GNX inspired dash

I found the paper on Ebay. I'll try to find out who. I bought the stuff a while back. Thanks.
 
Thanks guys my new speedo got shipped out today so as soon as it gets here I’ll do a how to on the wiring.
The carbon fiber look is cool I wanted to do a complete carbon fiber interior for mine but I just don’t have the time. You can get the carbon look tape from tape works I use to get stuff from them for motorcycles a lot before I learned how to lay the real thing.
There is a graphics place down the road from me I’m thinking of getting them to cut me an over lay for it so that it matches the factor overlays better or Ill paint it gloss black the anodizing just looks off to me.
 
I found the paper on Ebay. I'll try to find out who. I bought the stuff a while back. Thanks.

Thanks for telling us where you got the paper, but I have to ask that you remove the link in your sig. They're not a supporting sponsor and Shane has a dim veiw of free advertising.:redface:
 
Sorry my camera decide to go bad so I can’t get pics but I recently was asked about wiring so I’m going to post my wiring diagrams for the VSS and Cruz plug and play connector.
The VSS and speed sender both come with a connector. I did not want to use more than 2 wires on any given pin so I ran a 4th wire from the speed sender connector to feed the speedometer.
You will also need to buy 1 extra connector for the Tach convertor if you don’t want to use blade style connectors. You could solder the connections but then if the convertor ever goes bad you will not be able to just replace it.
When you unplug the factory VSS buffer (green box) there is a white plug with 3 wires and a black plug with one wire.
The brown wire in the white plug goes to the A10 terminal on the ECM and gets connected to the Brown signal output from the VSS converter module.
The wire in the black plug goes to the cruise module and gets connected to the signal output from the Tach converter module Yellow wire.
I wouldn’t cut the original connector off here for this you’re going to have to splice in to the wiring above the connector and I would recommend soldering a lead with a connection for these to wires to use a blade connector or a weather pack connector.
For power if you have an analog dash you can use the Pink/black stripe wire and the black wire from the group of wires from the small connector in original gauges. For a digital dash you will have to look for that pink wire under the dash some ware.
Now before you put this together those weather pack connectors are large so if you plan on being able to remove this cable from your car you will need to make a way to seal a big hole in the floor board some ware if you run it like I did. I didn’t want to run the wiring out the fire wall I wanted it to come out right at the input in the trans. So I ran the ire under my center console and drilled a 1in hole above the trans in the floor board.
Now to make this clear as mud to seal it up I drilled a hole with my hole saw 1 1/2 in size to make a cap with I then used the small starter hole in that 1 1/2 plug to run the wiring threw make sure you use a grommet so the wires don’t rub on the metal and get cut in to. Then just bend the metal to match the contour of the floor board if needed and use a small screw and some gasket sealer to hold it in place. Now if you ever need to remove that cable it’s easy and you don’t have to cut any connectors off it.
I’ll try to get a camera this week to get some pics for everyone but for now I hope this helps out.

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Ok guys got the camera working so I was able to down load some pics .
Today will be the how to make the VSS and Cruz control plug and play harness. For you guys with no cruz just leave off the wiring for the Tach Convertor.
Step one:
Let’s get everything we need to build this thing. Here is a list of parts you will need and a price break down.
Tools you may not have and don’t need but make for a cleaner build
Soldering Iron, Solder and Flux (can get cheap one at wall mart) less than $20
Heat gun (got mine from harbor fright for $7 on sale)
Forceps or if you have time to order go on line and get soldering wire tinning tweezers haven’t priced these in a while but sure you can get them for under $10 Radio shack maybe
Solder suck or steel wick to remove too much solder if you have never soldered before.
Caspers electronics
102007 VDO Converter Tach Module $33
102045 VSS VDO Sender Dead End $82
102046 VSS Convertor $82
Lowes
16 gauge Primary wire 25ft roll one each black, white and red $2.50 each (or trailer wire check step 3 to explain)
2 12 packs insulated Disconnect pairs (Blade wire connectors) $1.98 each
1 9/16 x ¼ Rubber Grommet $104
Stuff I had Laying around
6in ¼ heat shrink tubing
1 ½ ft 3/8 Heat shrink tubing (I think I got all my heat shrink form harbor freight tools for like $5)
1 ft 16 gauge primary wire brown left over from a trailer lighting harness.
1 ½ in circle cut from sheet metal

Now you have everything you need let’s get ready to build this thing.
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Step two: floor board or fire wall
If you are going to run your harness threw an existing hole in the fire wall which is what most people do you do not need to do this. But if you’re going to put it under the carpet and drill a hole through the floor board above the Trans then you need to do this. It will allow you to be able to build the harness off the car and remove it any time without cutting in to your Wiring harness. The Speed sensor connector is 1in wide so you need to make a cover for a 1in hole in the floor board, the cover will be part of your new wiring harness.
Cut out the 1 ½ in circle from sheet metal, drill a 3/8 hole in the center. Paint with whatever you have laying around no one will ever see it once it is on the car it’s just to keep it from rusting. Place the grommet in the hole. Time to grab a cold drink step 2 is done.
Step three: Prep Work
Now it’s time for my disclaimer this is what worked for my car I expect you guys will not take my word for it and go measure this one for yourself. If you don’t I don’t want to here I made this to short or to big it’s up to you to check your cars needs. I know my car is just like everyone else’s It’s got a 109 block with a 200r4 trans in the stock location. So you should be able to use my measurements but I’m just saying if you’re the guy with the one car that has to be different don’t come crying to me.
Now let’s get started, Here you need 4 wires you can do this 2 ways one like I did buy red, black and white wire or you can get a 4 wire trailer wiring harness and use it but then you won’t have a color coded harness. If color coding doesn’t matter to you then you can use a flat wire harness it would lay nicely under the carpet and may save you $3.
Cut 1 red (+12 VDC to VSS convertor )one black (-12 VDC Ground to VSS convertor) and one white (VS signal to VSS convertor) wire 7ft long and one white (VS to speedometer )wire 8ft long.
Cut 1 red (+12 VDC to Tach signal convertor),one black (-12 VDC ground to Tach signal convertor) 1 white (VS signal to Tach signal convertor) 6in long.
1 brown wire 1ft long( VSS signal to ECM)
Next (if you plan to solder all your connections) pull all the insulated covers off the wire connectors I chose all male connectors for the wiring harness. You will need 5 total.
Next cut you heat shrink tubing
1-1ft X 3/8 in, 1 -2 in X 3/8 in, 1- 1in x 3/8
6 -1in x 1/4in 2-3in x1/4in 1- 1 ½ x1/4in
Now all your parts should be ready for assembly.
 
Step four: Speed sender end let’s put this thing together.
We are going to start with the speed sender end first.
Take your four long wires and run them through the grommet (if needed see step 2) Next put all 4 wires through the 1ft x3/8 in heat shrink. Slide this stuff up around a foot give yourself some room to work on the connector.
Now we are going to start with the 2 white wires there is barely enough room for both wires in the weather pack connector so we are going to solder these 2 wires together make sure you make them long enough to fit in the pin and the connector seal you will be heat shrinking a cover over this.
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Next we will tin the leads 2 the other 2 wires for those who have never soldered this just means you’re going to precover the stripped wire in solder. When doing this if it’s your first time that is what the tweezers or forceps were for you attach them to the wire just before the sheathing to act like a heat sink to do 2 things 1 keep the solder from traveling up the wire and 2 to keep the wire sheathing form melting.
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Next and I didn’t take a pic of this for some reason put the seal for the terminals on the wires and now you are going to solder the terminals for the weather pack connector to the wires. When done just slide the terminals in to place until you feel them click. A: RED B: WHITE C: BLACK Push the seals down in to the connector and close it up.
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Now slide the heat shrink down to the connector and go to heating it up. When it’s all shrunk around the wires let it cool for a minute or 2 and then slide the metal cover and grommet over it. You will probably only need like 6in sticking out of the car but you have a foot of covered wire to work with here when it’s time to connect it to the trans.
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Now go get the cold drink and get ready for the next step.
 
Step Five: Preparing the VSS connector end for assembly
There are 2 ways we can go on this end with and without cruz I would put it together with the cruz option even if you don’t plan on using it now you never know it may come in handy later like if you sell your GNX gauge set up or just decide you want cruz control.
First lets even up the wires going to the VSS connector what I did was starting from the speed sensor connector moving up the wiring harness put a zip tie about every foot this will hold everything in place and can be easily removed so the wires don’t have to lay bunched up under the carpet and can lay flat if wanted.
You last zip tie should be 2 foot from the end. Here we will need to put all the wires in that 2in x3/8 heat shrink then put the 3 wires going to the VSS connector in one of the 3in x ¼ heat shrink tubs. Leaving the wire going to the speedo out on its own. Now slide 2 of the 1in x ¼ tubing over the 3 wires. Shrink the tubing starting with the first 3inx¼in then slide the 2inx3/8in over that tube it will look like this when done.
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Now place one of the 1in tubes ever 6in or so there just there to keep the wiring under the dash together and shrink them down.
Now place the last 3in x ¼ tube over the 3 wires for the VSS connector. Now it should be easy for you to size them up cut them so they are the same length now and then get ready for the next step.
 
Step Six: Wiring the Tach convertor for cruz
Now if you are going be using your cruz control you need to make an additional pig tail to the harness for the Tach signal convertor.
First get out those 3 6in wires we made earlier. On one side you will be adding connectors for the Tach convertor. Start by tinning the wires, then put the wire through the insulated cover from the blade connectors we removed in step 3 then solder a blade thermal on one end and slide the cover back over the terminal. You can also solder a connector to the white speedometer wire, This is also a good time to do the same to a brown wire (more on this in step 7)
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After you have an end on all three wires slide them in to that 1 ½ x ¼ heat shrink tube. Now we need to connect them to the 3 wires coming from the speed sender connector to the VSS connector.
This is done just like we did for the 2 white wires in step 4 but you will need to do this to all three wires going from the speed sensor connector to the VSS convertor connector.
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When done slide all the wires through the 1x38in heat shrink.
Warning: Now this Weather pack connector isn’t as simple as the other one it takes some paying attention to how the terminals slide in to the connector. The other terminals could just slide in any old way but not these ones they have a way they have to go in so to make this easy on yourself take the connector and plug it in to the end on the VSS convertor. It will be wired D: White, C: RED, B: Black pay attention to how the terminal will slide in to the connectors and they can only go one way and you can’t turn them do to having them soldered to the other wires and connect with the heat tubing. You will also notice that this connector is smaller than the other one so you may not be able to use the rubber insulators I was not able to use them there just is not enough room for 2 wires and the insulators.
After the terminals are soldered on just slide them in to place until they click.
 
Step 7: lets finish this thing already
Ok if you’re not going to use cruz and don’t care to do step six just solder the terminals to the wires going from the VS connector paying close attention to how to put the connector together. See the warning above in step 6 on how to do this.
Now if you are like me you wanted to keep everything color coded so you found a 1ft section of brown wire to use if not I would use a 1ft white wire. If you haven’t done so already (Step 6) now is the time to solder a blade terminal to the white speedometer wire and this brown wire and then solder the last terminal from the VSS connector to the other end of the brown wire. This Brown wire will go in the hole for terminal A on the VSS connector this lead will be used to plug in to the wire to the ECM.
Now that everything is together it’s time to shrink all that heat shrink that’s left up first slide the two pieces of ¼in tubing as close to the VSS connector as you can get and inside that 3/8 piece then shrink it down.
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Now just Zip tie that Tach converter to the VSS convertor to keep things together.
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Step 8: only thing left to do
Well there is only one thing left to do get a cold beverage and set back and admire your handy work until the it’s time for the next step in getting that GNX dash in your car. Making the panel fit the dash and then wiring the gauge panel I know this is the part everyone wants to see so surprisingly Ill save it for last.
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Looks good Earl! For those who don't know, the "OLD" VDO dash is my old dash and is in my GN now.

Thats right folks! and for those who dont know, Don sold poor Earl the car which was the biggest friggun turd I had ever seen.

Looking good Earl
 
Thanks,
you wouldnt know it by looking at this im out of practice. but a long time ago I went to school for this kind of stuff. I use to do it a lot for the f-body guys but had a house fire and all my tools were lost so I quit doing it.
 
I am installing my GNX styly dash using an Autometer Electronic speedometer. There is a tab on the back of the speedometer identified as "out" and the instructions indicate running a wire from the out tab to "VSS to ECM". However, I followed the instructions above and tapped into the brown wire on the VSS buffer and connected the yellow wire from the tach module to the red wire (cruise control) in the black plug connected to the VSS buffer. My question is do I need to make a connection to this "out" tab on the back of the speedometer?
 
681tonburb,
I'm going to go ahead and post a stupid question here, but I simply must becuase I dont have enough experience w/car instrumentation to ask an intelligent one. Is there, forgive me, a 'drop-in' kit for our cars?

I've heard of companies like adfab designs doing drop-in clusters using Spek gauges, I think it was PowerBlock, but not sure.

I want the critical ones:
1. tach
2. speedo
3. boost
4. oil-pressure
5. water temp
6. fuel level
7. voltmeter

Thanks for putting together a great, informative read.
 
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