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Goin' Dakota Digital

A Bit of Background... and a Nifty Installation
February, 2009
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All the components to make... 
   
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All the components to make your truck ride on air from Air Ride Technologies. Easy to install and virtually maintenance free, air spring suspension offers the utmost in suspension tuning, ride quality and compensation for varying loads.
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As with nearly any type of... 
   
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As with nearly any type of modification the first step is takin' stuff apart. First, the truck's steering wheel is removed to aid access to the stock cluster. The assembly is then loosened from the dash and the gauge connections marked and disconnected from the factory gauges. Once this is accomplished the assembly can be removed and readied for disassembly.
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Here's the Dakota Digital... 
   
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Here's the Dakota Digital kit. As you can see there's no need to be an electrical engineer, all the specialized assembly is done at the factory and all that's left is the easy stuff. The components (actually very few) consist of the new lens, the display system, the control box, and the senders and switches.
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Once the original cluster... 
   
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Once the original cluster is out, the next step is to remove the instrumentation from the chrome bezel.
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Next, take the supplied lens... 
   
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Next, take the supplied lens (with the lettering facing the front of the dash) and place it into the bezel. Lay a bead of RTV silicone sealer around the backside of the lens to secure it in place. After the RTV has cured the display panel is then ready to be set into place.
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The display assembly is shaped... 
   
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The display assembly is shaped and pre-drilled to fit the factory Chevy bezel perfectly, no additional holes should need to be drilled or modifications made.
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Be careful not to hit the... 
   
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Be careful not to hit the displays against anything as they're glass and may break. Adjust the height of the panel so that the glass displays are 1/8-inch away from the front lens. Secure the panel to the bezel using the original holes and screws.
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Here the control box has been... 
   
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Here the control box has been attached to the rear of the cluster assembly, but can also be mounted under the dash or anywhere within the constraints of the 3-foot long connecting cable. Mounting the control box to the cluster will necessitate a good ground wire. Mounting it under the dash or to the firewall, though not required, will actually provide an easier and perhaps better ground.
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The control box has a receptacle... 
   
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The control box has a receptacle to accept the ribbon harness from the display panel. When connecting the display panel harness, be very careful to pay attention to the "up" side of the connector. Align the connector in the socket and press firmly so the connector locks engage.
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Wiring the control box is... 
   
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Wiring the control box is really a much less daunting task than one would imagine. Dakota's instruction sheets are pretty explicit and when combining the easy to understand directions and the previously marked original wiring it's pretty hard to make a mistake. Plus, just look at the control box connection setup--they couldn't make it much simpler or more obvious, could they?
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It was decided to make future... 
   
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It was decided to make future removal of the cluster unit a simple task by wiring the control box with a short pigtail set. Here you can see the control box half of the first male pigtail handling the main connections. The balance of the leads were mated to a second connector and both female pigtails matched to the appropriate wires on the body harness.
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There are also two pushbutton... 
   
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There are also two pushbutton switches supplied in the kit that control a few different functions. One controls the trip odometer function and the setting for the oil warning light and speedometer calibration. The other handles the trip odometer reset and setting
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In this case, the switches... 
   
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In this case, the switches were mounted in the steering column support cover for a clean look and ease of manipulation.
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Once the dash wiring was handled,... 
   
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Once the dash wiring was handled, the next order of business was to install and hook up the sending units supplied in the Dakota kit. Remember, you must use the supplied senders as they're calibrated to make the gauges read correctly. Here's where reading the instructions completely comes in mighty handy. Out of habit, the water temperature sender was treated to a generous helping of thread sealer. Then upon glancing back at the instruction sheet it was noted that because the sender's ground is made by its connection to the block, there was a good chance that we'd end up with incorrect readings because of the insulating quality of the sealer causing a poor ground. The sender was then (after the photo) removed and cleaned of any trace of sealer and reinstalled per the instructions.
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Learning a valuable lesson... 
   
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Learning a valuable lesson with the water temp sender, the oil pressure sender was installed in accordance with the instructions the first time (no sealer or Teflon tape), and the connection wired.
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The installation of the VSS... 
   
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The installation of the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) was next on the list. The VSS is fitted in place of the factory speedo cable (or speed sensor, if so equipped) and sends the needed signal to the control box and from there to the speedometer. Again, read the instructions, as there are some important wiring tips to ensure a correct speedo reading.
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And there you have it, a quick... 
   
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And there you have it, a quick overview of most of the important steps needed to swap those old analog gauges to a cool high-tech digital setup that'll set your classic truck a step above the average ride. Hopefully this'll not only help you make the decision to go the digital route, and if so whether you want to tackle it on your own or enlist some help. Either way we're sure
SOURCES
DAKOTA DIGITAL
3421 W. Hovland Ave., Dept. CT
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
(888) 881-0537

SPECIALTY AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
2345 Fruitvale #5, Dept. CT
Bakersfield, CA 93308
(661) 869-0718


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