matttrakker350 Posted April 15, 2005 Report Posted April 15, 2005 Hey everyone, I just found this message board and can't believe I did! Awesome! The last time I looked online about these cars I didn't find much at all, but that was about 2 years ago. Might as well introduce myself, I'm Matt from Boston and I just got an 89 GP LE coupe from my dad for 100 bucks that's been sitting in our driveway for like 2 years. He stopped driving it because he became pissed at the brake problems after getting new calipers about 3 times... Plus my little brother had taken it without permission once and got rear ended, so the trunk, taillights, fillerpanel, and back bumper are from an SE and are all a different color. It looks pretty ghetto. (Ironically my little brother now has a white 95 GP SE coupe thats actually pretty nice.) Anyway, I have a 74 Impala Sport Coupe and an 88 GMC Suburban 3/4 ton, and I wanted a cheap 3rd veh. to drive and fix up a little that actually got good gas mileage unlike my other vehicles, and well, you get the idea... It needs a few things like paint and interior work, brakes, struts, all the usual stuff for these cars that breaks, but the drivetrain is great. My first question is about the digital gauge cluster. The thing broke when my dad was still driving the car, and he just used it that way for about a year and a half. I took the whole dash apart (a year ago when my dad was thinking about fixing up the car) and have the cluster ready to be removed. For one I can't get the connector apart. How do I do this without breaking it? I haven't looked at it recently but I remember it being a PITA. Second, I don't want to replace it with another digital cluster, I hear they suck and always break like this. I want to put in an junkyard analog cluster from a 91-92ish (?) GP. I hear they don't break nearly as often, and i think they look nicer. Will this just bolt right in and plug in too, no problem, or do I have to mess with wiring and the ECM and all that stuff? I'm hoping it just plugs in, I know the dash is the same basic design 'till about '93. Hope someone can help, I want to fix this car up! I can't wait to get to browsing thru all the past topics here and find out some good info. Thanks in advance, Matt Quote
jeremy Posted April 15, 2005 Report Posted April 15, 2005 Welcome x2 I can't wait to get to browsing thru all the past topics here and find out some good info. Someone is going to use the Search button?!?!?!?!?!?!? Quote
Albion Posted April 15, 2005 Report Posted April 15, 2005 Someone is going to use the Search button?!?!?!?!?!?!? Oi! I use that handy little button all the time! :shock: Albion. Quote
3pt1lumina Posted April 15, 2005 Report Posted April 15, 2005 Sup man? Welcome. Post some pics especially of the Impala! Quote
Stevo Posted April 15, 2005 Report Posted April 15, 2005 Welcome X3 If you want brake calipers that dont seize. Find ones with non-metal sliders. Quote
DrRodey Posted April 16, 2005 Report Posted April 16, 2005 Welcome X4 But unlike the others i'll actually answer your questions. The different gauges will be exactly the same as the digital only..well.... analog and not digital. Bolt in the same, connections are the same yadda yadda yadda. As far as getting the connector out of the current one. I believe there is a locking tab on it, been a while since I ripped the dash appart on one, but if you press that tab in and give a good yank it should come right out. Hope that helps Dan. Quote
Dirty Rockstar Posted April 16, 2005 Report Posted April 16, 2005 Im not going to multiply anything.. Welcome to the board.. Quote
matttrakker350 Posted April 16, 2005 Author Report Posted April 16, 2005 Thanks for all the replies you guys. I'll start looking for an analog cluster ASAP. I'm sure I can find out you to unhook the connector and whatever, I was mainly worried about the analog cluster not cooperating with the rest of the harness or the ECM or something. I actually got the car running yesterday, I dumped a few gallons of fresh gas with some of this Seafoam fuel additive stuff, the car fired right up, I let it run for a few hours to charge up a junk battery I tossed in it for now, then I drove it around the block a few times with no plates on it. It drove awesome! Even with the bad back calipers, which are grinding, it still stopped good. It runs great as well, you can't even tell it's running when you're in "Drive" with the brakes on, it's very smooth. I think I can actually register it the way it is and then fix it up. I'll post some pics of my Impala in the "Other" forum. Quote
GP1138 Posted April 16, 2005 Report Posted April 16, 2005 I think you have to re-wire a lot of stuff to use the Analog cluster. The analog cluster was introduced when the headlight/wiper switchpods were changed to paddles instead of pushbuttons, and those pods are not interchangable between Analog and Digital cluster cars. Ask me how I know. Anyway, nice pickup.. that sounds exactly like my old Grand Prix LE, my dad actually left a dent in the passenger front fender from when he tried to change brake pads. Transmission leak after a blown engine and rebuilt transmission (Aamco :x ) made him finally give up on the damn thing. So I then inherited it after deciding that the Neon I was fixing up for myself at the time sucked balls. In her heyday, she was very very pretty, I think. And this is what became of her. I still miss her to this day, but I like my new car just as much! Hope you get her working! PM 92PettyEdition, he's got a digital cluster I sold him that is in perfect working condition, it's got 196k on the OD, but if that doesn't bother you, I'm sure he'd be willing to sell it to you! Quote
matttrakker350 Posted April 16, 2005 Author Report Posted April 16, 2005 My car is the exact twin to the one in the pic you posted. Same wheels and everything. What if I just pull some of the wiper and headlight control pods off of another car I get a cluster from? is it the outlets behind them that are different? I've taken them off before. I suppose I could just scanvenge everything and then just see what I need. I wouldn't be surprised if my car already had that mileage anyway. The car had 68K original miles in 98 when my dad bought it at a Pontiac dealer, the cluster went out at about 130K, and he drove it ALOT of miles after that happened. Quote
GP1138 Posted April 16, 2005 Report Posted April 16, 2005 Yes, I think the female end of the connector is different, as in the male end has contacts in different places where the female end doesn't. You'll have to look, I can't remember. I'd honestly just throw a working digital cluster in there, you'll miss having the digital speed display. I know I did, until I got the HUD for my new car. Glad to have another early Grand Prix! I love the color combo! Quote
matttrakker350 Posted April 22, 2005 Author Report Posted April 22, 2005 Thanks for all the info, I decided not to keep this one for myself, but might look for a newer 95-ish one like my little brothers car. I'm looking at a 97 Bonneville too. I just need the time to work on my Impala! My dad is keeping the 89 and I'm going to help him put it on the road. I can't believe how little work this car needed after sitting for so long. My dad asked at an inspection station we usually go to down the street about the cluster problem and if it would pass inspection like that, the guy said he'd give him a break, so I wouln't be surprised if the car is registered and on the road next week, LOL. I'm going to look around for a working digital cluster too anyway, see what I can find.... Thx Matt Quote
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted April 22, 2005 Report Posted April 22, 2005 I have a working digital cluster from 1988 Grand Prix. ~170k miles or so on it. PM me if your interested Quote
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