Chinook RV

I have a 1994 Chinook with 1992 chassis, which means the older Ford dashboard (not the 1997+ one).

We live around a lot of hills, and the beast is always downshifting to go up hill, and I'm manually downshifting the other way. So I really wanted to know what the engine speed is. Unfortunately, the stock instrument cluster has no tachometer: At first I was just going to add a third party tach somewhere. Then I did a little reading on the internet, and quickly found out that the Ford F truck series used almost the same instrument cluster (same physical design and connectors, with minor wiring pin number differences). These panels use a digital speedometer, but all the other gauges are still analog.

Even better, it turned out that while the E-Series never got a tach back then, the F-Series did have it as an option, and people had written quite a bit of info about doing a swap. Here is my panel open and then with the new setup installed: Now, while it's close to being an exact swap, there are some wiring changes. Also, about six of the incoming wires change pin numbers between 92-93 and 94-96, so if you accidentally buy a different era instrument cluster like I did, then I had to change more wires than I would've if I'd kept in the same year set. Still, it only took a few minutes to do, using a small screwdriver to release some cluster plug wires and move them to a different plug slot. (There are lots of threads on the topic, and I first sat down with a VOM and wire color guide, and mapped out what wires I had to swap.)

Anyway, I bought a 1994 F150/Bronco tach panel off eBay for about $85 - a real steal, usually they're about $120. I cleaned it up, replaced all the idiot lamps with new bulbs, and changed all the backlighting to light blue LEDs. I also swapped my speedometer for the one that came with the cluster, so I could keep my same odometer reading and tire size setting. Here it is in place running on my Chinook tonight. The writing stayed green, but the needle ends turned blue:
Tach wire - the F trucks came with the tach signal in the wire bundle all ready to go. But on the E350 used in the Chinook, I had to run a wire myself from the PIP output of the Ignition Control Module under the hood, through the firewall and up to the panel. Took a while to find a firewall hole where I could slip a wire next to a current bundle.

Anti-slosh module - our E van dashes use a tiny plug-in circuit board to keep the fuel gauge from bouncing around as the fuel sloshes in the tank while driving. F trucks don't need it for some reason, but they do have a place for one. So you just swap in your E van module and cut a board trace (easy). Also had to jumper a wire to provide power to that module.

Since I had spent days planning what to do, in the end it only took a couple of lazy hours to do the swap (I also grabbed the PSOM speed signal and ran it up my ceiling while I was there, so I can later add an Explorer overhead compass/ temperature console.)

One dumb thing I did was fail to test the panel after I put the plastic window on. I didn't notice that I trapped the temperature needle while screwing it down and thus soon had to take my dash apart again to free it. Grrr.

I am thrilled to have a stock looking instrument panel with a factory tach. Woo hoo! If anyone with an older Ford wants to try this as well, I'll be happy to put together some links and diagrams.

Kevin

Supposedly all Ford trucks from 1997 onward have a digital tachometer readout available in the odometer window, as a test kind of thing, but useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkq3ISD7jqE

Anyone with a later model care to try it out?

Very cool! This is just the kind of mod I love - too bad I have the newer one so I can't utilize it just because it's so cool you figured it out and then posted it for the rest of us to benefit.

(But note for anyone with a 1996-newer - we can use an OBD reader such as a Scan Gauge II that shows RPM plus a bunch of other stuff. I realize 1996 is still the "old" dashboard, but I *think* 1996 can use an OBD reader. Still, check on this if you have a 1996 and don't take my word for it. I can vouch for 1997-newer plus Scan Gauge II.)

Nice upgrade.

Interestingly, quite a few Lincoln-Ford-Mercury digital clusters of that era have analog gauge / digital speedo inputs and thus can also be made to work (though not quite as easily as the F150 swap, because the digital cluster plugs are physically different). The Cougar/T-Bird has the most gauges, but is wide and has to be cut down. The Town Car fits almost perfectly, but has no tach. The Windstar actually mounts in the same holes, but tilts a bit more and thus needs some bezel mods. Also the Windstar expects a 6-cylinder engine, so its tach reads slightly high with a V-8.

I've already bought 1995 Town Car and Windstar panels, and worked out most of their wiring. Even got the remote compass for the Town Car one. I'm thinking of re-doing my chassis dash plugs to end in standard Molex sockets in a pattern I'll decide, and I'll set it up so I can plug in any cluster that I've done the same to. Just for fun.

Some more info and a wiring diagram I made for my own 94 F150 panel with tach into my Chinook 93 E350 connectors.

This is very cool! I wonder if there is any similar swap for the newer rigs? Mine is a 2000, for example, and I use ultragauge for the tach.

chin_k wrote: September 20th, 2018, 7:36 am This is very cool! I wonder if there is any similar swap for the newer rigs?

I think it was in 2005 (or if not, close) that the E-series cluster did get a tach. It's sort of piggybacked on the side of the speedo - nice display. Between then and 2008 the dash was the same shape as our 97+ ones, so maybe?

I'm happy with it on the Scan Gauge II (since I use it for other things that I'll never be able to get on the cluster even if I put in a newer one), but I could see the appeal in general.

BG

PS: K, that is super cool. Also that you share it all here.

Cool upgrade indeed.

Excellent post. I know this is an old post, but exactly what I was looking for. I have a 95 Ford E350 chassis that I am doing this swap to. I've begun by getting the cluster. In your post, you mention having to change some wires in the connectors and also cut a trace and add a jumper. Can you be a bit more specific on all of that please - which wires, trace, & jumper. It is a cool mod and I am excited to do it to mine.
Thanks for the post and sharing your knowledge.