Problems with dash on 87 model

[Will]

Hello all, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.



Firstly, has anyone installed one of those after-market tachometer filters from Mid America? As I am having trouble trying to install mine and the instructions supplied are pretty vague.



And lastly, an attempt to repair a damaged segment on the dash cluster has gone hideously wrong.

The problem was the LED on the right was missing it's middle bar meaning an 8 looked like a 0. Apparently some of the conductive paint on the surface of the LED segments was chipped and when my dad (an electrician) tried to fill the chip with the paint the surface tension was such that the tiny drop spread along the 7 segments of the digit and now it glows 8 all the time.

Rather then risk damaging it again I want to replace the Speedo section of the digital instrument panel. But I am very unlikely to find such a specific part in Australia. I know that many places in the US will repair the whole thing if I send it to them but my car would be out of commission for 6 weeks. I don’t think I could handle 6 weeks without driving my Corvette. I nearly went mad after 2 weeks.

My question is: Is there anyone (company or individual) who could sell me a Speedo cluster? Just the Speedo section of the dash cluster itself. Preferably accepting online orders paid by credit card.

 

[Moonunit 451]

You can try these places.

http://www.tabercorvetteparts.com/parts/clusters.html

http://www.contemporarycorvette.com/

http://www.vette2vette.com/

 

[Alfonso Gomez]

Hello all, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.



Firstly, has anyone installed one of those after-market tachometer filters from Mid America? As I am having trouble trying to install mine and the instructions supplied are pretty vague.



And lastly, an attempt to repair a damaged segment on the dash cluster has gone hideously wrong.

The problem was the LED on the right was missing it's middle bar meaning an 8 looked like a 0. Apparently some of the conductive paint on the surface of the LED segments was chipped and when my dad (an electrician) tried to fill the chip with the paint the surface tension was such that the tiny drop spread along the 7 segments of the digit and now it glows 8 all the time.

Rather then risk damaging it again I want to replace the Speedo section of the digital instrument panel. But I am very unlikely to find such a specific part in Australia. I know that many places in the US will repair the whole thing if I send it to them but my car would be out of commission for 6 weeks. I don’t think I could handle 6 weeks without driving my Corvette. I nearly went mad after 2 weeks.

My question is: Is there anyone (company or individual) who could sell me a Speedo cluster? Just the Speedo section of the dash cluster itself. Preferably accepting online orders paid by credit card.

Try the following site. You can e-mail them: www.unitedradio.com

Good luck!

 

[Will]

Thankyou for you’re input regarding the problems with the digital cluster. One of your links sent me to a site that couldn’t really help me but a link they had sent me to E-bay where I am now bidding for the exact parts I need to replace. I hope I win, as this will save a ton of time and money compared to acquiring a whole new dash cluster. Thanks again



On the other hand I still don’t know how to install this after market tacho filter.:confused

The one it has in now is OK and is not giving me problems..yet.

I am just worried (paranoid if you will) about anything that might cause the digital dash harm, as it is probably the most problematic and yet difficult to repair part on the vehicle. The parts on it seem extremely rare (especially in Australia) due to custom micro-chips and solid state electronics ect (I was lucky enough to obtain the only available working chip board in Australia when my dash completely frizzled out).

I am told this aftermarket replacement from Mid America will protect the tachometer from damage. Its just the instructions suppled are about as well thought out as a barber shop on the steps of a guillotine. I e-mailed Mid America for help but they could not help me.

 

[Will]

Oh no!

;help ;help ;help ;help ;help ;help​

I just realised that my Corvette is Japanese spec. Meaning it was exported from the US to Japan from new. And as such the digital dash only reads out in metric. And now I am about to purchase an speedo LCD plate for a standard US model. The Jap model has km/h on the left side of the bar while the LCD plate Im ordering has mph on the left side. I am extreamly unlikely to find a LCD plate for a Japanesse Corvette so I need to know what part of the system they changed for Japan and swap it for the standard US part which offerd both metric and imperial readings with a switch. Its probably some computer chip but I hope it doensnt mean I need to order a entire US digital dash cluster.​

This is an extremly specific problem and I dont expect anyone has an awnser for me. But as this site is probably the best place in the world for Corvette advice I thorght Id give it a try. I hope somebody here might have some experience with these Japanesse export 87 Vettes and how they differ from the standard ones.

If you guys dont know, nobody knows.

 

[Moonunit 451]

I think you should ask the vendor you're dealing with or contact the General.

 

[Ken Anderson]

;help ;help ;help ;help ;help ;help​

I just realised that my Corvette is Japanese spec. Meaning it was exported from the US to Japan from new. And as such the digital dash only reads out in metric. And now I am about to purchase an speedo LCD plate for a standard US model. The Jap model has km/h on the left side of the bar while the LCD plate Im ordering has mph on the left side. I am extreamly unlikely to find a LCD plate for a Japanesse Corvette so I need to know what part of the system they changed for Japan and swap it for the standard US part which offerd both metric and imperial readings with a switch. Its probably some computer chip but I hope it doensnt mean I need to order a entire US digital dash cluster.​

This is an extremly specific problem and I dont expect anyone has an awnser for me. But as this site is probably the best place in the world for Corvette advice I thorght Id give it a try. I hope somebody here might have some experience with these Japanesse export 87 Vettes and how they differ from the standard ones.

If you guys dont know, nobody knows.

There is no difference between export and US LCD's

 

[Will]

There is no difference between export and US LCD's

I believe this is the standard US Speedo.

The left side of the bar graph is in mph and only goes up to 85mph (Federally mandated law I believe). On the right is kmh which goes up to 130-140kmh.

My one has kmh on the left side of the bar and it goes up to 260kmh. There is no numbering on the right side of the bar. I also do not have that switch in the center console that allows it to convert from kmh to mph and so forth.