Converting 83 CC Dashboard ?

[PJensen]

What to do with dash?



My 83 has cruise on t/s switch, intermittent wipers next to H/Switch tilt wheel with a nice sport wheel from factory. Column is black.



Donor 91. 5 has tilt column is red, No cruise and I think standard wipers.



Im planning on taking all the wiring out of the 91. 5 and entire dash and column too.



Would you:



1. Keep the 83 stuff there and add the Cummins Info center? Leaving the rest of the 83 dash original.



2. Put the entire dash/column from 91. 5 in the 83 and buy a used tilt column with all the goodies cruise/int wipers/high beam on t/s tree etc during the swap?



I would like to keep that factory 83 sport wheel, I know the 91 - 93 wheels have the cruise on the steering wheel. Its the same style wheel thats in every Mopar built them years.



Thanks for any input on this.

 

[83 crew cab]

I went with the longer route than most of the guys I keep the 83wiring and justed added the wireing need for the diesel I only hooked up the low fuel and wiat to strart and the water in fuel lights its a little more work but like you I wanted to keep the stock wheel and switch locations If you can get an 91 service manual it will show you all the wires that is need just my 2 cents George

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

I went the other way, All of my 85 wiring is gone. I replaced the instrument cluster and steering column with a "early" 91 Cummins. It helped that my donor truck was a LE and had a black column.

Kyle

 

[PJensen]

I wonder if I found an LE tilt column in the yard from an 89 to 93 truck if I could take the "Ignition" wiring from the donor diesel truck and do it like that.



The only thing I would really like to do is get the intermittent wipers on the turn signal switch along with the cruise and high beam switch as well.



I dont care for the pad looking wheel the wheel I have on the 83 looks like the Tuff Wheel from the seventies muscle cars. I just might have to leave the wiper switch in the dash and live with it.



Kyle- Who did your machine work on the Cummins? Are they in Michigan? Im thinking about going through the engine before I do the conversion.



Im leaning toward porting the cylinder head maybe just get one from Piers.



Maybe a Dr Performance step one VE rotary pump upgrade. Smaller turbo housing with bigger exhaust.



Thanks for the input.

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

Paul,



I would think that a tilt column comes standard with delayed wipers. Maybe a cheaper way is go to the dealer and get the covers in black and keep your donor column The steering wheel alone will be much easier to find than a whole column. My machine work was done by Varneys Engine Shop in Muskegon MI, Their work is TOP NOTCH, the guy who runs the shop is a super perfectionist when comes to his work. The shop is clean and well run, they primarly build race engines, but my brother in law(who also in an engine machinest/builder but now builds motors & out drives for boats) recommended him to me.



Kyle