Polarity

Nothing happens with the speedometer while driven. Looked under the hood, found a green and white cable labeled "VSS OUTPUT", nothing hooked to it. so I'm guessing I need to run a new cable from "VSS OUTPUT" to speedometer, then get under the car and make sure that connector is there. Thanks again for the help, if you have any other things I should try let me know, otherwise I'll report back when that's done (might be a while, supposed to start getting bad weather here soon from Gustav, expecting power outages for a few days so I'll report back when I can) -polarity

Thanks for all your help deja, I still have no luck getting the tach working so for now I'll try speedo and see. I just hooked up with 12v/VSS/ground and the light comes on the speedo now, looks ok. I'm about to try taking it up the drive way to see if it registers as moving. I'll report back and let you know. -polarity

Will you settle for a cat playing the piano? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clfAq1xSevc&feature=related -polarity

Yeah I got the instructions, I put the speedo down until I get the tach working properly again. Right now I have it hooked up exactly as it was before and nothing. I don't think hooking it up to the 12v connector on the back could have hurt it as there was nothing but VSS and ground hooked up at the time, then again I'm the one here asking questions. Where is the signal for the tach supposed to come from (it was hooked up when I got it). -polarity

I've never gone anywhere close to 199 to have any idea what it would look like, but on youtube I can find videos of a chicken playing the harmonica if I looked hard enough. I don't really believe most of the stuff that is on there. -polarity

Sorry didnt see your reply, here is how the wires are currently run. If you remember the original connector on the back of the cluster that is a circle, looks like he has a wire spliced out of there running to the tachometer. Then a wire running from tach to the metal to ground. Don't see a green/white wire inside the car, he told me he ran a wire for the VSS to the cluster. There was 1 blue wire run straight behind the cluster. I hooked that wire up to the SIG input on the back of the speedometer, also hooked a ground to the same place he has the tach ground. I have my digi cam and can snap any pictures if it would help. Sorry for the confusion but trying to understand how someone else wired it is hard, even harder for you listening to someone else describe how another person wired it. Thanks again -polarity

OK, I'm home from work finally and I found my first mistake. Didn't pay enough attention to where wires were supposed to hook on the back of the speedometer, hooked the VSS up to the 12v plug. Moved it to proper plug and car cranked fine. Now the car cranks but neither the speedometer or the tachometer are working. Tach jumps when I turn the car to ON, jumps again when cranking, then just sinks to 0 instantly. Speedometer does nothing at all, I thought I only needed the VSS and the ground hooked to the speedometer, does it need VSS/12v/ground to work properly? Of all the things I don't understand, wiring is probably my worst.. Any help would be appreciated guys. -polarity

80LT1 talked me about the gauges that could work, the autometer electric gauges should work fine. As far as copying what they did with the tach, when I purchased the car the LT1/4L60e were installed along with a tachometer that works. I just did the same thing they did with cutting the assembly in order to mount the speedometer. Also I was told to put the wire (VSS) to the speedometer and not the computer, apparently something about signal strength? -polarity

Did I miss the part in the video where it actually showed proof he was doing 199 or are we just going by the fact that he says 199 on his youtube video? -polarity

No luck finding paintless here yet, I'm in a pretty small town. So far I can't even find dry ice. Anyone willing to ship some my way if I paypal them the money? Or maybe I'll drive the hour up to Shreveport and see if I can get my hands on some there. -polarity

Thankfully I'm in northern louisiana but they are predeciting it to not be very pleasent here. I'm about an hour outside alexandria. Good luck to everyone right in it's path and I'll see you all here when the power comes back =) -polarity

Hey guys, got my speedometer installed finally and the dash back in, now the car won't crank. Fuel pump comes on, car turns over. But nothing else happens. I was going to disconnect the speedo later today to see if it starts up again. Just curious if anyone had any idea why this might happen. -polarity *Edit: I guess I should add some details. The car is an 81 ZXT with a LT1/4L60e. Had an Autometer tach already installed and working, I copied what they did with the tach to install the speedo (you can see my project under the Members Projects 280zx area, shows how I cut to make it all fit), wire was already run to hook the speedometer up, do I need another wire back to the ECM to make it crank?

Thanks for the info, I'll be going with the SEM. Ordered it this morning along with the cleaner and plastic prep. I'll post pictures when I get it done. -polarity

Anyone know the best brand of paint to buy if I wanted to spray all my interior pieces black (interior is butterscotch right now, I'd like it to be all black)? Did some searches and a few members listed various sprays, just curious if anyone used one and found it was exactly what they were looking for. Also I had a question about the floorboards of the car, is there something I should do to make them more even before applying sound/heat deadener (havent decided on a brand yet) As you can see in this picture http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int1.jpg It's pretty bumpy down there, doesn't seem like the ideal surface for anything adhesive to actually stick. -polarity

I didn't have time to put the dash back in the car, but I did manage to upload a few pictures of what I did. First was to pull the dash out, nothing hard there. Then get the instrument cluster out of the dash, this shouldn't have been hard but with the dash being in such poor condition it kept getting stuck under the lip of the front of the dash (a little confusing sorry). When I started I didn't originally know I was going to need to cut the housing to make it fit, so for anyone else as new as me get ready Once I had the housing completely disassembled it was time to take the trusty dremel tool and get to cutting. First I cut the face big enough to fit the new 5" speedometer. Then it was on the white backing, and finally the little board. Once I tried to assemble it all I noticed I had some issued with the stock gas gauge not fitting. Had to cut a little notch out of my tachometer so it would fit. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, but it my excitement to actually be doing something to the car I missed a few. Honestly this was all very easy once I got started, the hardest part was convincing myself to start the cutting. There are a couple of things I learned though. 1) Even though a dremel tool is pretty basic, some precautions should be taken. First off it sends little flying pieces of burning hot plastic all over the place, so plan accordingly with gloves/cardboard underneath/etc. 2) Just because the wife is out of town that does not suddenly mean the living room is the new shop :shock: and finally 3) When doing something as small as this don't be so scared to start it. Sure I might have just broken my entire instrument cluster but lets be honest, for $30 I can start all over and do it better. So as grumpy said in another thread don't be afraid to jump in and give it a shot. Here are some pictures from while I was working http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash1.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash2.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash3.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash4.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash5.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash6.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash7.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash8.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash9.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash10.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dash11.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/dash/dashdone.jpg Oh and finally yes I know the are different backings, the black one came in the car (where the speedo is now) and I intent on getting an aluminum one to match it. I know it was basic and this was alot of writing for something like that, but sometimes it helps us new guys (I know there are more of us out here =)) to see a beginner stumble through something to show us it's really not that bad. -polarity

Just got in so about to upload photos and do the write up now, and quite honestly I wont know until I get the dash put back in, I managed to get it into the spot it needed to go, not entirely sure if I broke something along the way yet =) I was worried about cutting the stock assembly because of the board everything is hooked to. I'm still using stock gas gauge so I would have to assume that it uses some of the stuff on the board I cut. Because I was using the stock gas gauge I also had to cut into my tachometer to make room for the gauge to fit back into the cluster. Thankfully anything I might have broken could easily be replaced =) -polarity

Hey thanks John, I most likely be contacting you about one of these hoods when I get finished up with my interior. -polarity

Well I went ahead and just did the slice and dice method, got it all mounted. I'll post full details tonight in my project thread but just so this has a conclusion I used a dremel tool to cut the existing housing to make the new 5" gauges fit. It wasn't that bad, but it was alot of cutting. -polarity

Yeah I was asking about the cost of the hood -polarity

Tonight I pulled the dash and started my speedometer install. Used a Dremel tool to cut the housing so everything would fit. I'll post pictures and step by step tomorrow. Got everything mounted, just got to put the dash back in the car tomorrow. -polarity

If you don't mind me asking, what's the cost for one of those hoods. Might turn out to be a better option than trying to get the hail damage out of mine. -polarity

Hey guys, I've posted abit about my car in the s130 members projects area but my question today should be simple. What's the best way to mount the new speedo/tach. Should I just cut up the original to make the new 5" gauges fit or is there a better way. Car is a 280ZX with a LT1/4l60e. Previous owner already put a tach in and basically slice and diced the old mounting spot to make it fit. -polarity

Here are the pictures, sorry for the size I haven't bothered to install any type of program to resize them. Body: http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/body1.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/body2.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/body3.jpg Interior: http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int1.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int2.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int3.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int4.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/int5.jpg Engine: http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/eng1.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/eng2.jpg http://www.lineageclans.net/zx/eng3.jpg -polarity

I bought this car for $3250 with the LT1/4l60e already in and running great. The previous owner listed the following What its got: 1994 LT1 with 4L60e tranny from an 9C1 police caprice. Painless wire harness Rear mount battery JTR engine mount kit Big ceramic coated sanderson headers JTR radiator drive shaft with big chevy jounts at both ends seats from a 85 300zx. 3" single exhaust. Since the car already runs I'm starting with interior, followed by exterior and finally upgrades to the motor. I work 8+ hours a day 7 days a week so my play time isn't that great. To give a quick overview of what I'd like to do over the next couple of months. Interior: 1) Install speedometer so I don't get arrested when driving this thing 2) Dynamat the entire car, hopefully cure some of the heat/sound coming in through the firewall 3) New carpet all around. 4) Need to dye or paint all the plastic pieces in the car, everything is brown I want it to be black. 5) Need to replace or repair dash, also need to clean up wires behind dash and around the car in general 6) Replace seats, haven't decided on replacement type yet. Body: 1) Find a way to get rid of hail damage, so far unable to find a local paintless dent repair person, still looking for other options 2) Purchase ground effects kit, I like the new MSA one (think it was MSA anyway) also think the new G-Nose that's being produced looks exceptionally good. 3) Remove rear bumper and beg Vinh to explain to me how he did the rear end on the Yellow ZX 4) sand and primer, then find a local body shop to do the painting. Motor: 1) Learn about motors, make new plans from there. Next post down will be some shots of the car as it was when I bought it. -polarity

Hey Bobby, can you give me a few tips on fiberglassing the dash? I've been looking on google and it seems pretty straight forward. Pull the dash, sand it down well with 80 grit, then with 150 grit..Apply resin/hardener mix. Smooth with 80 grit then apply again.. and again until it's how you want it.. then sand sand sand sand sand and paint.. Is it better to pull the plastic/vinyl off and use the fiberglass right on the foam? Thanks for the help -polarity