Lightning II
Well-Known Member
This is going to seem odd, but are the mounting holes for the F-'s and M-'s gauge clusters & the fascia the same? or is the frame of the dash behind it different?
F-body/M-body gauge panel interchange?
- Thread starter Lightning II
- Start date
cal30_sniper
Member
I see you never got a reply, so I'll answer in case you still need the info.
The dash mounting is exactly the same. M-body dash frame will bolt onto your F-body dash perfectly. I believe the fascia takes a very light clearancing in the upper corners to interface with the slightly different F-body dash pad. It was such a small modification that I don't even remember what it took. You'll see when you get it together.
The wiring is different between the two, so you will need to cut and resplice the two connectors for the proper M-body pinout. Speedomter cables also are different, they went to a newer plastic clip on design somewhere in the 80s (my '77 Volare had a spring-clamp style cable).
You'll enjoy the swap!
The dash mounting is exactly the same. M-body dash frame will bolt onto your F-body dash perfectly. I believe the fascia takes a very light clearancing in the upper corners to interface with the slightly different F-body dash pad. It was such a small modification that I don't even remember what it took. You'll see when you get it together.
The wiring is different between the two, so you will need to cut and resplice the two connectors for the proper M-body pinout. Speedomter cables also are different, they went to a newer plastic clip on design somewhere in the 80s (my '77 Volare had a spring-clamp style cable).
You'll enjoy the swap!
cal30_sniper
Member
And to clarify, you need the black plastic support from the M-body. M-body gauges will not fit an F-body dash without swapping over the black plastic support.
Wow, that looks great. Even the pod on top looks factory.
cal30_sniper
Member
Thanks! I put some effort into colormatching everything. Hard to tell from the photo, but I also managed to track down a 125mph certified speedometer. Top pod has Autometer Wideband A/F, Vacuum, and Oil Pressure. There’s also a digital voltage gauge in the spot where a rear window defrost switch would have been. The photo doesn’t show it right due to the raster effect, but it’s large digital numbers that switch to a black screen when off.
Oh yeah, and an M-body Infiniti with Bluetooth input through the CD changer plug, feeding an Alpine 4 channel amp. I swapped the dual speaker dash support from the M-body as well.
Oh yeah, and an M-body Infiniti with Bluetooth input through the CD changer plug, feeding an Alpine 4 channel amp. I swapped the dual speaker dash support from the M-body as well.
Lightning II
Well-Known Member
Oh wow. That turned out really nice!
I’m actually looking at sticking the F- dash into my M-, and replacing the gauge cluster with a digital panel instead.
I’m actually looking at sticking the F- dash into my M-, and replacing the gauge cluster with a digital panel instead.
Bill Park
Well-Known Member
Are 1980 and 1979 dashes interchangeable?
That is an open ended question.
The F-body dash parts are mostly the same from '76-80 but there are a few minor differences along the way.
One big difference is Chrysler went to a different steering column design (GM) in 1980, which the wiper switch is now on the turn signal stalk instead of on the dash (this applies to F and M-bodies).
Generally, as a whole, a person can change the complete dash out between any F & M body along with the wiring harness (and depending on year) with the steering column. With that said, Chrysler was good about changing the electrical connector styles every couple of years or so – just to make it fun to find the correct electrical part for your application.
In addition, Chrysler used four different firewall bulkhead connectors, for FMJ's:
'76-78 F/M
'79 F/M
80-87 FMJ
88-89 M
The underhood wiring is also different because of the bulkhead connector is different.
On that note: there is the bulkhead connector (square) at the firewall for some years:
And other years the bulkhead connector is under the dash with a round rubber boot at the firewall:
Disregard the arrow or the black X.
BudW
