peice as a shelf for the lens later on.


Picture of  Empty P-Body Bucket before Modification



Picture of P-Body Bucket after modification.  Yes you have to cut alot out.  Your shoving alot of electronics in there.


Picture of digi cluster sitting in P-body bucket.


Now on to the vehicle itself.  I found on my 1989 Shadow that the cluster area in the dash did not have enough depth to mount the cluster properly so I took measurements and cut out what I needed to make everything fit together.  A dremel does the job fine.  Slow, but fine.  Be sure to be careful and not cut into the harness that runs close to the bottom left corner.





At this point it is time to take the pigtails and connect them one by one to the existing connectors in the cars harness.  In the other resources section I'll post some diagrams of some of the plugs for what vehicles I have.  Once that is done it is time to install the cluster itself   Plug the connectors into the cluster and bolt into place.  Once the cluster is bolted in place reoriante the display as needed and then use some silicon to hold it in place. 



Now it is time to install the smoked lens,  You'll have to trim the upper right and left corners a tad so it fits in the hole.  Once trimmed to size rest the bottom of it on the lip the old warning lamps provide.  Tape the lens in place with some electrical tape.  You will have to use a peice of electrical tape on the lower right and left corners where the bezel falls short of covering the complete opening in the bezel. Reinstall the origional trim peice.  With this method you loose the buttons to operate the cluster, but I have you fixed there.



What I did was noticed the open spot behind the cluster where the lower half screws to the dash board.  There is two holes there.  Perfect for mounting a couple of momentary switches.  I purchased a package of 4 down at my local Radio Shack for $3.29.  They are their part #275-1547.  I then cut the connector off of the current switch board, added a segment of wire, and assembled it.  My soldering pencil was quite busy.



Now go out there and make some P-bodies gain digital instruments.


Other Resources:

Wiring Diagrams
1988 - 1989 P- Body  Gray connector
1988 - 1989 P- Body  Green connector
1991  P- Body  Gray connector
1991  P- Body  Red connector
Digital Cluster Black Connector
Digital Cluster Natural Connector