Dakota Digital Makes It Easy To Add Gauges To Your LS Swapped Classic Car Or Truck

August 25, 2021 10:14 pm

Fitting a classic car or hot rod with a newer LS or LT V8 engine poses many challenges, including a gauge cluster in most cases. While there are many different routes builders can take to solve this piece of the puzzle, Dakota Digital offers a simple plug-and-play solution which utilizes the OBD-II port to provide a range of parameters.

The following information is then displayed on a Dakota Digital instrument system (including RTX, HDX, VHX, and VFD3 systems):

Available on most vehicles:

Speedometer
Tachometer
Engine Temperature
Check Engine Indicator

Vehicle specific:

Intake Air Temperature
Transmission Temperature
Ambient Air Temperature
Gear Position
Oil Pressure
Boost Pressure

The OBD-II (or CAN) interface module can be paired with a universal gauge cluster offered by Dakota Digital. Alternatively, builders can choose to go with an OEM-like replacement cluster – like the 1963 thru ’67 unit shown above – which includes replacement sensors to work with the new instrument system. If the application in question doesn’t have an OBD-II port, this is a favorable solution, albeit not quite as simple.

Dakota Digital also offers what it refers to as BIM Expansion modules, which allows users to add an additional 16 gauges directly to the clusters already in use, which is particularly helpful for builders who are trying to keep the interior clean and tidy.

There are plenty of fine examples of clean builds that make use of this convenient technology, some of which are shared right on Dakota Digital’s website, including a custom Chevy 454SS pickup truck built by Tre5 Customs and IKandy Paintworks in Phoenix, Arizona (shown above). This C1500 – which is dubbed Blackjack and was on display at SEMA ’19 – features a 418-cubic-inch V8 with a Whipple supercharger that boosts output to over 900 horsepower, and all that power is transmitted by a 4L80E automatic. The truck is a beauty inside and out, and the clean gauge cluster configuration is a testament to the clean creativity afforded by Dakota Digital’s products.

So, whether you’re attempting to stuff a junkyard Vortec V8 under the hood of something as outlandish as a Saab 9-3, or are breathing new life into a classic GM car or truck, Dakota Digital can make things a bit easier and a bit neater.