INTELLITRONIX DASH IS IN (Pics added)
I didn't like the way my dash looked and worked. I had to many gauges hanging off the dash bottom as well as installed in the empty spaces on my dash. My cluster was a disaster with none of the gauges working, the speedometer did not work and only one signal light would flash. This fall Intellitronix had a $100 off sale on their new A-body digital dash so I took the plunge and bought one. I finally got around to installing it during the last week. I also decided to do the MADD ammeter bypass at the same time. The first thing I will say is they did not have a Demon with a 340 6-71 combo in mind when they designed this piece. I had to raise the blower to install a couple of parts. So to start with it wasn't to bad to assemble the dash although the instructions were a little vague when it comes to what you have to take apart on the old dash cluster. I will just say you have to take it completely apart and it can never be used as a stock dash again. Everything went together fairly easily.
The first problem I found was the mounting screw holes no longer work as the backing plate that the screws use when they are recessed is no longer there. I cured that by epoxying the holes over from the back and drilling new holes. Not a big deal but something that should be included in the instructions.
The next problem was the water temp sensor. They didn't design it for somebody having a Roots style blower. I had to take the blower off and cut the water fitting down to get it to work. I don't think this would be a problem for somebody with a normally aspirated engine.
The wiring is a big job as you have to remove all of your old gauges and wiring. It took a while, (2 days), and you end up with a real rats nest of wires coming out of the firewall into the dash area. I did clean this mess up. lol
This is when I ran into a real problem. The new dash did not work to well. The only lights that worked were the signal light and hazard light indicators. I checked all my wiring and compared it to the instructions and no matter what I tried there was no joy in Mudville. I called Intellitronix and left a message. They got back to me about 45 minutes later and I talked to Duane for a few minutes and we were able to figure out I had the wrong instructions. He emailed me the correct ones and I was back at it. It took me about 15 minutes to straighten things out and I was doing my happy dance. There are still a few things to calibrate and the volt meter is only showing a little over 11 volts so maybe I still have something to figure out with the Madd bypass but it does seem to be working.
You may have noticed a Hurst Quarterstick in one of the photos. I am installing that as well. I ran into a problem there as well but I think I have it figured out. Their shifting arm on the tranny is jamming a little and it won't go into park but I know how to fix that.
Overall I would say that the Intellitronix piece is pretty good. Just a few little problems in my particular application.
Jack
I didn't like the way my dash looked and worked. I had to many gauges hanging off the dash bottom as well as installed in the empty spaces on my dash. My cluster was a disaster with none of the gauges working, the speedometer did not work and only one signal light would flash. This fall Intellitronix had a $100 off sale on their new A-body digital dash so I took the plunge and bought one. I finally got around to installing it during the last week. I also decided to do the MADD ammeter bypass at the same time. The first thing I will say is they did not have a Demon with a 340 6-71 combo in mind when they designed this piece. I had to raise the blower to install a couple of parts. So to start with it wasn't to bad to assemble the dash although the instructions were a little vague when it comes to what you have to take apart on the old dash cluster. I will just say you have to take it completely apart and it can never be used as a stock dash again. Everything went together fairly easily.
The first problem I found was the mounting screw holes no longer work as the backing plate that the screws use when they are recessed is no longer there. I cured that by epoxying the holes over from the back and drilling new holes. Not a big deal but something that should be included in the instructions.
The next problem was the water temp sensor. They didn't design it for somebody having a Roots style blower. I had to take the blower off and cut the water fitting down to get it to work. I don't think this would be a problem for somebody with a normally aspirated engine.
The wiring is a big job as you have to remove all of your old gauges and wiring. It took a while, (2 days), and you end up with a real rats nest of wires coming out of the firewall into the dash area. I did clean this mess up. lol
This is when I ran into a real problem. The new dash did not work to well. The only lights that worked were the signal light and hazard light indicators. I checked all my wiring and compared it to the instructions and no matter what I tried there was no joy in Mudville. I called Intellitronix and left a message. They got back to me about 45 minutes later and I talked to Duane for a few minutes and we were able to figure out I had the wrong instructions. He emailed me the correct ones and I was back at it. It took me about 15 minutes to straighten things out and I was doing my happy dance. There are still a few things to calibrate and the volt meter is only showing a little over 11 volts so maybe I still have something to figure out with the Madd bypass but it does seem to be working.
You may have noticed a Hurst Quarterstick in one of the photos. I am installing that as well. I ran into a problem there as well but I think I have it figured out. Their shifting arm on the tranny is jamming a little and it won't go into park but I know how to fix that.
Overall I would say that the Intellitronix piece is pretty good. Just a few little problems in my particular application.
Jack
