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Z28 Clusters for '94-'96 Caprice/9C1/Impala SS and '94-'96 Roadmasters

96066 Views 63 Replies 25 Participants Last post by  juniorwatson
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PLEASE email me at [email protected] with any questions or to place an order.

I have been building, installing, and shipping Z28 Clusters for our beloved Caprices/9C1s/Impala SS since April of 2001. Here is a revised post for the Z28 Clusters I currently offer.

For the ’94-’96 Chevy:
I take one of my Z28 Clusters, build my own custom harness so it plugs into your dash connectors, trim the outside of the housing, check and clean all of the bulbs, check the calibration of all the needles, set the odometer to whatever you want. I include a tach signal wire with the correct PCM pin (except the ’96 Impala SS since the car is already wired for the tach signal). Included is a polished (used) lens, and can also install white needles in place of the red needles (think ’96 Impala SS) as an option.

Please note that you lose the Low Washer Fluid, Change Oil, Door Open & Gate Open (wagons) and Low Fuel lamps. You also no longer have a PRNDL with the Z28 Cluster (perfect for floor shift conversions or 6-speed cars). Also, to allow the Z28 Cluster’s oil pressure gauge to display actual oil pressure on civilian cars, you will need to replace the oil pressure switch with a 9C1 oil pressure sending unit, and remove a factory resistor in the wiring harness above the glove box.

Typical Installation



Gray painted gauge separator



Acrylic stick-on PRNDL



Pricing for the Chevy is as follows:
’94-’96 Caprice/9C1 and ’94-’95 Impala SS for $335 shipped (within the 48 States) with used polished lens and paid via US Postal Money Order. $350 if paid via PayPal Friends & Family only.
’96 Impala SS (which includes my purchasing a tach signal divider and building it into the harness so the tachometer displays properly) for $460 shipped with used polished lens and paid via US Postal Money Order. $475 if paid via PayPal Friends & Family only.
Gray painted gauge separator $50.
Fresh white or fluorescent red needles $25.
9C1 oil pressure sending unit $35.

You can save $50 off the above pricing if you already have your own Z28 Cluster and send it to me, I will complete the above listed modifications and ship it back to you.
If you can send me the connectors from a digital B-body cluster you can save an additional $25.

****

For the ’94-’96 Buick Roadmaster (sedan and wagons):

I take one of my Z28 Clusters, build my own custom harness so it plugs into your dash connectors, check and clean all of the bulbs, check the calibration of all the needles, and set the odometer to whatever you want. I assemble it all with one of my custom faceplates in matte black. I include a tach signal wire with the correct PCM pin, and a used polished lens. I can also paint the faceplate whatever color you can provide me, or cover the faceplate with (stick-on) carbon fiber or woodgrain (to closely match the Roadmaster interior woodgrain). In keeping with the Buick factory gauge look, I can also install white needles in place of the red needles as an option.

Please note that you lose the Low Washer Fluid, Change Oil, CRUISE, Door Open, Gate Open and Low Fuel lamps. You also no longer have a PRNDL with the Z28 Cluster (perfect for floor shift conversions or 6-speed cars). Also, to allow the Z28 Cluster’s oil pressure gauge to display actual oil pressure, you will need to replace the oil pressure switch with a 9C1 oil pressure sending unit (no additional wiring involved in the Buick).

Matte black painted



Gray (stick-on) carbon fiber



Red (stick-on) carbon fiber



Bill Crovo’s installation… check out the woodgrain match



Mockup of PRNDL and CRUISE indicator on a ’93 Z28 Cluster



The pricing for the Roadmaster is as follows:
’94-’96 Buick Roadmaster (Sedan or Wagon) with matte black faceplate for $435 shipped (within the 48 States) and paid via US Postal Money Order.
$450 is paid via PayPal Friends & Family only.
Other (than matte black) painted color faceplate adds $25.
Fresh white or fluorescent red needles $25.
PRNDL installed $75.
CRUISE indicator $75.
9C1 oil pressure sending unit $35

You can save $50 off the above pricing if you already have your own Z28 Cluster and send it to me, I will complete the above listed modifications and ship it back to you.
If you can send me a ’94-’96 Roadmaster cluster (or the connectors from a ’91-’96 Roadmaster cluster) you can save an additional $25.

PLEASE email me at [email protected] with any questions or to place an order.

Thank you for looking.
Gary
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[SNIP]

I added the green Led lights to match the green lights in the HVAC and factor radio.
The cluster is just sitting in there for now, I gutted the Ruby red interior and installing a complete Grey Impala SS Interior

Thanks Gary
Can you tell me how many LED lights are required for this?

I was going to go into more of a thread but then decided it was best to go into it's own in the interior section, and not fill Gary's post with my questions.

It's over here: What LED 194s for Cluster/Gauge replacement
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Do these things fit the impala SS without any gaps between the cluster and the trim? It's hard to tell by the pictures.
The only thing is I have to push up on the top-right area to fully see the odometer.
I didn't use the foam rubber trim pieces that were suggested for use on each side. Here's a pic of the finished install, but I WILL follow-up with a pic without the cluster trim showing the Aluminum mounting brackets I made (Sorry you can only see one, but it's a MUCH better way to install. NOT using that lame plumber's tape that was shown in '1FineCaprice's' write-up.

P.S. The Stainless Braided hose was moved to the LH side for the oil PSI Gauge, it's just hangin out temporarily during the install. I Used a hole saw and made a hole on the LH-side by the nylon wire tired tachometer wire.

I installed the 7 clear LEDs, as well as the 1 blue for High-beams, and (2) greens for turn signals. It came out perfect, just took some patience using the air operated sawzall (Mini) to cut the sides of the dash an NOT remove the top dash for install.

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Why is your trim piece bent like that?
The black cluster bezel? Because I had the two gauge holes already drilled in that piece, and the oil pressure gauge hits the bottom of the cluster. I went to a junnkyard Saturday, and couldn't find a replacement, so I lived with it. I wasn't about to pay $40 online for that piece, when I can live with it the way it is.

Also, what I was asking is, is there a gap on either side of the cluster between it and the trim piece. It looks like there is. And I remember reading before about filling it with foam. Which seems ghetto to me.
I had read that in the instructions, and I don't believe there is, at least I don't notice it. It's black, the cluster is black. I don't see it, and I decided not to use the black foam top 'dress up' that area.
That's not a gap?
It is and IDGAF. I'm not looking at the far left-side of the cluster as I'm driving.

As I stated I imagine it's mostly due to my Oil PSI gauge pushing on the cluster. It's installed it works great, I don't show my car so I could not care less.
I'm not asking if you care or trying to criticize your car. I'm asking to be sure for myself, because that would drive me crazy.
Sorry if I was a little upset when I wrote that reply, I had an A-HOLE I work with question what I did, and told my boss that I didn't do a procedure when I have a sign-off sheet and data to back up what I did.

Also no I don't think it has anything to do with your oil psi gauge. It's because the cluster is a completely different shape than the stock one. They all look like that I've just never been able to really be sure with the lower quality pics posted online. That's why they come with foam to shove in the hole.
After thinking about it, I'd agree. I'm sure I could have cut a little more of the stock plastic back-dash part, and then made my mounting hole to the back dash thru my aluminum brackets in a higher location to therefore bring the cluster down. Then I could have done something with the right-side.

Thanks for answering my questions. I think I'd be better off with a gauge pod and a tach on the A pillar.
I was excited about having it installed, and getting my complete lower dash back together, since I've had the two mechanical gauges out, along with the cluster bezel for a few months. I also redid the headliner in black, had all the seatbelts serviced, with the front ones getting new black webbing, wet sanded and painted the A, B, and C pillar, and front and rear rocker panel cover plastic parts in flat black, and installed new stainless steel screws to mount the respective pieces. Then I installed LED light bulbs in the headliner center, as well as the two rear lights @ the clothes hanger hooks.

I actually found my 'White Whale" in a local junkyard about a month ago. It's a cherry-red lower dash complete with no broken tabs for $16!! In the eventuality that I install a new stereo, and paint the lower dash gray, I will prob. tweak the cluster mounting at that time.

I'm picky about the stuff I do, but this doesn't bother me, so I'm just going to ride with it.
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I don't blame you. I'm just too OCD. I'd focus on it and it would drive me crazy. The roadmaster fitment is a lot better. Too bad they can't fit our cars like that!
Well I thought I'd follow-up with this post letting y'all know that I will be pulling things back apart over Christmas break (Or sooner, time depending), and adjusting the brackets I made, or making them over all together.

At that time, I'll take measurements and make a detail drawing of them. Yeah, even though this is an older thing to do on our cars, I figure I'll document it anyway.

I need to get back into the dash/radio area anyway, and replace the current corded microphone for the cell phone, to a better one. And since I'll be in the neighborhood, I'll take a little more time, and see if I need to do more cutting on the stock inner-dash area or, just re-fab my brackets or mounting holes.
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