True Connections

This month we will discuss the 1968 and 1969 Chevelle and El Camino gauges. In 1968 most Chevelles and El Caminos were equipped with the standard idiot light cluster. Even many Super Sport models did not get the tach & gauges option. The 1968 idiot light cluster had rectangle openings with the speedo on the left side and the lights and fuel gauge on the right arranged in a circle around a clock or block out plate. There was a smaller rectangle in the center above the steering column that was blocked out by the dash. If the car had the tach and gauges option, that part of the dash was cut out and surrounded by a small trim ring. Through this hole you would view the tachometer, which was called a roll or barrel tach since the needle was horizontal and moved up and down on the curved face of the tach. The Amp, Temp, and Oil pressure gauge were in the right hand cluster, taking the place of the lights around the clock. The 1969 idiot light cluster had circular openings with the speedo on the left and the lights and fuel gauge on the right arranged in a circle, but the clock or block out plate was in a smaller circular hole in the center above the steering column. On the Super Sport clusters the needle gauges took the place of the idiot lights like in the 1968 model, but instead of a tach in the center hole, GM put the tach in the middle of the gauges. Although very rare, 1968 and 1969 were the last years that a speedminder was available as an option in Chevelles and El Caminos. Another item of interest is that the 1969 oil pressure gauge was the only year that an electric gauge was used, all others from 1964-1968 were mechanical, and if you remember from a previous article, 1970-1972 never had an oil pressure gauge.

The dash boards of the 1968 and 1969 models share the same basic dimensions, and both were available with or without astro-ventilation which is easily identifiable by a ball vent mounted in the dash, just to the left of the column. Unfortunately the 1968 dash bezel is not currently available, and manufacturers have been saying it should be soon for years now. The instrument lenses including the tach lens, the lower column/dash plate, and the small bezels surrounding the switches are readily available. The 1969 dash bezel is available reproduction in all it’s variations of Astro-ventilation and Air Conditioning, and the instrument lens and lower dash plate is also available.

The pictures below are the new reproductions of the tach and gauge clusters. The two on the left are a 1968 non factory type conversion that mounts the tach where the clock would go. The picture on the right is of the 1969 reproduction cluster that is just like factory.

To remove the dash bezel you first need to remove the 4 phillips head screws securing the lower dash plate, and if you have a column shift car be sure to remove the wire going from the column to the shift indicator in the dash. Next remove the screws holding the steering column plate to the firewall and the nuts supporting the column to the dash and gently lower the steering column. From here you can begin removing the screws along the top and sides of the dash, but be sure to support the dash until all screws have been removed otherwise the weight of the dash could cause it to break away from any remaining screws. Once the mounting hardware is removed you can gently tilt the dash forward and reach the speedometer cable. The 1968 cable will be screwed on the back of the speedometer while the 1969 models will have a clip that holds it in place. With the cable removed you can lower the dash further and then remove any other items. Next month we will discuss several new items available for your interior.