Many people have put the later tach equipped clusters into the earlier
models. You need to relocate most of the wires if using an 86 cluster in
a 83. The white 14 pin housing can be opened up and then the wires can
be moved to wherever they need to be. David Beierl wrote up a great wire
by wire conversion for this a couple of years ago. Maybe someone on the
list can point you to it or forward it to you. I saw it mentioned
recently.

You may have to do something to fool the dynamic oil pressure circuit
found on the 86 model. The 2.1 engines have 2 oil pressure switches and
a little circuit board in the speedo that monitors one or the other
depending on engine rpm.

Mark

Jbclem wrote:
>
> I have a dash housing(with speedo, tach, clock, gauges, etc...) that I want
> to install in my 1983 Westphalia(watercooled).  The main difference I see is
> that on the 14 connector plug the wires are in different spots(ie...the wire
> for the fuel sending gauge has a different number/position from 1983 to
> 1986).  It looks like all I have to do is reroute about 5 wires on the 14
> connector plug and add a wire from the coil(#1 coil terminal) for the tach.
>
> I'd like to know if anyone has already made this conversion and if there is
> more to it that I'm seeing.  I haven't checked to make sure the 14 connector
> plug from the 1983 will fit into the receptacle on the 1986 but they look
> the same.  The speedo cable I'm using is the push-on kind(not screw on).
>
> Any other thoughts?  Any ideas about the best way to reroute the wires on
> the plug...clip them, or open up the plug and switch them around?
>
> John